Our Team

Craig Cohen, MD, MPH is a professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and director of multiple global health training programs including the GloCal Health Fellowship and the Sustainable Development for HIV Health (SD4H). His research focuses on 1) livelihood interventions to improve health outcomes, 2) HIV/AIDS care, support and prevention, and 3) their intersection with sexual and reproductive health.  He is an multiple principle investigator (MPI) for Mama Shamba and a co-investigator on Vijana Shamba.

Pamela Murnane, PhD, MPH, MLIS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UCSF. Her research focuses on biological, behavioral, and structural factors that influence maternal and child health outcomes in the context of HIV in resource-limited settings including livelihood interventions to improve health outcomes. She has expertise in epidemiologic methods, adherence measurement, risk prediction, and implementation science.

Phelgona Otieno, MBChB, MPH, is a pediatrician and epidemiologist with experience conducting research in maternal health, HIV, PMTCT, and child health programs, and mentorship of health professionals.  At KEMRI, she is a principal research officer based at the Center for Clinical Research.  Her research interests include community interventions that lead to health promotion and alleviation of risks to children and women in Kenya.

Lisa Butler, PhD, MPH is a Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Queens University.  Her research focuses on the development of appropriate and scalable clinic- and community-based interventions, targeting HIV-affected families to improve healthcare utilization, caregiving behaviors, and maternal, infant, and child physical, mental, and nutritional health outcomes.

Zachary Kwena, PhD, MA is a social scientist based in Kenya with expertise in conducting socio-behavioral qualitative and quantitative research in key and vulnerable populations, including adolescent girls and young women, and pregnant women and their infants. His research interests focus on understanding health risk behaviors, including HIV risk and uptake of interventions for key and priority populations in East Africa, with a focus on HIV prevention in couples, adolescents, and young people.

Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA is a Professor of Medicine and internist at UCSF Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Her research focuses on the impact of food insecurity, extreme weather events, and other social and structural factors on treatment outcomes for HIV and other chronic diseases. She also evaluates sustainable food insecurity and livelihood interventions to improve health.  She is an MPI for Vijana Shamba and a co-investigator on Mama Shamba.

Elly Weke, MS is the KEMRI Study Manager for both Vijana and Mama Shamba.  He is a Doctoral student in Agronomy at Maseno University.  His PhD dissertation project is embedded in Vijana and Mama Shamba.  Elly has seven years of experience managing Shamba Maisha studies in Kisumu, Migori, and Homa Bay Counties, Kenya. 

Fredrick Akello is the Mama Shamba Agriculture Trainer Coordinator.

Rachel Burger, MHS is the UCSF Study Manager for both Vijana and Mama Shamba studies. She has seventeen years of experience conducting public health research in East Africa. Her research focus includes mental health, the integration of livelihood interventions to improve health outcomes, and the integration of HIV and sexual and reproductive health services.

Gloria Agnes Ger is the Project Assistant for the Mama Shamba Study. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and brings over eight years of experience in research and project management within the health and social science sectors. 

Prisca Lihanda is the Mama Shamba Study Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health, She has over 10 years experience coordinating clinical research projects and a certified Clinical Research Associate. Her research interests focus on clinical and public health studies aimed at improving maternal, child, and adolescent health.

Jaspher Ndege is the KEMRI Finance and Admin Coordinator for Mama Shamba and a Senior Accountant at KEMRI. He has a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and a Master of Science in Finance. He has over 22 years of experience in project coordination and administration, including budgeting in several projects.

Wycliffe Odhiambo is the Mama Shamba Data Manager.