We are pleased to share the findings from our first cohort of Research Fellows.

Our Fellowship Programme was set up to provide students and early-career professionals from low- and middle-income countries with the opportunity to contribute to key areas of DTH-Lab’s research and analysis. As part of our commitment to empowering youth as co-creators of equitable digital health systems, this initiative aims to build the capacity of future health leaders to shape policy and governance issues related to the digital transformations of health. 

The current cohort of Fellows joined us in May 2024 and have researched a range of topics to strengthen our work in digital first health systems, digital determinants of health, data governance and digital citizenship for health. 

“Our first cohort of Research Fellows has exceeded our expectations,” says DTH-Lab Executive Director Aferdita Bytyqi.  “Each of them was given a topic to explore and then worked diligently to refine their research questions and conduct high quality research.

From analysing national approaches to health system transformation and examining the practices of digital technology companies, to exploring high-level concepts such as trust and digital citizenship for health, our Fellows’ work has deepened DTH-Lab’s understanding of a range of issues. Their findings and recommendations are already being incorporated into our projects and we will seek opportunities for them to present their work throughout the year.”

Click on the links below to read the reports:

Toward Digital First Health Systems in Nigeria
A Focus on Adolescents and Young Adults

Digital Interventions for Youth Health: Insights from a Comprehensive Scoping Review
Exploring Longitudinal Impacts of Everyday Digital Technology Use on Youth Well-being

Trust in Digital Health
Exploring Barriers and Enablers Among Youth

Evolution of Youth-friendly Digital Health System in India: An Analysis

Digital Health Citizenship
Mapping Existing Tools for Digital, Health and Civic Literacy

Safeguarding the Digital Generation
Qualitative Analysis of African-based Digital Technology Companies’ Policies impacting African Youth Health and Well-being

Analysing Major Tech Companies’ Policies and Strategies for the Health and Safety of Young Users

Interested in becoming a Research Fellow? 

Our call for the next cohort of researchers will go live in March. Keep an eye on our current opportunities and social media channels to find out more.

Aferdita Bytyqi is the Executive Director of the DTH-Lab ensuring the success of overall project goals and strategic objectives of the DTH-Lab both internally and with key external stakeholders within the global health ecosystem.

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Aferdita Bytyqi

Executive Director, DTH-Lab

Aferdita Bytyqi is the Executive Director of the DTH-Lab ensuring the success of overall project goals and strategic objectives of the DTH-Lab both internally and with key external stakeholders within the global health ecosystem. With a career spanning over 25 years, she brings a wealth of progressive programmatic experience in spearheading international research, development, and regeneration initiatives on behalf of multilateral and bilateral agencies, as well as private donors. Her previous professional contributions include ICS Integrare, MBM, FAO, WHO and the Senior Coordinator of the Lancet and Financial Times Commission. Aferdita has a Dipl. Ing in Architecture and an M.Sc. in Urban Design in Development from UCL.

Nigeria

Helen Adesoba

Europe and Northern Africa

Digital first health systems (Nigeria)

Helen is a seasoned public health researcher and health economist with over a decade of experience in conducting impactful studies. Driven by her passion for improving population health through evidence-based research and policy development, she specializes in leveraging health economics to optimize resource allocation in healthcare systems. Recognising the transformative potential of digital technologies in healthcare, Helen is at the forefront of exploring how these innovations can enhance healthcare access and delivery. Her current work aims to provide evidence-based insights on the integration of digital health solutions to improve youth health outcomes. Helen holds dual master's degrees in Public Health and Health Economics.

Toward Digital First Health Systems in Nigeria
A Focus on Adolescents and Young Adults

India

Preetika Banerjee

Europe and Northern Africa

Longitudinal data on digital determinants of health

Preetika is an incoming PhD student in Health Economics and Outcomes Research at the University of Washington. She holds an MSPH from Johns Hopkins and a BE in Biotechnology from PES Institute of Technology. Her research interests include preventative interventions, disease modeling and health equity. As a Research Fellow at the DTH-Lab, she is working on longitudinal data to assess the impact of digital health interventions on young people's well-being. Preetika is passionate about leveraging digital technologies to improve health outcomes and is dedicated to using evidence-based approaches to strengthen health systems and enhance the well-being of young individuals.

Digital Interventions for Youth Health: Insights from a Comprehensive Scoping Review
Exploring Longitudinal Impacts of Everyday Digital Technology Use on Youth Well-being

India

Rupal Jain

Europe and Northern Africa

Trust and digital health ecosystems

Rupal is a sustainable development practitioner, particularly working at the intersection of environment and health. She has worked extensively on global health policies, with particular attention to differential vulnerability and behavioural health. She has previously worked as a researcher at the Indian Council of Medical Research. Rupal holds a master's degree in sustainable development practice from TERI School of Advanced Studies, India. She has also been involved with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network-youth (UN-SDSNy), where she led initiatives aimed at disseminating knowledge about sustainable development goals.

Trust in Digital Health
Exploring Barriers and Enablers Among Youth

India

Anyesha Mitra

Europe and Northern Africa

Digital first health systems (India)

Anyesha is a seasoned social impact professional with over seven years of experience in monitoring, learning and evaluation (MLE), policy advocacy, and project management within various public health domains. In her previous roles, she has contributed to MLE initiatives for child immunization programmes in India on behalf of John Snow India Pvt. Ltd. Additionally, she possesses extensive experience in policy advocacy and government relations, supporting international medical device and pharmaceutical companies in formulating their advocacy strategies to enhance market access. Anyesha is a strong advocate for leveraging technology to develop straightforward yet effective solutions for addressing complex developmental challenges, which has sparked her interest in digital health.

Evolution of Youth-friendly Digital Health System in India: An Analysis

Nigeria

Racheal Ogundipe

Europe and Northern Africa

Digital health citizenship

Racheal is a public health professional dedicated to advancing SDG 3 and promoting universal health coverage. With a master’s degree in public health, she has extensive experience in research, including country-level research for the Lancet commission on cancer and health systems. She also serves as a public health analyst at a leading health tech firm in Nigeria. Racheal is passionate about digital health solutions and their role in improving global health outcomes. She is committed to leveraging her expertise to drive transformative change in public health through innovative technology and leadership.

Digital Health Citizenship
Mapping Existing Tools for Digital, Health and Civic Literacy

Nigeria

Esther Opone

Europe and Northern Africa

African digital technology companies and young people’s health

Esther is invested in adding value to lives and spaces through health technology, research and civic engagement. As a digital health product manager, she leverages her biomedical science background and AI-powered technology to optimize healthcare delivery in Africa’s underserved settings. She is a One HealthTech fellow, President of the African Digital Health Professionals Network, Graduate Fellow of the West African Institute of Public Health, and an ambassador for Africa Digital Epidemiology and Innovation Network. Esther’s commitment to digitally-enabled healthcare transformation has earned some recognition, including from Junior Chamber International, 16 Emerging Women Leaders and Digital Health Africa.

Safeguarding the Digital Generation
Qualitative Analysis of African-based Digital Technology Companies’ Policies impacting African Youth Health and Well-being

Kosovo

Erza Selmani

Europe and Northern Africa

Global digital technology companies and young people’s health

Erza is a researcher and consultant in the health and social domain. She studied digital health systems in the UK and is currently doing her PhD studies in Germany with a focus on digital and robotic interventions in health. She is engaged in several international projects in health research and development. Her research interests revolve around the health and social science fields, digital technologies that improve health/social well-being, social prescribing and user-centred design. She has co-authored several publications in peer review journals.

Analysing Major Tech Companies’ Policies and Strategies for the Health and Safety of Young Users