Research and Academia
I have an interdisciplinary academic background. My undergraduate studies were at the University of Ghana, Legon School of Business where I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Administration. I began interning in social marketing organisation after learning the fundamentals of social marketing in this school. I was employed in full-time work after graduation. I returned to the University of Ghana, School of Public Health to pursue a Master of Public Health degree to further broaden my knowledge of research, Public Health theories and intervention and social marketing/enterprise. I am currently pursuing a PhD Population Health degree in the University of Ottawa, Ontario Canada. These three different but similar backgrounds strengthen my understanding of the two sides of a coin; changes that need individual human lifestyles and choices, changes that need systemic social, political and economic and how to link them all together.
I have conducted research and disseminated findings to internal and external members of my teams both in Academia and professional work. Some of my works are described below.
Qualitative research methods
Sometimes there is the need to understand the customer beyond numbers. This is where I apply qualitative methods to understand the whys of our customers. I employ qualitative research methods such as ethnography, one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, observations, card sorting, photovoice and cell philms to help understand the customers journey, their influences, the consumers choices and or hindrances.
Mixed methods research methods
In situations where decisions seek to answer a what and a why, I employ both qualitative and quantitative to enable me make inferences whiles also understanding reasons behind the phenomenon of study. I have mostly conducted cross-sectional study designs and collected data through cross-channels; either online or paper-based. I have used applications such as KoboCollect, ODK app, google forms and SurveyMonkey for online data collection and used DHIS 2 as a relational database for storing and managing data. I have also used paper-based approach depending on the context. I have used descriptive statistics to describe my data and used logistic regression to understand relationships between variables of interest.
Communication
Throughout my career, I have effectively communicated research findings and actionable insights to diverse audiences in varying formats. These include published papers, technical reports, stakeholder discussions, academic and professional presentations. I have co-authored 3 journal articles, 5 technical reports and 4 external presentations in professional and academic spaces. I facilitate workshops that promote discussion of our roles and expectations of multi-functional teams and how we can sync efforts better to improve objectives.
Collaboration
I have worked collaboratively with cross functional, multidisciplinary, and multicultural teams both internally and externally to draw on each other’s capabilities to understand problems and offer solutions that have been subject to multidisciplinary and innovative rigour. I worked directly with sales, technical, market, behaviour change teams as well as partners, stakeholders, and regulatory institutions. I ensured remote teams are update to date through bi-weekly scheduled calls or a more flexible “as needed” approach depending on priorities.
Problem solving
My training in Population Health has always taught me that there are always “the causes of the causes” and once they are fixed, the problem is likely to be solved. I therefore look out for what are the fundamental issues behind a given problem and how might we resolve it. For example, in my work in adolescent sexual reproductive health, it is not enough to provide only education as a solution to teenage pregnancy, it involves understanding socio-economic barriers, health system challenges, cultural contexts and individual aspirations and resilience. I look at problems and solutions from an interdisciplinary approach; critical literature review, discussions with multi-functional and cross-cultural teams, reflexivity and participation of participants, diverse stakeholders and relevant theory applications have led to my developing of some of our successful programs to curb some of the problems faced by my customers.
Leadership
I provide significant input and recommendations backed by evidence to inform solutions, finding the right balance to satisfy both customers and stakeholders. I think differently and always look out for what new lens can we see a problem or a solution from. How might we exceed customer and key stakeholder expectations and forge relationships. I believe serving internal customers will enhance serving external customers. Thus, always encourage the participation of all members of our team irrespective of experience levels. I apply the same to ensure we are being inclusive, and our solutions are beneficial to disadvantage groups or groups that are likely to be overlooked in communities as well.
Multitasking
My roles have involved providing evidence and actionable insights on several projects that run concurrently thus I have honed my skills in working on a wide variety of projects, rightly prioritizing, and delivering according to deadlines. I have worked autonomously on projects, needing little to no supervision yet keeping managers informed and involved as and when required
Creative thinking
I am a creative person by nature, and I tend to think of new ways and interesting approaches to improve customer’s experiences. I employ creative approaches to identify customer unmet needs, building rapport and relationships to foster trust and openness in discussions and reporting. I employ my creative writing skills in telling compelling stories about my data and use strong visuals approach to communicate my customers experiences, challenges, and sound solutions. With some of my work involving discussing sexual reproductive health rights and activities, I had to employ decorum whiles keeping it tasteful and interesting to keep stakeholders engaged, involved and willing and open to talk about these aspects of their lives.
Detail oriented
In my field work, I have worked with men, women, young people, stakeholders of different cultures and backgrounds on thematic areas that sometimes require tact to talk openly about. I always pay attention to the details in facial expression, body language, tone to ensure clients comfort, and nuance and context is reflected in the data collected. I have applied this in my technical reports and presentations as well to ensure accurate representation of problems and solutions.