Leah Mwai and Tom Wien join IDinsight

Jan 27, 2022– IDinsight announces the appointment of two new Directors who will join our Africa teams this month. Leah Mwai will be based in Dakar, Senegal, and Tom Wein in Nairobi, Kenya. The new Directors will bring their deep social sector experience and expertise to support leaders in the region.

Leah Mwai is a seasoned global health specialist and research and innovation expert with over 15 years of experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa. Leah holds a PhD in clinical medicine and global health from the University of Oxford, UK, and post-graduate qualifications in strategy and innovation from Oxford Saïd Business School. Prior to IDinsight, Leah was the lead advisor of a cross-sectoral research and innovation program portfolio at the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). At Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Leah served as Senior Program Officer and oversaw the design and implementation of a large multi-donor initiative aimed at scaling high-impact maternal and child health interventions in several countries in West, East, and Southern Africa. Leah has contributed to various peer-reviewed, high-impact academic publications, policy documents, and articles on clinical medicine, public health, health systems and policy, program management, and evaluation. She brings a wealth of insight on linking public health research, innovation, and policy from her work with various African Ministries of Health, research councils, government agencies, and partners such as Afya Research Africa, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Programme, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), and the University of British Columbia.

“I am really excited to be joining such an impressive group of colleagues at IDinsight. I feel especially privileged to be taking a lead role in supporting the West and North Africa regional offices. Together, we will meaningfully address the increasing demand for more evidence-informed policies and innovative, impactful social programs in the region.”
– Leah Mwai

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Leah Mwai to the IDinsight team. With her arrival, I look forward to the growth of our Francophone public health capabilities, answering a growing demand from social sector leaders and policy makers in West and North Africa.”
– Cassandre Pignon, West and North Africa Regional Director

Tom Wein is the founder of The Dignity Project, a campaign for more respectful international development. He holds a Masters degree in Communication for Development from Malmö University. Tom is currently writing a book and actively advocates for dignity as a central value for international cooperation. As part of the Dignity Collective, he has published several working papers on the subject. The Dignity Collective’s work is summarized in The Dignity Report, 2021. He joins the team to lead IDinsight’s work on ensuring dignity in global development, an initiative that will build on our previous work on Measuring People’s Preferences. It also grows out of IDinsight’s commitment to using research to elevate the voices and perspectives of aid recipients.

Tom previously served as Coordinator of the Preventing Violence Against Children department at Raising Voices, running a nationwide program to stave off violence against children in schools in Uganda. He has worked extensively with the Busara Center in Nairobi. He launched their new Culture, Research Ethics & Methods research agenda, and led research projects on edutainment and activism.

“I’ve got so much to learn from IDinsight’s brilliant team. I can’t wait to continue exploring dignity in development together with them.”
– Tom Wein

“It’s exciting to have Tom Wein join our team in Nairobi. I’m especially looking forward to working with him to raise awareness on dignity in development and to amplify the voices of beneficiaries.”
– Frida Njogu Ndongwe, East and Southern Africa Regional Director