Hesborn Wao, PhD MPH CPH

Dr. Wao leads the Individual Capacity Strengthening (ICS) under the Research and Related Capacity Strengthening (RRCS) Theme for the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). This includes short course training, internship and visiting scholar program, fellowship & mentorship programs, brown bag presentations, individual technical assistance, journal clubs, and related initiatives.

Before joining APHRC, Dr. Wao 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 has extensive experience working with different types of networks and network data ranging from institutional collaboration networks, influence of social capital in education, and how personal networks influence educational trajectories. This wide-ranging background provides a holistic perspective on how social and institutional networks influence educational outcomes on multiple scales.

He also leads several projects, including the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals (PEP) Program (Novo Nordisk Foundation); WHO Human Reproduction Program (HRP) Alliance Hub – Long-term Institutional Development (WHO); and Infectious Diseases in East Africa: A Behavioral and Economic Research Collaborative (IDEA-BERC) (NIH). 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).