Edmore Madondo

PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Growing up in Zimbabwe, I witnessed many of the people in my community suffer and even die due to limited access to equitable healthcare to address health issues related to HIV/AIDS and stroke. The experiences of watching my community struggle with deadly health effects of HIV/AIDS and stroke led me to pursue a public health degree so that I can gain a deeper understanding of etiology and prevention of complex public health issues like these. Towards this end, I applied and was accepted in a Master's in Public Health program at Missouri State University in Missouri from which I graduated in 2021. Even after this significant educational milestone, I still felt that I had more capacity to expand my knowledge and to learn how to conduct and disseminate public health research, so I began looking at schools offering a PhD in Epidemiology.

When looking for schools, one important factor for me was to choose a university that would help me achieve my professional and educational goals. The School of Public Health at The University of Memphis has proven to not only meet this criterion, but far surpasses my expectations in terms of both opportunity for professional growth and departmental prioritization of student opportunities for research in a diverse environment. During my time at the School of Public Health, I have been mentored by a variety of excellent professors who have vast research experience in cutting-edge fields and work hard to support their students academically. I am currently working under the guidance of my advisors (Drs. Bartelli and Mzayek) to analyze data from the Hope House project, which evaluates wrap-around housing services for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS. Through this project, I am starting to gain a deeper understanding of how social determinants of health, such as housing, can affect personal capacity to sustain viral suppression and thereby stabilize and even increase quality of life for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

With the knowledge I am gaining through research, I hope to expand public awareness and increase knowledge around effective strategies to mitigate HIV prevalence. I feel honored to be a student at the School of Public Health at The UofM and a member of the global public health community working towards a healthier future.