Jane Sydney Jabilo
Research Associate
Nairobi
Summary
Research Associate with three years of experience in impactful implementation research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), and translating evidence into actionable strategies within health programs at Amref Health Africa. Demonstrated expertise in protocol conceptualization, coordinating ethical review processes with Amref ESRC and NACOSTI, managing mixed-methods studies, and conducting comprehensive data analysis. Solid foundation in maternal, reproductive, and primary healthcare, with a commitment to community-led approaches and county health systems in Kenya's diverse regions. Proficient in tools such as Kobo/SurveyCTO, Atlas.ti, NVivo, Python, and R, emphasizing data quality assurance, stakeholder engagement, and effective policy dissemination across various levels.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
2
2
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
Research Associate – Public Health Emergencies (PHE), West Pokot & MER Unit
Amref Health Africa
08.2024 - 12.2025
- Worked closely with the Learning and Impact Officer and Kenya Country Office teams to lead programme teams in the planning and execution of learning agendas across programs; Public Health Emergencies (PHE), Family and Reproductive Health (FRH), and Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) among others.
- Supported the MEL team in leading programmes to co-create learning agendas through a consultative process involving project teams, implementing partners, county health teams, and Amref's Country and Research Units.
- Supported the MEL team to assist programs in the identification, formulation, and refinement of learning questions to address implementation bottlenecks, evidence gaps, and programme adaptation needs.
- Supported the design and execution of learning activities, including documentation of best practices, models of care, lessons learned, and implementation experiences at county and community levels.
- Undertook and supported operations research, implementation science studies, and learning-focused evaluations to generate actionable evidence for programme improvement and scale-up.
- Packaging and submission of protocol, tools, consent forms and other required documents to Amref Ethics and Scientific Committee and NACOSTI for required approvals and permit
- Coordinate expert meeting review of the protocol with representatives from National Ministry of Health and Gender.
- Facilitated acquisition of county-level approvals required for study implementation, working closely with County Departments of Health and local administration.
- Schedule and coordinate the Country entry meetings
- Schedule and coordinate all logistics pertaining to training of research assistants on the study
- Lead design/review of research data collection tools and Informed Consent forms for both the qualitative and quantitative arm of the study
- Lead the design of quantitative data collection tools using the KOBO Collect app Participate in training of research assistants and pretesting of data collection tools.
- Support in mobilization of study participants for both the qualitative and quantitative arms of the study
- Planned and coordinated all logistics for training of research assistants, including scheduling, materials preparation, and facilitation of training sessions.
- Coordinate field data collection including participant mobilization, daily field check-ins, and troubleshooting operational challenges.
- Conduct daily check in meetings with research assistants to document field experiences and address challenges experienced by Research Assistants Develop study data base for both quantitative and qualitative data and conduct daily data audits to ensure completeness and accuracy of data collected Convene weekly update meetings to the study team
- Conduct data cleaning of quantitative data and coordinate transcription of qualitative data in preparation for analysis
- Develop and share field reports after each of the activities Draft reports on the study's findings.
- Schedule and plan for report writing, validation and dissemination of study findings
- Lead in the development of knowledge products including scientific manuscripts, policy briefs and blog articles
- Work with communication department to organize for dissemination activities breakfast meetings for stakeholders, community dissemination forums and social media posts that can be shared on various platforms.
- Assist in drafting reports on the study's findings.
- Ensured full compliance with ethical standards, regulatory requirements, and institutional guidelines throughout the research lifecycle.
- Developed and managed study databases for both qualitative and quantitative data.
- Conducted daily data audits, cleaning, and validation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and integrity of collected data.
- Coordinated transcription and translation of qualitative data and prepared datasets for analysis.
- Supported end-to-end qualitative data analysis, including development of analysis frameworks, definition of units of analysis, codebook development, establishment of coding rules, facilitation of intercoder reliability processes, data analysis, triangulation, and report writing.
- Supported quantitative and qualitative data analysis, including preparation of datasets and analytical summaries to inform learning and reporting.
- Guided dissemination activities, including development of multi-level dissemination roadmaps; led publication planning (identifying publishable ideas, defining paper types, and mapping suitable target journals); and developed dissemination and publication plans to guide systematic knowledge translation and scholarly output
- Prepared and shared field reports, learning summaries, and analytical briefs following each study activity.
- Led and contributed to the development of knowledge products, including scientific manuscripts, policy briefs, learning briefs, and blog articles.
- Worked closely with communications teams to plan and deliver dissemination activities, including stakeholder breakfast meetings, community feedback forums, county and national dissemination workshops, and digital engagement.
- Supported validation and dissemination of findings to inform programme adaptation, policy dialogue, and scale-up.
Research Associate – Impact Evaluation (Amref Strategy 2018–2022)
Amref Health Africa
05.2024 - 07.2024
- Supported a large-scale impact evaluation assessing a portfolio of Amref programmes implemented across Kenya between 2018 and 2022.
- Contributed to the development of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, including KIIs, FGDs, and structured questionnaires, ensuring alignment with evaluation and learning objectives.
- Trained and supervised research assistants, strengthening adherence to protocols, ethical standards, and data quality requirements.
- Supported digital data collection using Kobo Collect, ensuring accurate deployment and real-time monitoring of data collection.
- Conducted data cleaning, standardization, and preparation to support robust analysis and reporting.
- Supported qualitative data management and analysis using NVivo.
- Participated in reflection, learning, and debrief sessions to support synthesis of lessons learned and best practices across programmes.
Research Associate – Landscape Analysis (Primary Health Care)
Amref Health Africa
10.2023 - 02.2024
- Supported landscape analysis and health systems research focusing on Primary Health Care delivery in Turkana County.
- Developed questionnaires, interview guides, and other research tools to support mixed-methods data collection.
- Monitored field data collection through regular check-ins, field visits, and progress reporting to ensure adherence to protocols and timelines.
- Performed data cleaning, analysis, and synthesis using appropriate statistical and qualitative methods.
- Prepared analytical reports summarizing findings, insights, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations.
- Facilitated stakeholder review and validation meetings, incorporating feedback into final outputs.
- Drafted a policy brief on strengthening Primary Health Care models in arid and semi-arid areas.
- Supported drafting of three peer-reviewed manuscripts examining PHC service delivery models, client satisfaction, and contextual factors influencing health service delivery.
- Supported development of donor-facing study narratives and reports, including for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Research Attachee
Amref Health Africa
05.2023 - 09.2023
- Supported development of research proposals, literature reviews, and study tools across multiple programmes.
- Provided direct technical and administrative support to the Amref Ethics and Scientific Review Committee (ESRC), including protocol screening, documentation, and coordination of review meetings.
- Conducted preliminary ethical reviews of submitted protocols, with a focus on participant protection and compliance with research ethics standards.
- Supported Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research teams in documentation of scientific papers and best practice case studies.
- Supported abstract writing, presentation development, and dissemination activities for the Amref International University Primary Health Care Congress.
- Maintained ESRC databases, filing systems, and ensured timely communication and feedback to study teams.
Education
Master of Science - Public Health (Epidemiology & Biostatistics)
Amref International University
01.2026
Bachelor of Science - Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
01.2023
Skills
Data Collection & Management: Kobo Collect, SurveyCTO, electronic data systems; database development; daily data audits
Data Analysis: NVivo (qualitative), Python & R (exploratory, multivariate), secondary data analysis
Visualization & Reporting: Analytical briefs, learning briefs, policy briefs, manuscripts; basic dashboards
Research Governance: ESRC submissions (pre-review to post-approval), NACOSTI, county approvals
Knowledge & Learning: Learning agenda facilitation, documentation of best practices/models, reflection & learning sessions
Data Collection & Management: Kobo Collect, SurveyCTO, electronic data systems
Data Analysis: NVivo, Python, R, exploratory and multivariate analysis
Research Methods: Qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, secondary data analysis
Visualization & Reporting: Dashboards (basic), reports, policy briefs, manuscripts
Ethics & Compliance: ESRC, NACOSTI, county-level approvals
Accomplishments
- Supported in drafting and completion of a Policy brief to guide the National government and Turkana County Government on: Strengthening Primary Healthcare Models in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas.
- Supported the completion of nine manuscripts to be published in the East African Journal.
- Community, Facility and County dissemination of the VL Contraceptive study.
Certification
Protection of Human Research Participants Ethics Certificate
References
- Yvonne, Opanga, Technical Advisor, Learning and Impact, Yvonne.opanga@amref.org, +254726805988, Amref Health Africa In Kenya
- Joseph, Kokumu, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Power To Youth [PTY], joseph.kokumu@amref.org, +254703253026, Amref Health Africa in Kenya
- Paul, Maleya, Research Officer, paul.maleya@amref.org, +254720410242, Amref Health Africa in Kenya
Linkedin Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-sydney10770a242
Timeline
Research Associate – Public Health Emergencies (PHE), West Pokot & MER Unit
Amref Health Africa
08.2024 - 12.2025
Research Associate – Impact Evaluation (Amref Strategy 2018–2022)
Amref Health Africa
05.2024 - 07.2024
Research Associate – Landscape Analysis (Primary Health Care)
Amref Health Africa
10.2023 - 02.2024
Research Attachee
Amref Health Africa
05.2023 - 09.2023
Bachelor of Science - Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
Master of Science - Public Health (Epidemiology & Biostatistics)
Amref International University