A Social Scientist specializing in social and cultural aspects of women and children’s health. She holds a PhD in Public Health from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; and Master of Arts in Demography and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Social Policy Analysis and Administration), both obtained from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She joined Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in 2012. She is a Social Science Country Lead for BOHEMIA Clinical Trial Project and Project Manager for Sustainable Health and Learning Cities in Tanzania and Adjunct Faculty at Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology. Before then, she worked as an independent researcher focusing on reproductive health and malaria research. From 2012 onwards, Irene has actively and productively participated in several research projects; notably the Outdoor malaria control and Community based knowledge on food storage to reduce child malnutrition in rice farming communities. Her main research interests revolve around improving the health of women and children by focusing on the social, cultural and economic determinants of their health.
