opondo.philip

I have a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree and postgraduate specialization in Psychiatry . I also have a certificate in Medicine and Law from the University of Pretoria/UNISA and a certificate in AIDS Clinical Care Fundamentals. I am currently Assistant Programme Director in the department and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn, USA. I have worked in the mental health field in Botswana for over 20 years. I have a deep understanding of the mental health problems and care system in Botswana. My interests are in Stigma, HIV/ AIDS and Mental Health, transcultural Psychiatry and Substance use. As local PI, I led the first epidemiological study on HIV/AIDS among patients with mental illness, a study supported by the Intervention Core of the Penn Mental Health Aids Research Centre (PMHARC). I am currently the UB Principal Investigator for a pilot study on the stigma of HIV and mental illness in Botswana, entitled “Developing a culture specific measure of stigma of HIV and Mental illness in Gaborone, Botswana.” I also support the MME study: “RCT to reduce stigma and improve treatment adherence in HIV+ pregnant women in Botswana”, led by Culture, Stigma and co-morbidities expert Dr Lawrence Yang, in a Co-Investigator capacity.