Esther Nwanja, MD, MSc

Dr. Esther Nwanja is an Associate Director in the Maternal and Child Department at Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme in Nigeria. She has over a decade of experience in clinical and public health implementation, research, and capacity building in Nigeria. Dr. Nwanja received her MD from Ebonyi State University in Nigeria and her M.Sc. from KALU Institute Humanitarian Aid Study Centre in Spain. Prior to her current role, she led the adolescent HIV program at the subnational level. Her work and research focus on using context-informed, person-centered service delivery models to improve access to health and non-health services and improve treatment outcomes for children, adolescents, and women at risk of HIV and those living with HIV. The result of her study on collaborating with Community Birth Centers to improve access to HIV Testing Services has informed the implementation of community-based interventions to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV. Dr. Nwanja currently leads the maternal, child, and adolescent component of the Accelerating Control of the HIV Epidemic, Cluster 5 (ACE-5) project, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Nwanja is excited about the opportunity to receive formal training and mentorship in implementation science and practice as a HIGH IRI Fellow.