Sokhna Thiam

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Sokhna Thiam

Associate Research Scientist

ABOUT Sokhna Thiam

Sokhna, an Environmental Epidemiologist with a background in Health Geography, is an Associate Research Scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), West Africa Regional Office (WARO) in Dakar. Leading the Environment, Climate Change and Health Unit at WARO, she investigates the relationships between environmental and social influences on health, focusing on infectious as well as non-communicable disease (NCDs) outcomes. Currently, her research focus is on the impact of climate change on NCDs and maternal and newborn health and the impacts of large-scale landscape restoration on human health in West Africa within the ClimateAction4NCDs Heat&MNH, and GGW projects, OneHealth, EchoHealth, and Planetary Health lens. 

Sokhna is at the forefront of expanding evidence and research for a better understanding of the climate, environment and health nexus to inform health interventions/actions in the context of global environmental change in Africa, in particular in West Africa. She is committed to engaging with policymakers and communities on environmental and climate-related health challenges. For this commitment, she is a fellow of the 2022 Dalberg/Wellcome Trust Climate & Health Public Engagement Leadership Program and U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program Alumni on Climate Resiliency and Health Security.

Prior to joining APHRC, she served as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Scientific Research Collaborator at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Sokhna holds a Master’s degree in health geography at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal, and a PhD in Epidemiology at the Swiss TPH. 

Dr Thiam is an active member of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology and was a member and Secretary of the ISEE Africa Chapter Executive Committee for 3 years (2018-2021) and the ISEE membership committee. She is a member of the CHANCE Network and the Health Climate Network Community.