School of Health & Wellbeing

Public Health's Owen Nkoka, one of our Malawi-based researchers, shares the richness of working with rural communities to strengthen healthcare systems and improve the lives of people with long term conditions, the joys of holidaying alone, and the place he has felt happiest...

Tell us a bit about what you do in IHW

I joined IHW as a research associate and was seconded to the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit (MEIRU) as an epidemiologist/cohort lead. I am working on an exciting project in Malawi in which we are establishing an urban health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) while strengthening an existing rural HDSS.

Another component of our project is a large cross-sectional study on long term conditions (LTC) that has been nested within the HDSS. These programmes of work are embedded in a project called Healthy Lives Malawi (HLM), funded by Wellcome Trust. I co-ordinate the development of protocols and data collection tools with inputs from experts in epidemiology, clinical and community engagement. I also coordinate the public engagement, field, data, and laboratory activities of the cohort. I conduct data analyses looking at different outcomes of interest in our project.

What do you enjoy about your role?

The best parts of my work are three-fold; collaborations, working with the communities (public engagements, data collection), and data analysis and interpretation. I interact with different experts daily, and I have been learning so much ever since I joined IHW. Forging these collaborations with experts from different institutions in Malawi and the UK is fulfilling. My past work experience involved working in rural communities in Malawi. I find working in communities an enriching experience as you meet different people with different experiences. Over time, I developed an interest in data analysis. Data analysis is the mainstay in epidemiology and my role involves analysing data in real time (as part of data quality checks and for conference presentation and paper writing).

What are the challenges?

The biggest challenge is to maintain data quality and reach project targets at the same time. The balance between the number of field teams (to reach the required sample sizes) and the quality of work produced is challenging. Our study plans to follow up 110,000 individuals in the HDSS and interview 50,000 adults and adolescents in the LTC survey. To get in the numbers has been challenging considering the COVID-19 pandemic that delayed our field work, but the progress so far is encouraging.

What is the best thing about working in IHW?

The team in IHW is very supportive and welcoming. I am yet to visit UofG as I am based in Malawi but the colleagues in the institute have been helpful regardless.

Tell us something we might not know about you

I enjoy solo vacations. For those who have never gone on a solo vacation, consider having one. It’s an amazing experience.

….and I don’t like hiking.

Not many people know this about me, but I was a vegetarian from grade 5 till my first year in university.

When or where are/were you happiest?

That would have been when I walked around Siem Reap, Cambodia, to the beautifully scenery of Angkor Wat. I never knew I would be interested and amazed with such piece of work but trust me, this is a stunning place to see.

Do you have a favourite quote or saying, or mantra by which you try to live your life?

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" 

Find out more about the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit

If you would like to appear in "Five minutes with...", do please get in touch (jane.goodfellow@glasgow.ac.uk)! We aim to alternate professional services and research/teaching staff profiles, and feature colleagues from across a wide range of roles and grades within our institute. 

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First published: 15 June 2022