Eshetu Girma Kidane

Eshetu Girma Kidane

Research Scientist

ABOUT Eshetu Girma Kidane

Eshetu is a Research Scientist in the Chronic Diseases Management Unit. He plays a critical role in co-designing and testing interventions with stakeholders to inform policy and practice on the prevention and management of chronic diseases in various African populations. Currently, he is leading a project on “Addressing the Commercial Determinants of Health in Sub-Saharan Africa,” exploring how three unhealthy commodity industries (alcohol, ultra-processed food, and fossil fuels) influence population health in sub-Saharan Africa to inform the development of coherent policies to promote health and sustainable development.

Eshetu obtained his PhD in International Health from the Center for International Health, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Health Promotion and Behavioral Health Sciences from Jimma University, Ethiopia.

Before joining APHRC, he worked as an assistant professor at Jimma University and then as an Associate Professor (health promotion and behavioral health sciences) at Addis Ababa University. He has mentored and supervised several master’s and PhD students. He was the founding member and president of the Ethiopian Health Education and Promotion Professionals Association (EHEPA). Because of his contribution to research, Eshetu received the “Young Public Health Researcher Award” from the Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) in 2011.

He has led and completed several projects on mental health stigma, vaccines, and health systems strengthening and has published more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific articles in different journals. He served as manager and assistant editor of the Ethiopian Journal of Health Development (EJHD) and is currently an editorial board member of the International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS).

Eshetu is keen about the use of human-centered design in understanding and addressing local community needs so that everyone enjoys the highest level of health and quality of life.