HIV | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Sylvia Esther Gyan

rebsl — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:47:22 +0000

Sylvia Esther Gyan (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana and a visiting Professor at the Department of Sociology, �첥��Ƶ, with over a decade of experience in teaching and research. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and actively mentors and supervises students. From December 2018 to November 2023, she was an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the College of Public Health, University of South Florida. In 2019, she was named an African Studies Association Carnegie Corporation of New York Scholar.

Sylvia’s research focuses on the Sociology of Health, with emphasis on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and child marriage. Her broader academic interests include Family Demography, Gender Studies, Climate Change, Ageing, and Migration. She has contributed to several notable projects, including serving as Co-Principal Investigator on "Utilising AI to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescents with Disabilities in Ghana," funded by IDRC through the Infectious Disease Institute’s HASH program (Feb. 2023 – July 2024). She currently leads a project funded by the Horizons Institute Pump-prime Fund, University of Leeds, titled “Co-Creating Resilient Communities for Female Adolescent Migrants (‘Kayayei’) in Ghana.” This project integrates sociological methods and participatory visual art approaches to explore the lived experiences of girls under 16 who migrate from northern Ghana to Accra to work as head porters. Sylvia has also conducted research on sexual behaviours among older adults in Ghana, addressing a critical gap in global health literature. While most studies in this area originate from the Global North, her work brings much-needed focus to the sociocultural dynamics of ageing and sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa, a topic often considered taboo.

Her expertise and research continue to inform and influence discussions on health, gender, and development both within Ghana and beyond. Her research has been published in high-quality international journals, including Current Sociology, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, and Journal of Biosocial Science.

Beyond academic scholarship, Sylvia is deeply committed to collaborative research that addresses pressing societal challenges. Her work frequently centres on women in vulnerable situations, to inform policies and interventions that enhance their well-being.

Keywords: Africa, Ghana, Adolescent, Health, Migration, Climate Change, HIV, Intimate Partner Violence, Gender

Oghenowede Eyawo

rebsl — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:27:23 +0000

Dr Oghenowede Eyawo is an Assistant Professor of Global Health Epidemiology at the Faculty of Health. With training in epidemiology, population and public health, Dr Eyawo’s research interest is focused on precision-based global health and the application of epidemiological methods to examine patterns of morbidity, mortality and their potential effects among vulnerable populations of children, women and men. Much of his work has focused on examining the health journey and patterns of health outcomes among HIV-positive individuals in North America and globally, as they age with other comorbidities in the era of antiretroviral therapy. More recently, his research interest has evolved to focus on underserved diseases and the social, political, and economic determinants of health among marginalized populations. His work seeks to broaden our understanding and management of the many intersecting issues (e.g., poverty, health inequity, weak health systems etc.) affecting marginalized populations around the world and to solutions that may help us meet the challenges ahead. He is interested in infectious diseases, particularly in child health, and non-communicable diseases in Africa. He is also interested in the methodological aspects of study designs in observational and experimental epidemiology,

and how to improve the use of linked health administrative data in research. Dr Eyawo is an expert advisor to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), the largest accumulation of health data in history. He is seeking graduate students with a keen interest in topics of global importance.

Amrita Daftary

rebsl — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:47:27 +0000

Amrita Daftary (she/her) is associate professor at the School of Global Health, Faculty of Health. Amrita applies participatory, qualitative and implementation science approaches to address the social drivers and impacts of infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis and HIV. She partners with researchers and communities in South Africa, Indonesia, Ukraine, Canada. and other global settings. She is founder of a borderless social science TB network, sshiftb.org. Amrita holds an honorary appointment at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and status-only appointment at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her principle teaching and supervision commitments are at York's School of Global Health.

Keywords: global health, tuberculosis, HIV, community-engagement, qualitative methods, implementation science, gender, equity, South Africa