Hailay Abrha                  Gesesew, PhD

Associate Professor of Epidemiology 

Research Centre for Public Health, Equity & Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia

I am researcher and consultant, and public health expert with speciality in infectious disease epidemiology around HIV and other STIs, conflict and health, migrant health and social determinants of health. My work employs a mixed-methods approach to research and analysis. I began my career as a clinician at a remote health centre in Ethiopia and transitioned to academia in 2009, joining Jimma University.  I became an international researcher after joining Flinders University, Australia, in 2015 to pursue my PhD. Currently, I am NHMRC (Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council) Senior Research Fellow at Torrens University Australia. 

Driven by a passion for improving health systems through rigorous research, policy engagement, and community-level interventions, I have extensive experience in public health research and policy, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. I have authored or co-authored numerous research papers, contributing valuable insights into the health challenges facing low- and middle-income countries in collaboration with institutions in Africa, Australia, United Kingdom and the United States. I also supervise and mentor PhD students and early career researchers. As an official member of the People’s Health Movement, I am actively involved in advocacy and efforts to improve health equity and access to healthcare in developing regions, particularly in conflict-prone areas such as Tigray.

 I received my PhD in Public Health from Flinders University in 2019, supported by Australia International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS). Immediately after completing my PhD, I was awarded a 5-year NHMRC Investigator Grant Fellowship to assess the effectiveness of HIV peer educators in enhancing the HIV care continuum in Ethiopia through a cluster randomized trial.  I then joined Torrens as a Senior Research Fellow in an ongoing position in early 2022. 

I am currently affiliated with several institutions, including Lancaster University, UK as Honorary Researcher; Flinders University, Australia as Honorary Senior research Fellow; Mekelle University, Ethiopia as Honorary Senior Research Fellow; and Tigray Health research Institute , Ethiopia as Honorary Senior Research Fellow.