Dr. Benjamin is VACFA’s Co-Director and the Director of NITAGs Support Hub (NISH). Benjamin obtained MSc. Degree in Epidemiology (from the Jomo Kenyatta University (JKUAT, Kenya) and a PhD in Clinical Sciences & Immunology (from the University of Cape Town (UCT, South Africa). Benjamin is a senior researcher in vaccinology at the School of Public Health & Family Medicine.
Benjamin's PhD studies focused on human tuberculosis (TB) immunology and vaccinology. He worked on a project aimed at identifying correlates of risk against TB, induced by BCG vaccination to 10 weeks old infants in South Africa. After PhD, he took a postdoctoral fellowship position at the South African TB Vaccine Initiative (SATVI), with main role being to provide scientific oversight to several new TB vaccines undergoing clinical trials.
Benjamin joined VACFA in 2013 to broaden his skills in vaccinology under the mentorship of Prof. Hussey. His research interest is on evidence-based practice in the field of vaccinology. The broader aim of Benjamin's research is to develop interventions that can strengthen vaccination programs in Africa.
Most of Benjamin's projects have a training component to give opportunities to postgraduate students (MPH and PhD) to develop dissertation topics within the research projects. Benjamin is a co-convener of the Annual African Vaccinology Course (AAVC). Benjamin is involved in teaching and development of vaccinology resources for academic and non-academic training.
For publications authored/co-authored by Benjamin and indexed in PubMed database, go to the database and search for articles by "Kagina B".