Our Namibia office in Windhoek employs individuals with expertise in health information systems, monitoring and evaluation, surveillance and business development.
HIS Software Developer
asen.mwandemele@ucglobalprograms.org
Asen Mwandemele is a Health Information Systems (HIS) Software Developer. He is a member of the UCSF Global Health Informatics Hub and has a Computer Science background from the University of Namibia. Focusing on programming data collection tools and analytics in global health, Asen has worked on online, offline and hybrid data collection and analysis tools for HIV and Malaria projects in Namibia, Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania, Thailand and Indonesia. In Namibia, he works closely with the IT and Health Information Systems (HIS) team at the Ministry of Health & Social Services. His competencies are in data collection and analysis, server setup and maintenance, cloud technologies, web services, and mobile application development.
Continuous Quality Improvement Advisor
praise.zimunya@ucglobalprograms.org
Praise joined Global Programs in 2016 working as an M&E Data Analyst. Her previous and current roles are focused on Research Monitoring and Evaluation, data quality control procedures, reporting, monitoring and evaluation for quality improvement, providing support for improvement strategies for data collection, development of training materials, SOP’s and manuals, providing support and ongoing capacity building for health workers on HIV and PMTCT Programs.
Prior to this role, she worked in monitoring, evaluation and reporting roles on health and nutrition and malaria programs with UMCOR in Zimbabwe.
Praise has a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences with Africa University, Zimbabwe and is currently studying for a master’s degree in International Development Studies with the University of Birmingham, UK.
Administration and FInance Assistant
kornelia.penda@ucglobalprograms.org
Penda assists the finance and administration department and ensures the office is environmentally friendly. She previously worked for Regus Business Centre as an office assistant.
High Risk Population Surveillance Specialist
henry.ntuku@ucglobalprograms.org
Ntuku is a trained medical doctor and a public health specialist with interest in the design, planning and implementation of interventions for malaria control and elimination. He leads the field implementation and overall coordination of multiple malaria high-risk population studies in Namibia and other partner countries including Senegal and Laos. In that role, he works with in-country partner institutions including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, University of Namibia, (Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership for Africa, Health Poverty Action to support national malaria programs in identifying and understanding specific characteristics of populations at high-risk for malaria, selecting and targeting tailored surveillance and response interventions to ultimately reduce malaria transmission. Ntuku joined MEI and Global Programs in 2016 and has led the effective implementation of a multi-partner, multi-year randomized control trial investigating innovative malaria response strategies, including reactive targeted presumptive treatment and reactive vector control to interrupt transmission.
Previously, Ntuku worked for six years, successively for the Kinshasa school of Public and The Swiss Tropical and Public Institute to characterize the epidemiology of malaria and evaluate the implementation of key control interventions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ntuku has a MD from the University of Kinshasa in the DRC and a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute/University of Basel in Switzerland.
Quality Program Manager, HEALTHQUAL
julie.neidel@ucglobalprograms.org
Neidel is a registered nurse by profession, soon completing her master’s in business management in quality systems, healthcare and hospital management. She has vast experience in management of health programs, continuous quality management of healthcare services, organizational capacity development, communication and knowledge management. Her current work entails supporting the national quality management program at the Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services in coordinating quality management initiatives at all levels of healthcare. Neidel is a member and fellow of the International Society for Quality in healthcare (ISQua).
Director of Finance and Operations
priscilla.mudzingwa@ucglobalprograms.org
Priscilla Mudzingwa is responsible for overseeing the management of human resources, finance, administration and logistics for all programs and projects.
She previously worked for ITECH Namibia as director of finance and for SASCCAL Regional Secretariat as director finance and administration and has seven years’ experience in leadership positions.
Mudzingwa is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and has a Bachelor of Science in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University, an MBA in strategic planning from Herriot Watt University. She is working part-time on a law degree at Free State University in South Africa
Project Support Manager
esme.kisting@ucglobalprograms.org
Esme Kisting provides administrative support to all projects and performs procurement and logistics duties at Global Programs Namibia office.
She worked previously at FNB for 16 years as the administration department manager and at MoHSS/CDC COAG programs from 2010 to 2016 before joining Global Programs.
Kisting has completed Grade 12 at Dr Lemmer High School, Rehoboth, Namibia.
Associate Director, Namibia Country Programs
cara.smith@ucsf.edu
Cara Smith Gueye manages the MEI portfolio of work in Namibia, with a particular focus on surveillance operational research and technical and operational support of the entomology and vector control unit of the National Vector-borne Disease Control Program (NVDCP) of Namibia. On these projects. Smith Gueye works closely with the NVDCP, University of Namibia, and serves on the management team of the Namibia Global Programs Office. She also provides strategic and technical support to the Elimination 8 (E8) initiative in Southern Africa.
Prior to managing the Namibia portfolio, Smith Gueye managed the malaria elimination case study series and UCSF’s support of regional malaria elimination initiatives in the Asia Pacific and southern Africa regions. Prior to joining the Global Health Group at the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences, she spent two years with an environmental NGO in California and four years in Cote d'Ivoire and Madagascar as a Peace Corps volunteer then working as a regional office associate on a maternal and child health initiative in Madagascar.
Smith Gueye has a PhD in public health and epidemiology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute/University of Basel and an MPH from University of California, Berkeley.
Program Manager and Technical Advisor
mike.grasso@ucsf.edu
Mike Grasso is a member of the UCSF South Africa team, currently providing program management and technical assistance to the Namibia Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (NAMPHIA) and the Namibia Integrated Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Survey of Key Populations. His background includes the conceptualization, planning, implementation and results dissemination of several HIV surveillance projects and studies throughout sub-Saharan Africa and San Francisco. He supports strengthening individual and institutional capacity on HIV surveillance, data analysis and data use.
He has a bachelor's degree in sociology from San Francisco State University and a master's in public health from San Jose State University.
Director, Malaria Elimination Initiative
roly.gosling@ucsf.edu
Roland (Roly) Gosling, BmedSci, BM, BS, MSc, PhD, is the director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI) at the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences and a professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF.
Prior to leading the MEI, Gosling worked in West Africa at the Medical Research Council laboratories in Gambia and spent seven years working in Tanzania, first as faculty for University College London and later for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). During this time he worked on clinical trials for malaria drugs and prevention and tuberculosis treatment. Since joining the Malaria Elimination Initiative in 2011, Gosling has helped the team grow from eight to more than 30 people, with staff based overseas in three countries and projects in many more. MEI has become a global leader in malaria elimination and is responsible for the development of programmatic tools to improve implementation and impact of new (and old) malaria control and elimination strategies, implementing epidemiological studies of malaria in low transmission settings, and setting the vision for future goals and costing that future, amongst a great number of other activities.
Roly has an MD from the University of Nottingham in the UK and an MSc and PhD from LSHTM.
Malaria Elimination Initiative Project Officer
elsie.eises@ucglobalprograms.org
Elsie Eises works with the Namibia Malaria Elimination Research Partnership (NAMEP), also known as Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI).
She supports the implementation of MEI’s activities by providing administrative support to the project and working collaboratively with the technical team as well as the finance and operations team. Her background includes human resource management, logistics and administration.
Eises has an honours degree in Human Resource Development and Management as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She previously worked at the Bank of Namibia.
Regional Continuous Quality Improvement Officer
Sophia Precious Chirodzero joined Global Programs in October 2019, and she holds the position of Recency Continuous Quality Improvement officer for Oshana Region. Her main role includes working closely with Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS)HIV Testing (HTS)Department to Coordinate quality improvement activities to implementing sites. Making sure that they make use of the standard operating manual and the job aids.
Prior to this position, she worked at Makumbe District Hospital as a junior Registered Nurse. Then 2009 started working in Namibia as an ART Nurse for CDC and MOHSS. Worked with the District and Regional office in training Health workers on HIV related issues: PMTCT, Disclosure, Nurse Initiated Antiretroviral Treatment and Management as well as a focal person for the teen club for HIV infected adolescents and quality improvement projects: HIVQUAL and NAMLIVE (Namibia Linkage to care, viral load monitoring & suppression and End TB) Projects.
Sophia holds a Diploma in General Nursing obtained at Harare Central Hospital School of Nursing. Diploma in Mental Health Nursing obtained at Ingutsheni Mental Health School. Certificate in HIV Management University of South Africa. Clinical HIV Management, Leadership and Management in Health, STI Management, Project Management all Certificates awarded by University of Washington. Currently studying for Bachelor of Nursing Science Health Service Management and Education.
Regional Continuous Quality Improvement Officer
Rina Mutalipula Siyengwa joined Global Programs in October 2019. She holds the position of Regional Continuous Improvement Officer for Recency in Zambezi Region. Her main roles include conducting and coordinating routine visits to facilities to provide supportive supervision and quality monitoring, and collect data on the implementation of recency project activities. Review documentation at facilities to identify any challenges with the procedures or adverse situations and collaborate with facility staff to plan, implement, and monitor action plans, in order to improve project activities and enhance service delivery.
Prior to this position, she worked as Research and Surveillance Officer at the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Directorate Special Program (Subdivision Response Monitoring and Evaluation). Supporting the national development and implementation of research and surveillance activities on HIV/AIDS/TB and Malaria. She also worked as an Early Stage Researcher at the University of York (United Kingdom) in the Department of Sociology under Science and Technology Research. Generally, she has more than 6 years’ experience working in the field of research.
Rina holds a Master Degree in Social Change and Development (Sustainable Development) from the University of Newcastle which was funded by the Australian Government under Australian Awards in Africa. She also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular & Physiological Biology and Environmental Biology.
Recency Study Coordinator
ndeshi.conteh@ucglobalprograms.org
Ndeshi joined Global Programs in February 2020 as Study Coordinator for the Recency study in Namibia. Her main role is to coordinate the recency surveillance study which will guide the HIV prevention efforts in Namibia as well as inform the scale up of HIV recency testing nationally.
Ndeshi previously worked for Tufts School of Medicine as a Project Coordinator of two projects that were implemented by the MOHSS Namibia and CDC. She also previously worked for Management Sciences for Health (MSH) as a Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor for the BLC Project. Ndeshi has a solid background in the coordination and management of health programs, with a strong emphasis on monitoring and evaluation (M&E), reporting, research, training and quality assurance.
Ndeshi is pursuing a PHD of Public Health with the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. She holds a Nursing and Midwifery Science Degree from the University of Namibia, a Post graduate Diploma in HIV and AIDS Management from the University of Stellenbosch and a Master of Public Health from the University of Namibia.
Finance and Administration Officer
Melissa Muuondjo offers financial and administrative support for all programs and projects.
She has over 5 years experience of accounting and administration in donor funded projects.Prior to this role she worked as a finance assistant at Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG),bookkeeper at ATA International Training Namibia and Finance Intern at Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA)
Melissa has a Bachelor of Accounting Honours degree from the University of Namibia.
HIS Coordinator
rosaline.hendricks@ucglobalprograms.org
Rosaline joined Global Programs in 2020 as HIS Project Coordinator and is responsible for coordinating all HIS activities in Namibia on behalf of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), through our local affiliate, Global Programs for Research and Training (GPRT) Namibia. The main projects currently include a system to track women across the PMTCT cascade (PTracker), a system to identify and link individuals through a Master Patient Index (MPI) across the care and treatment cascade, and a system to track implementation and results from the HIV Recency testing programme.
Prior to this role, she worked in international development implementing and scaling digital health systems in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa. Specific responsibilities included strengthening patient level systems to support the clinical cascades for HIV/AIDS treatment, increasing the availability of Human Resources for Health (HRH) data to ensure quality data is available and used at sub-national and national level.
Rosaline has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce with specialization in Informatics and is currently completing an online master’s degree in Business Administration with the University of Nicosia.