Prof. Demisew Amenu (MD, Professor)
Email: demisame5@gmail.com , demisew.amenu@ju.edu.et
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology since November 2023, with over a decade of experience at Jimma University. Expertise includes teaching medical students and specialists, clinical services (gynecology, urogynecology, laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgeries), and conducting research. Certified national trainer in Maternal, Neonatal, Sexual, and Reproductive Health (MNSRH) with extensive community service and training experience.
Melkamu Berhane (MD)
Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health
Email: melkamuarefayine@gmail.com
Dr Melkamu is a pediatrician with several years of experience as a clinician, a researcher and instructor of undergraduate and post graduate medical and health science students. His main areas of research include but not limited to neonatology, pediatrics and child health, childhood nutrition and infectious diseases. He has authored and co-authored over 20 scientific articles on peer reviewed journals. Currently, he is working as the principal investigator of JUCAN apart from his other roles and responsibilities as a clinician, instructor and researcher at Jimmma University.
Alemseged Abdissa, PhD
Microbiologist,
Email: alemseged.abdissa@gmail.com or alemseged.abdissa@ahri.gov.et
Dr Alemseged Abdissa is deputy director of Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) and member of JUCAN. He led Department of Microbiology as Associate professor, directed JUCAN, and worked for a total of 14 years at Jimma University with various capacities. He has conducted research on various areas including HIV and malnutrition, TB and antimicrobial resistance. He has been the principal investigator or active collaborator on 20 studies including four clinical trials. Alemseged has authored or co-authored over 64 scientific articles, supervised 20 masters, and PhD students on their thesis work. He is overseeing the Ethiopian clinical research network, which involves eleven University hospitals. He is also either member or chair of several national, regional and international initiatives including the Pan-African Bioethics Initiative.
Tsinuel Girma (MD, PhD)
Professor of pediatrics and child health,
Email: tsinuel@yahoo.com
Prof. Tsinuel Girma is a professor at Jimma University, Ethiopia, and a pediatrician with more than 20 years of experience as clinician, medical educator and researcher in childhood undernutrition. He has received his Doctor of Medicine at Jimma University with a certificate of specialty in Pediatrics and Child Health at Addis Ababa University and a PhD in International Nutrition at the University of Copenhagen. He is the founder of JUCAN and directed JUCAN for several years. He is the Director for Fenot and leads the Evidence-to-Policy area of work.
Markos Tesfaye (MD, PHD)
Professor of psychiatry
Email: markostesfaye92@gmail.com
Prof. Markos Tesfaye received medical degree from the School of Medicine, Jimma University. He completed residency training in psychiatry at Addis Ababa University. He received PhD from Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen based on the ARTFOOD research project (JUCAN). He joined the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health as a visiting fellow of the African Postdoctoral Training Initiative in January 2019. His research has focused on global mental health research particularly common mental disorders and measurement in psychiatry. His current research is on early life environment including stress, nutrition, etc. and epigenetic programming as risk factors for neuropsychiatric disorders and cardiometabolic diseases later in life.
Mubarek Abera: PhD
Professor of Mental Health
Email: abmubarek@gmail.com , mubarek.abera@ju.edu.et
Prof. Mubarek Abera, Professor of Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Nutrition Expert, obtained BSc in Public-Health, MSc in Mental Health, MA in Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy, and PhD in Paediatric and International Nutrition. He is coordinator for Research and Postgraduate Program at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma University. He is a member of Research Advisory Council on Early Childhood Development program at the Maternal and Child Health Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health. Over the last ten years, he has been working on various research projects focused on child and adolescent wellbeing, development and nutrition programs. He has successfully accomplished several researches on maternal substance use, weight of the newborn, school based child and adolescent mental health, the relation between body composition and cognitive development of children, Transforming adolescent lives through nutrition, and Teenagers experience of Covid-19 research projects. Currently, he is involved in more than 4- international research projects as either a principal investigator or co-investigator. He has supervised more than 15 masters and is currently supervising 2 PHD students.
Daniel Yilma Bogale, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Email: daniel.yilma@ju.edu.et or danielyilmab@gmail.com
Prof. Daniel Yilma is a medical doctor that holds an Internal Medicine fellowship from Jimma University, Ethiopia, where he has been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students for over a decade. He also provides clinical services mainly in infectious diseases in department of Internal Medicine and also served as HIV/TB programme coordinator and a clinical mentor for health professionals in southwest Ethiopia. He has worked on nutritional trials in HIV positive people in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia with collaboration that started with University of Copenhagen where he also obtained his PhD. He established a clinical trial unit in Jimma University and conducted Phase II and III malaria drug trials as principal investigator in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline and Medicines for Malaria Venture. He was also a WHO/TDR fellow with placement at Infectious Diseases Data Observatory.
Bitiya Admassu, MPH, PhD
Nutritionist and Public Health Expert
Email: bitiyaa@yahoo.com
Dr Bitiya Admassu has worked in the Department of Population and Family Health at Jimma University at different academic ranks for a total of 12 years. She has PhD in Paediatric and International Nutrition. She has experience in conducting research in maternal and child health, growth and body composition, nutrition, adolescent health, TB, HIV/AIDS, health systems, systematic reviews in health and many more. She has authored or co-authored more than 30 original articles on reputable journals. Bitiya supervised over 45 Postgraduate and 15 Bachelor students’ research works focusing on public health and nutrition across different Universities. She has worked as a member of Institutional review board for Institute of Health, Jimma University.
Hiwot Amare (MD)
Assistant Professor of internal medicine
hiwot.hailemariam@gmail.com
Beza Eshetu (MD)
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health
bezueshe@gmail.com
Dr Beza Eshetu is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health with several years of practice as a clinician, an instructor and researcher. Her main areas of research include neonatology, nutrition and infectious diseases. She has authored and co-authored more than 10 articles on peer reviewed journals.
Netsanet Workneh Gidi ( MD, DTM&H, PhD, Professor of pediatrics and child health)
Emails: konetsanet@gmail.com or netsanet.workneh@ju.edu.et
Prof. Netsanet Workneh Gidi is a professor of pediatrics and child health at Jimma University with over twelve years of experience. She has done PhD in medical research-international health at Center for International Health, Ludwig Maximilian University (CIHLMU), Munich, Germany. She has served as the Department Head, Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board at the Institute of Health, Director of the Postgraduate School of Graduate Studies and vice President for Research and Community Service at Jimma University. She has conducted several research projects including a clinical trial and published over twenty articles. Her area of interest includes but not limited to neonatology, preterm nutrition, pediatrics and medical education. Currently she is Head of the Oromia Health Bureau, Oromia, Ethiopia.
Rahma Ali (MPH, PhD Fellow)
Email: rahmiii.ali@gmail.com
Rahma is a faculty member at the Department of Population and Family Health at Jimma University. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Pediatric and International Nutrition. She has ample of experience in conducting research in areas such as maternal and child health, growth and body composition, nutrition, adolescent health, and health systems, Rahma has authored or co-authored 18 original articles published in reputable journals. Her PhD research focuses on early childhood development (ECD), with particular emphasis on childhood growth, cognitive function, and school achievement. She actively collaborates on research projects with both national and international partners. In addition to her research, she has teaching experience at Jimma University and has been involved in consultative projects that design and implement interventions within healthcare systems.
Getu Gizaw (MSc, PhD Fellow)
Email: gechgizaw21@gmail.com
With over nine years of experience at Jimma University, my research focuses on designing and evaluating nutrition and health interventions for children under five, with a particular emphasis on the Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program. I examine the short- and long-term effects of exposure to acute malnutrition on growth, body composition, physical function, NCD risk, and cognitive development. I have also contributed to testing simplified approaches for managing acute malnutrition. I utilize primarily longitudinal studies, community-based randomized control trials, and cross-sectional studies to synthesize evidence to inform improvement in the CMAM program. Additionally, I actively participate in national-level technical working groups, including the development of the new WHO guidelines on preventing and managing wasting and nutritional edema in infants and children under five, as well as the Simplified Approach Working Group.
Beakal Zinab (MSc, PhD Fellow)
Email: beakalzinab1@gmail.com
Mr. Beakal Zinab is an Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition and a Ph.D. fellow at the University of Copenhagen/Jimma University. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from Jimma University. Beakal has been teaching nutrition to undergraduate and postgraduate students for more than nine years. Furthermore, he has advised numerous post-graduate students on their research projects. Mr. Beakal has published more than 17 research works in different reputable journals. He has amassed a great deal of experience in the design, analysis, and report writing of both quantitative and qualitative research. He has a proven track record of managing projects involving substantial budgets and large teams. His ability to effectively lead and coordinate diverse teams with different skill sets are a key strength. In addition to having a broad understanding of global public health and nutrition policies in general. Mr. Beakal&’s general research interests lie in the field of maternal and child nutrition, specifically interested in the long-term impact of early life adversities on the development of non-communicable diseases, within the framework of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis.
Wakwoya Adugna (BA, MBA)
wakwaya.adugna@gmail.com ,
Wakwoya.adugna@ju.edu.et
Mr Wakwoya Adugna is Administrator of JUCAN Research Partnership at Jimma University.
He obtained his BA and MBA from Jimma University. He has been managing all projects under JUCAN related administrative issues, all financial management including establishment of procedures and links to the University project finance, and foreign funding agencies since 2008 its foundation over the last 15 years.
Staff Profile |