Our outstanding and talented PhD students bring a wide variety of expertise to the project with a strong background in public health and a passion to collaborate with refugee communities in addressing health issues.
Fantu Mamo Aragaw
Fantu is a PhD student in Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of cancer and its relationship with the uptake of the cancer care continuum among refugee populations in Australia. She holds her BSc in Public Health and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. She works as a lecturer and a researcher at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia, with a strong passion for research engaging in several national health research projects.
Fantu is a passionate public health researcher, having experience in designing and conducting public health research using the application of advanced statistical and epidemiological methods.
Fantu’s research interests encompass broader aspects of public health research, including chronic disease epidemiology, particularly cancer, maternal and child health, health service research, and health equity among underserved populations such as refugees. She is dedicated to making a positive impact in the field of public health through evidence-based decision-making and improving health outcomes for all through robust research and data-driven approaches.
Binyam Minuye Birhane
Binyam Minuye Birhane, BSc, MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Maternal and Neonatal Health Nursing and a PhD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on improving the health of refugees over generations as part of the NHMRC Ideas Grant. Particularly, his project focuses on improving child health (early life adversities and impacts across the life course) of refugee backgrounds in Australia (using a national-based longitudinal data linkage study).
With over ten years of research experience, Binyam excels in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, big data analysis, data linkage, and effective communication with diverse stakeholders. He is a member of the Public Health Association of Australia, ASHM Health Australia, Refugee Council of Australia, the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, the Ethiopian Public Health Association, the Ethiopian Nurse Association, and a member of the Women’s, Children, and Youth Association for helping orphans and other needy children. Binyam is an academic editorial board member of PLoS ONE Journal and has authored more than 45 research articles.
Temesgen Muche Ewunie
Temesgen is a PhD student in Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on individual health assets among refugee populations resettled in Australia. He graduated from Haramaya University in Ethiopia with a Bachelor of Public Health and a Master of Public Health in Nutrition.
Temesgen has experience working in his home country, Ethiopia. Initially, he worked at health facilities as a clinician, and later at Dilla University as a lecturer, department head, and director of the Food and Nutrition Research Centre (FNRC). Additionally, he worked as a senior research officer at the Ethiopian Medical Association.
Temesgen’s research interests broadly encompass health assets, nutrition, and non-communicable diseases in refugees and general populations. He has attended national and international conferences and published peer-reviewed papers as a primary and co-author in reputable journals such as PLoS One, Helyion, Scientific Report (nature), and others. Lately, he has attended training sessions including Surveying with Qualtrics, Data manipulation and visualization in R, organized by Intersect Australia with the University of Technology Sydney and Australian Catholic University in March 2024.
Elsa Fentie
Elsa is a PhD student in Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. Her research focuses on the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the utilization of preventive sexual and reproductive health services among refugee populations in Australia, using a national longitudinal data linkage study.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Reproductive and Child Health from the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. Alongside her studies, Elsa is an experienced lecturer and researcher, and she was also a community service coordinator at the University of Gondar.
Elsa is deeply committed to making a difference through evidence-based research, policy advocacy, and community engagement. She believes that everyone, regardless of their background, deserves access to quality healthcare. Her work is driven by a desire to bridge healthcare gaps and create more equitable health systems, particularly for refugees and other vulnerable groups.