Dr Doreen Sakala is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme where she contributes to research in digital health, social networks, and health systems among vulnerable populations. Her research focuses on how marginalised groups navigate health, risk, and care. Her recent related work documented on how trust, power, and social relationships are shaped within female sex workers’ digital and community settings, influencing access to health information, HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and responses to gender-based violence (GBV), including technology-facilitated Gender Based violence (TFGBV).

Doreen employs qualitative, participatory, and ethnographic research methods, working closely with communities to centre lived experiences and co-produce knowledge for policy and practice. She has also contributed to studies on community preparedness for pandemics, HIV self-testing (HIVST) and linkage to care among hard-to-reach population. She is currently involved in interdisciplinary research on adolescent engagement with HIV prevention, including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Her work contributes to evidence on how digital and community-based approaches can be integrated into health systems to improve equitable access to care in low-resource settings. Doreen’s publications can be accessed here and incudes a publication in Socio-cultural and economic barriers, and facilitators influencing men’s involvement in antenatal care includinh HIV testing: a qualitative study from urban Blantyre, Malawi.