Sicily Mburu – IAVI Fellowship

Sicily Mburu, was a 3 month IAVI Fellow from Kenya, who was part of the 2017 cohort. She was mentored by Socio-behavioral Scientist, Elzette Rousseau-Jemwa, and was part of the conceptualization and implementation of a sub-study to the POWER study, Prevention Options for Women Evaluation Research, which aimed at suppling PrEP to adolescents on the Tutu Teen Truck mobile clinic. This sub-study was called, “Perceived and actual HIV risk of adolescent girls and young women declining PrEP delivered from a community-based clinic”. Sicily became a part of the team who wrote the protocol, trained the field staff and implemented.

Since completing her Fellowship, Sicily joined the Swedish Organization for Global Health as the Evaluation Coordinator of the Mama and Family Project based in South East Uganda where she provides technical support in sexual and reproductive health, analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. She is working with anti-natal care and increase uptake of HIV testing among women in a project run clinic. Sicily is also, currently undertaking her applied research Masters in public health specializing in Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute.

Sicily has remained in contact with Elzette at least twice a month to work on their research paper, as participants were still being recruited for this sub-study during her fellowship. Recently, Sicily and Elzette’s abstract for this sub-study was submitted to HIVR4P study, in Madrid.