ABOUT Hesborn Wao

Hesborn leads the Individual Capacity Strengthening (ICS) under the Research and Related Capacity Strengthening (RRCS) Theme, overseeing all internal and external individual capacity-strengthening initiatives. This includes short course training (bespoke and public offering); internship and visiting scholar program; fellowship or mentorship programs; brown bag presentations, individual technical assistance; journal clubs; and related initiatives. He also leads several projects, including the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals (PEP) Program (funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation); WHO Human Reproduction Program (HRP) Alliance Hub – Long-term Institutional Development (funded by WHO); and Infectious Diseases in East Africa: A Behavioral and Economic Research Collaborative (IDEA-BERC) (funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Before joining APHRC, Hesborn was a professor at the University of South Florida, where he taught graduate-level courses, supervised students, conducted research and evaluation focusing on health and education, and served the scientific community in different roles.  He is a Carnegie African Diaspora fellow and an editorial board member of journals, including BMC Public Health and Discover Education. He has served as a founding committee member of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Global Health Policy and Systems Research (Global HPSR).

Hesborn holds PhD in Measurement and Evaluation, an MPH in Public Health Administration, and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Florida, USA. He also holds a BEd in Mathematics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and is a board-certified public health professional. Hesborn is passionate about strengthening the capacity of early-career researchers and those with whom they work.