Dr Amanuel Abajobir, a public health physician and researcher at the African Population and Health Research Center, has been elected as an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). Dr Abajobir is one out of 13 medical and health sciences researchers from across Africa who have been selected to participate in the five-year Affiliates Programme, which is an initiative of the AAS. The awardees were selected from a pool of over 250 applications in response to the 2021 Call for Applications.

For over a decade, Dr Abajobir has extensively worked on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) research that has informed policy and practice and that is widely published and cited. As part of the seventh cohort of the program, he will benefit from a range of career development activities including but not limited to grant writing, publishing, science communication, ethical conduct of research, intellectual property issues, collaborative research, and scientific entrepreneurship.

The Affiliates Programme recognizes and supports the development of promising African early and mid-career scientists in their efforts to develop into outstanding research leaders in their respective fields. By supporting young scholars’ professional growth, and developing enabling research environments, the programme meets a critical need of supporting African-based scholars to become thought-leaders who can generate new ideas, knowledge, and innovative solutions to the continent’s challenges.

“During my tenure as an Affiliate, I will seek opportunities for mentorship and learning from past and current AAS fellows as we strive to build a robust scientific community on the African continent,” said Dr Abajobir.

While congratulating Dr Abajobir on his achievement, APHRC’s lead researcher on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Dr Estelle Sidze said, “We are delighted to have our very own Dr Abajobir taking part in the AAS Affiliates programme. He is an excellent researcher within the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health team. APHRC’s aim is to ensure the provision of top-notch evidence to promote access to safe, quality, and affordable healthcare in the African region in the context of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).”

Original article published by the African Population & Health Research Center, linked here.