Team
Who We Are
We bring together a network of highly specialised consultants with expertise in public health evaluations, training and implementation, communications, behavioural science, and epidemiology. This is combined with extensive field experience in programme implementation in the fields of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV, adolescent and womens health, infectious disease, gender and human-centred design.
Helene Smith, MPH
Director and Co-Founder
Helene has over a decade's experience working in senior implementation science and programmes roles, focused on researching adolescent and women's health, sexual and reproductive health, TB, HIV and infectious disease, with a special focus on marginalised populations. Helene's research has explored user behaviours and program dynamics, mostly using mixed-methods study designs including rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods. Helene lives in Lusaka, Zambia and is currently completing her PhD with a focus on the reproductive healthcare needs of justice-involved women with the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Anne Parker, MPH
Director and Co-Founder
Anne has over a decade's experience working across Sub Saharan Africa on programmes focused on improving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) outcomes for adolescent girls and marginalised populations. Anne brings significant experience in research, design and delivery of digital, social and behavioural change programmes, alongside programme strategy, design and fundraising. Anne has previously worked for a range of SRHR implementing organisations and funders including Tiko, Marie Stopes and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). Anne is based in Lusaka, Zambia and holds a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Chewe Mulenga, MSC
Project Manager
Chewe has over a decade's experience working in senior programmatic and research roles in Zambia and the USA, across a range of public health areas including SRHR, mental health, gender, violence prevention, digital health and HIV, with a special focus on reaching adolescent girls and women. Chewe has previously worked for Marie Stopes, D-tree International and Restless Development, and is a Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Fellow at the Africa CDC and Chairperson of the Board of Directors at StrongMinds Zambia. Chewe holds a Master of Science in Management and International Business from Leeds Business School.
Rhoda Chabaputa, MPH
Qualitative Researcher
Rhoda is an experienced qualitative researcher and has led the field work for a range of evaluations with Namvela, and previously for CIDRZ, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of North Carolina. Rhoda has extensive experience in the recruitment, coordination and collection of sensitive data while in the field, particularly with marginalised groups and areas of sensitivity. This includes conducting interviews relating to sensitive topics such as reproductive health, abortion and HIV as well working with participants who have a disability, parents of HIV-infected infants. Rhoda holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Zambia.
Helen Sabuni, MSC
Qualitative Researcher
Hellen is a qualitative researcher conducting field work across Zambia for Namvela, the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia and the UN World Food Programme. Hellen specialises in a range of Public Health areas including Sexual and Reproductive Health, infectious disease, youth and community development. Hellen is experienced in mobilising communities for research projects and in sensitive and participatory interviewing techniques with vulnerable groups including adolescents and persons with disabiltiies. Hellen holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Zambia.
Jabulile Daka
Research Assistant
Jabulile is an experienced research assistant having supported Namvela with a range of qualitative studies with adolescent girls and women in Zambia. Jabulile previously has been a counsellor focused on working with people on childhood trauma. Jabulile is experienced as a qualitative researcher conducting interviews with adolescent girls and vulnerable groups across Zambia, as well as supporting with interview transcriptions and other administrative tasks.
Dr Jesse (Jake) Pry, PHD, MPH
Consultant Epidemiologist
Jake has over a decade's experience working as an epidemiologist, leading a range of high profile studies, focused mainly on evaluating mental health, HIV, SRH, COVID the TB outcomes for young and marginalised populations across Sub-Saharan Africa. Jake's studies have been extensively published in a range of journals including The Lancet, BMJ and PLOS. Jake holds a Masters of Public Health from Texas A&M University, a PhD from the University of California, Davis and a Post-Doc from Washington University in St Louis. He currently holds a position as an Assistant Professor and Senior Epidemiologist at the University of California, and consults for Namvela and for the Centre of Infectious Disease Control Zambia (CIDRZ).
Christina Riley, MPH
Quantitative Specialist
Christina has over 12 years of experience working in the research and digital health space. She also has worked in Zambia for a number of years as a Portfolio Lead and Director at Akros, where she leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital solutions for targeted health service delivery, surveillance, and health communications. Christina is adept with quantitative analysis and geo-spatial modelling in programme evaluations, including intervention coverage and impact. Christina holds a Masters in Public Health in the area of Global Epidemiology from Emory University.