Jackie W. Ndirangu is a research public health analyst in RTI’s Substance Use, Gender and Applied Research Program. She has a master’s degree in Global Health from Duke University and bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ms. Ndirangu is trained as a public health researcher and her interests are addressing factors that influence disease prevention and health promotion among women in developing countries. She started her field work research in Haiti where she coordinated cervical cancer screening and prevention programs for over 10,000 female patients at four public health clinics. She also helped expand the cervical cancer prevention program into HIV clinics specifically targeting women who engaged in sex work in Haiti and collaborated with the local community and government partners in supporting reproductive health issues. Ms. Ndirangu has also managed and coordinated three National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded R01 studies in South Africa: Combination Prevention for Vulnerable Women in South Africa. The study compared the effects of standard HIV test, treat and retain (TTR) practices with TTR plus an evidence-based, woman-focused enhanced strategy—the Women’s Health CoOp (WHC) intervention targeting hard-to-reach and vulnerable women who use alcohol and other drugs; Implementation Science Research for Vulnerable Women in South Africa. This project sought to implement the WHC in public health clinics and substance abuse treatment centers in Cape Town, South Africa; and currently The PrEPARE Pretoria Project: Prevention, Empowering, and Protecting Young Women in South Africa. This project aims to increase uptake of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and readiness and uptake of PrEP among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 16 to 24 who engage in high-risk sexual behaviors; and reduce their barriers to accessing SRH services by addressing and reducing stigma and discrimination (S&D) in clinics. Ms. Ndirangu has also helped publish several manuscripts on impact of evidence-based HIV behavioral risk reduction interventions for populations who use substances, who are at risk for or living with HIV in South Africa.
