Nwabisa Jama Shai
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About
Dr. Nwabisa Jama Shai is a leading public health researcher and the current Unit Director of the Gender and Health Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). With over 25 years of experience in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, her expertise lies in gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV prevention across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). She is also a Technical Advisor to the global What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls initiative and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand. Dr. Jama Shai’s academic background includes a PhD in Public Health with a specialization in femininities from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of the Western Cape.
Dr. Jama Shai has led and co-authored over 50 journal articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and technical reports. She has played a central role in co-developing and adapting nine behavioral interventions and has contributed to four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three mixed-method evaluations. Her international research spans across South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi, Tajikistan, and Nepal. Her work uniquely examines how constructions of femininity affect women's vulnerability to GBV, alongside evaluating the scalability and effectiveness of GBV prevention interventions.
A skilled leader and facilitator, Dr. Jama Shai actively engages with various stakeholders—including academia, government agencies, UN bodies, NGOs, and development partners—to translate evidence into policy and practice. She was a pivotal member of the Interim Steering Committee responsible for drafting South Africa’s first National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Furthermore, she has contributed to femicide prevention strategies and served on the Violence Prevention Forum since 2015.
Her leadership extends to governance and editorial roles, including serving on the board of Project Empower and the editorial board of the South African Crime Quarterly. A process-oriented facilitator by training, Dr. Jama Shai is committed to cross-sectoral collaboration, ensuring that research and practice are intertwined to drive meaningful societal change. She also maintains fluency in IsiXhosa and Sesotho, enhancing her capacity to work across diverse South African contexts.
Dr. Jama Shai continues to lead impactful research that informs national and international policies, ensuring that the voices and needs of marginalized populations, especially women and girls, remain central in public health discourse. Through her work, she embodies a bridge between rigorous academic inquiry and transformative community engagement.
Skills & Expertise
Leadership
Data Analysis
Qualitative Research
Scientific Writing
Strategic Planning
Project Management
Capacity Building
Monitoring & Evaluation
Research Design
Technical Writing
Community Engagement
Community Engagement
Stakeholder Engagement
Multilingual Communication
Public Health Strategy
Policy Advocacy
Gender Analysis
Mixed Methods
Behavioural Intervention Development
RCT Implementation
Curriculum Adaptation
Facilitation Skills
Intersectoral Collaboration
Evidence-Based Programming
Knowledge Translation
Research Interests
Data Management
Data Analysis
Public Health
Violence Prevention
Policy Development
Program Evaluation
Reproductive Justice
HIV Prevention
HIV
Gender-Based Violence
Women’s Health
Violence
Violence Against Women
Violence Against Women
Global Health
GBV
Study Design
Epidemiologic Studies
Intervention Studies
Cross Sectional Studies
Protocol Writing
Population-Based Studies
Multivariate Data Analysis
Femininity Studies
Behavioural Interventions
Mixed Methods Research
Gender Equity
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Femicide Prevention
Community-Based Interventions
Implementation Science
Health Research Leadership
GBV and HIV Linkages
Gendered Vulnerabilities
Femininities and Health
Global Public Health
Violence Prevention Strategies
Evidence-Based Interventions
Intersectional Health Research
Policy Translation
Community-Based Evaluation
Gender Norms and Social Change
Evaluation in LMICs
Femicide Research
Gender and Development
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
gender based violence (GBV)
Behavioural intervention development
adaptation
Relationship Building
Connect With Me
Experience
Unit Director
- Leading a global research institution providing scientific research and evidence-based strategies used by policymakers and practitioners in South Africa, other Low and Middle Income Countries to prevent Gender Based Violence and its health and other impacts on women and girls and other vulnerable and marginalised groups.
Hon Lecturer
- Present
Research Manager
Education
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University)
University of the Western Cape (UWC)
University of the Western Cape (UWC)
University of Transkei (UNITRA)
Certificates & Licenses (1)
Certificate in Public Health
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