I am a child neurologist based in Nairobi,Kenya. I teach neurophysiology at Kenyatta University School of Medicine, and lead the clinical neurology service at the Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital: the largest tertiary children’s hospital in the East African region. I support supervision and training for the child neurology fellowship programme in Kenya which I helped found. I am also the founder and executive director of Afya Research Africa, an organization with an annual budget of USD 600K - 1M, whose core mission is to support access to sustainable quality health care services by under-served rural communities, and promote evidence synthesis and utilization by health workers.
I was instrumental in the founding of the National Epilepsy Coordination Committee, an umbrella organization that brings together stakeholders working in epilepsy in Kenya, and supports awareness and development of policies and guidelines in epilepsy. Recently, I have worked to promote access to genetic testing by children with neurological diseases in Kenya; improve capacity in neurophysiological services; facilitate access to medicines by children with spinal muscular atrophy; and promote regional collaboration in child neurology practice, research and scholarship. I maintain research interests in sickle cell disease, epilepsy and infectious encephalopathies.
In seeking the position of chair of the ACNA committee, I am interested in promoting ACNA’s mission to develop access to care; promote training; and advance research and collaboration in child neurology, in Africa. My work aligns with this mission and reflects a commitment to further ACNA’s objectives in my own small way. My background in developing organizations and leveraging technology for health solutions will serve in pushing ACNA’s agenda for access, capacity development, research, and collaboration.