Dr. Elizabeth Onyango is an Assistant Professor of Healthy and Sustainable Communities in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. She previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), where her research focused on the role of formal and informal social protection systems in improving food security among urban households.
Dr. Onyango earned her PhD in Health Geography from the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. During her doctoral studies, she contributed to the Global Index of Wellbeing project, with a primary focus on Kenya. Her research explored the health and wellbeing of diverse populations across Kenya, considering differences in age, gender, and region. She also holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Population Health from Maseno University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Kenyatta University, both in Kenya.
She brings extensive research and teaching experience from the Global South. Dr. Onyango has taught epidemiology and community health courses at various institutions in Kenya and has been involved in a wide range of research projects, including randomized community trials, cross-sectional surveys, and qualitative and mixed-methods studies. Through this work, she has developed strong expertise in academic and report writing, protocol development and implementation, and navigating ethical approval processes in low- and middle-income countries.
Her research interests include population health and wellbeing in the Global South, with a focus on economic and living standards, livelihoods and food insecurity, gender-based violence, youth development, maternal and child health, and environmental health. As a development practitioner, she has significant experience in designing and implementing community-based initiatives that support vulnerable populations. She is also actively engaged in community service as a way of giving back.
Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango's CV (.pdf)
Publications
- Onyango E. O. and Kangmennaang, J. (In progress 2020). Conceptualizing wellbeing in place. In Progress at International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
- Onyango, E.O. and Elliott, S. J. (Under review). Bleeding bodies, untrustworthy bodies: A social constructionist approach to health and wellbeing of young adults in Kenya. Journal of Youth Studies
- Kangmennaang, J., Onyango, E.O., Luginaah, I., Elliott, S.J. (2017). The next Sub Saharan African epidemic? A case study of the determinants of cervical cancer knowledge and screening in Kenya. Social Science and Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.013
- Kujunga, P., Borgonjen-van den Berg, K.J., Superchi, C., Ten Hove, H.J., Onyango, E.O., Andang'o, P., Galetti, V., Zimmerman, M.B., Morettie, D., Brouwer, I.D. (2017). Combining food-based dietary recommendations using Optifood with zinc-fortified water potentially improves nutrient adequacy among 4- to 6-year-old children in Kisumu West district, Kenya. Maternal and Child Nutrition. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12515
- Onyango, E.O., George A., Watsierah C.A., Were T., Okumu W., Anyona S.B., Raballah E., Orinda G.O. and Ouma C. (2012). Factors associated with non-adherence to Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) to malaria in a rural population from holoendemic region of western Kenya. BMC Infectious Diseases, 12:143
- Were, R. A., Kioli, N. F., Onkware, K., Onyango, O. E., Gumo, S and Ouma C. (2013). Factors in the management of feeding in nursery school children as perceived by their mothers in rural Bondo County, Kenya. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 13:47
Selected Presentations
- Onyango, E.O. & Elliott S.J. (2019). Are we afraid of being alone? The politics of gender-based violence - health and wellbeing of middle-aged Kenyans. Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Annual Meeting. Winnipeg, MB.
- Onyango, E.O. & Elliott, S.J. (2018). “Bleeding bodies”, “untrustworthy bodies”? A social constructionists approach to the health and wellbeing of female youths in Kenya. Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Annual Meeting. Quebec City, QC.
- Onyango, E.O. & Elliott, S.J. (2017). A regional divide on perception and meaning of health and wellbeing by Kenyans: An ecological perspective. Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) 2017 Annual Meeting. York University, Toronto ON.
- Onyango, E.O. & Elliott, S.J. (2016). Health-Wellbeing Nexus: An Ecological and Life Course Perspective in Theorization and Conceptualization of Health and Wellbeing. Canadian Association of Geographers of Ontario (CAGONT) Conference, Waterloo, ON.
- Onyango, E.O. (2012). A study of adherence to Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy (ACT) for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Southeast Alego, Karemo Division, Siaya District, Kenya. Annual Scientific and Health (KASH) Conference. KEMRI Headquarters, Nairobi.
- Onyango, E.O., E Raballah & J. Ogendi (2010). Promoting health through local innovative techniques: A case study of community lead total sanitation in Milimani village in Busia. HADCO conference, NORTH-SOUTH-SOUTH Health Africa Intensive Course, Maseno University.