Noreen Mdege

Dr Noreen Mdege is an Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of York, UK. She is a public health specialist, health economist and applied health researcher with over 20 years of experience leading the design, implementation, management and coordination of policy-relevant health research aimed at maximizing health benefits within the constraints faced by low- and middle-income countries.

She works with DG as a consultant, leading research on tobacco control. Specifically, she has led the design and implementation of population-based, nationally representative household surveys on tobacco use among adolescents in the DRC, Kenya, and Nigeria under the Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa program. She has also led the design and implementation of a number of tobacco control studies under the Tobacco Control Data Initiative, ranging from compliance with smoke-free laws and bans on tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship in Ethiopia, factors associated with shisha use in Nigeria, and measuring the extent of illicit cigarette trade in the DRC and Zambia.

In addition to the countries mentioned above, her research experience also covers Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, The Gambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe, South East Asia (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan), the USA and UK. Furthermore, in addition to working on tobacco control, she also works on other topics such as alcohol use; the use of other psychoactive substances; vaccines; HIV prevention, treatment, and care; hepatitis B and C prevention; sexual and reproductive health; obesity; medication adherence, and health systems strengthening.

Dr Mdege has expertise in a wide range of research methods including quantitative methods (e.g., surveys, clinical and non-clinical trials, and quasi-experimental designs), health economic evaluation and decision modelling, systematic reviews, qualitative methods, and mixed methods. She also has vast experience in complex intervention development and evaluation.

Dr Mdege earned a PhD from the University of York, a Master of Science in Health Economics and Decision Modelling from the University of Sheffield, a Master of Public Health from the University of Leeds, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Zimbabwe. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.