Research Agenda
Fertility behaviors
My research on fertility behaviors is themed across (a) fertility intentions, (b) maternal health, (c) sexual and reproductive health and rights, and (d) abortion. My research on fertility intentions draws on illuminating family aspirations of University graduates amidst transitions of navigating entry into the labor market in a country like Uganda with a rising population of tertiary-skilled graduates but limited employment opportunities.
In my paper under review in the Journal of Emerging Adulthood, I explore the relationship between childbearing intentions and economic aspirations of University graduates. On maternal health, my research focuses on the use of family planning and access to pregnancy-related care. My research on sexual and reproductive health and rights examines sexual and reproductive health behaviors and experiences of women, including the role of male involvement.
In my work with John A. Mushomi (Ph.D.), Nicholas Tunanukye (Ph.D), and Joseph Munyangabo (under review in Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters), we interrogate the policy hypocrisy in Uganda’s abortion regulatory framework and underscore the need for legal reform to ensure the well-being of women and acknowledge their rights and bodily autonomy. Further research I am producing on abortion uncovers abortion access, women’s abortion experiences, healthcare workers’ experiences providing post-abortion care, and public opinions around abortion in restricted contexts like Uganda.
HIV Vaccines
The World Health Organization recently endorsed the use of injectable lenacapavir as a long-acting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to prevent HIV infections. My growing research interests in the area are aimed at interrogating public attitudes towards the vaccine, explicitly focusing on acceptance of usage, access, and affordability of the vaccine in resource-constrained HIV-endemic countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The investigation hopes to illuminate the intersection of Social Determinants of Health, like Socio-economic status, religion, cultural norms and values, residence, education, and access to health services, and the long-standing in-adherence toward vaccines in most Sub-Saharan African societies based on historical medical hypocrisy in the area.