Prof Alemayehu Worku

Professor Alemayehu Worku started his career at Addis Ababa University in 1988 as a Graduate Assistant at the Department of Community Health of the then Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Addis Ababa University. After two years of service, he pursued his graduate studies at the University of Leipzig, Germany and obtained his PhD in Biostatistics in 1997. He was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor in the department (Community Health). Prof. Alemayehu joined the School of Public Health of Addis Ababa University in 1999.

Prof. Alemayehu is an expert in designing, planning and implementation of health researches, the expertise that have been useful to policy makers, program planners, civil societies and communities. He has been involved in several nationwide large scale surveys and complex clinical trials. Prof. Alemayehu launched and served as the first coordinator of the PhD program in the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University. In addition to the Addis Ababa University, he has contributed in capacity building of staff members from various universities including Gondar, Haramaya, Mekelle, Hawassa, Jimma, and Arbaminch by serving as a supervisor for more than 40 PhD students in public health field. He has also been involved in provision of short term staff development trainings on research methodology and advanced data analysis procedures that are common in public health for various regional universities academic staff members.

He has served as member and chair of National and International Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for different multi-site clinical trials. Moreover, he has served as guest lecturer and researcher at the international School of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, Sweden; Pretoria University, South Africa and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. He is among the core team of facilitators for the Regional Workshop for Anglophone African Countries on Monitoring and Evaluation of Population, Health and Nutrition Programs since 2005, which promote the use of information for proper implementation of public health programmes. He also serves as a member and founder of the capacity building committee of the Global Network for Evaluation and Monitoring Health programmes. Prof. Alemayehu has more than 130 publications in peer reviewed national and international journals. He has contributed as chapter author of different programme and policy relevant public health study reports including the first national low vision and blindness survey in 2006 and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: An epidemiological synthesis 2013 edition. His major areas of public health research are sexual and reproductive health, HIV/ TB/ Malaria and eye diseases. He has received the 2011 Ethiopian public health association senior researcher gold medal award and the college of health sciences of Addis Ababa University last 10 years - best researcher award in 2014.

Prof. Alemayehu has contributed to public services through the Federal Ministry of health, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Ethiopian Public Health Association, other governmental and non-governmental organisations, and international organisations by participating in taskforces and working groups that address public health information and research.