A/Prof Jessani focuses on health policy and systems research (HPSR) endeavors that include evidence to policy and practice activities across the continent. I am responsible for capacity strengthening in evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM); health systems strengthening, knowledge translation (KT) and implementation science at the Centre for Evidence Based Health Care at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She has over 20 years of experience working at the nexus between health policy and systems research; innovations in evidence-informed policy and practice; and the relationship between academia and public policy.

Globally recognized as a leader in the field of EIDM (and listed amongst the top Canadian women in Global Health), the results of her work have been used by development agencies to determine priorities for funding, by policymakers to determine priorities for interventions, by schools of public health to determine roles and incentives for academics engaging with policy and practice stakeholders, by practitioners exploring advocacy, and by faculty as content for their academic courses.

In addition to a faculty position at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, she has served on several boards including WHOs Knowledge Translation and Policy Group and as Vice-Chair of the Evidence to Action TWG for Health Systems Global. She has also served on the advisory board for INASP, UK and AcademyHealth, USA.; the Canadian Association for Global Health (CAGH), Canada and the Forum for Health Professions Education at the National Academies of Sciences, USA. Previously an Associate Editor of Health Research Policy and Systems Journal, she is currently consulting editor for The Evidence and Policy Journal. Previous positions include Head of Kinowledge, Impact and Policy at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Head of Strategy for the Africa Evidence Network (AEN) and Program Officer at Canada’s IDRC.

She has lived and worked in Kenya, UAE, Canada, USA, Switzerland, Senegal, Uganda, and South Africa. Academic qualifications: DrPH (Johns Hopkins University), MSPH (UNC-Chapel Hill), BSc (McGill University). Specialties: Donor relations, Health policy, Global health, development research, operational research, implementation research, grant administration, programme evaluation, Social Network Analysis, Evidence-Informed Decision Making (EIDM); outcome evaluation, process evaluation, health systems governance, knowledge translation and exchange.