Mary Kawonga
Biographic Data
| ID | 1445488 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mary Kawonga |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mary |
| FAMILY NAME | Kawonga |
| SIGNATURE | KAWONGA M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the Witwatersrand |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9807-7847 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Health on the move
Background Global human mobility has intensified due to globalization, economic inequality, conflict, and climate change, generating new vulnerabilities that disproportionately affect women's healthcare access. In sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV burden remains highest, migration intersects with gender and structural inequities to disrupt prevention and treatment services. South Africa—a major destination and transit country—illustrates these dynami…
Health system response to preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV policy changes in Zambia
BACKGROUND: Zambia is focusing on attaining HIV epidemic control by 2021, including eliminating Mother to Child Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV. However, there is little evidence to understand frontline healthcare workers' experience with the policy changes and the readiness of different health system elements to contribute to this goal. OBJECTIVE: To understand frontline healthcare workers' experience of preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTC…
Addressing the migrant gap
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programming in South Africa. In 2020, it was estimated that there were 4 million cross-border migrants in South Africa, some of whom are women living with HIV (WLWH), who are highly mobile and located within peripheral and urban areas of Johannesburg. Little is known about the mobility typologies of these women associated with different…
Evolution of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV policy in Zambia
The Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program in Zambia has undergone several policy iterations over the past 10 years. This qualitative study aimed to contribute towards addressing this knowledge gap by analysing the evolution and actors' influence during the policy process using the Walt and Gilson policy triangle as our evaluation framework. Document review and key informant interviews with policy makers were undertaken…
Development of an Early Alert System for an Additional Wave of Covid-19 Cases Using a Recurrent Neural Network with Long Short-Term Memory
The impact of the still ongoing "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19) pandemic has been and is still vast, affecting not only global human health and stretching healthcare facilities, but also profoundly disrupting societal and economic systems worldwide. The nature of the way the virus spreads causes cases to come in further recurring waves. This is due a complex array of biological, societal and environmental factors, including the novel nature…
Innovation diffusion
The study illustrates the application and feasibility of ego SNA in identifying champions and opinion leaders among women of reproductive age group. It also shows the influence of social networks on the diffusion of community-based injectable contraceptives, and how homophilic and dense networks may have positive health externality. The interrelatedness of network members' decision to adopt a health innovation was also demonstrated by the finding…
The influence of health system organizational structure and culture on integration of health services
Administrative integration of disease control programmes (DCPs) within the district health system has been a health sector reform priority in South Africa for two decades. The reforms entail district managers assuming authority for the planning and monitoring of DCPs in districts, with DCP managers providing specialist support. There has been little progress in achieving this, and a dearth of research exploring why. Using a case study of HIV prog…
Exploring the use of social network analysis to measure communication between disease programme and district managers at sub-national level in South Africa
Administrative integration of vertical HIV monitoring and evaluation into health systems
BACKGROUND: In light of an increasing global focus on health system strengthening and integration of vertical programmes within health systems, methods and tools are required to examine whether general health service managers exercise administrative authority over vertical programmes. OBJECTIVE: To measure the extent to which general health service (horizontal) managers, exercise authority over the HIV programme's monitoring and evaluation (M&E) …
Achieving effective cervical screening coverage in South Africa through human resources and health systems development
South Africa’s cervical screening policy recommends three free Pap smears at ten-year intervals for all women over 30 years of age, aiming to achieve 70% coverage by 2010 by targeting the age group most at risk of developing pre-cancerous cervical lesions. Attaining wide coverage requires an adequate supply of motivated and supported public sector health workers with appropriate training and skills, working in a functional health system. Given th…
Exploring the use of social network analysis to measure communication between disease programme and district managers at sub-national level in South Africa
The influence of health system organizational structure and culture on integration of health services
Administrative integration of disease control programmes (DCPs) within the district health system has been a health sector reform priority in South Africa for two decades. The reforms entail district managers assuming authority for the planning and monitoring of DCPs in districts, with DCP managers providing specialist support. There has been little progress in achieving this, and a dearth of research exploring why. Using a case study of HIV prog…
Achieving effective cervical screening coverage in South Africa through human resources and health systems development
South Africa’s cervical screening policy recommends three free Pap smears at ten-year intervals for all women over 30 years of age, aiming to achieve 70% coverage by 2010 by targeting the age group most at risk of developing pre-cancerous cervical lesions. Attaining wide coverage requires an adequate supply of motivated and supported public sector health workers with appropriate training and skills, working in a functional health system. Given th…
Administrative integration of vertical HIV monitoring and evaluation into health systems
BACKGROUND: In light of an increasing global focus on health system strengthening and integration of vertical programmes within health systems, methods and tools are required to examine whether general health service managers exercise administrative authority over vertical programmes. OBJECTIVE: To measure the extent to which general health service (horizontal) managers, exercise authority over the HIV programme's monitoring and evaluation (M&E) …
Exploring the use of social network analysis to measure communication between disease programme and district managers at sub-national level in South Africa
The influence of health system organizational structure and culture on integration of health services
Administrative integration of disease control programmes (DCPs) within the district health system has been a health sector reform priority in South Africa for two decades. The reforms entail district managers assuming authority for the planning and monitoring of DCPs in districts, with DCP managers providing specialist support. There has been little progress in achieving this, and a dearth of research exploring why. Using a case study of HIV prog…
Innovation diffusion
The study illustrates the application and feasibility of ego SNA in identifying champions and opinion leaders among women of reproductive age group. It also shows the influence of social networks on the diffusion of community-based injectable contraceptives, and how homophilic and dense networks may have positive health externality. The interrelatedness of network members' decision to adopt a health innovation was also demonstrated by the finding…
Evolution of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV policy in Zambia
The Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program in Zambia has undergone several policy iterations over the past 10 years. This qualitative study aimed to contribute towards addressing this knowledge gap by analysing the evolution and actors' influence during the policy process using the Walt and Gilson policy triangle as our evaluation framework. Document review and key informant interviews with policy makers were undertaken…
Development of an Early Alert System for an Additional Wave of Covid-19 Cases Using a Recurrent Neural Network with Long Short-Term Memory
The impact of the still ongoing "Coronavirus Disease 2019" (COVID-19) pandemic has been and is still vast, affecting not only global human health and stretching healthcare facilities, but also profoundly disrupting societal and economic systems worldwide. The nature of the way the virus spreads causes cases to come in further recurring waves. This is due a complex array of biological, societal and environmental factors, including the novel nature…
Health system response to preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV policy changes in Zambia
BACKGROUND: Zambia is focusing on attaining HIV epidemic control by 2021, including eliminating Mother to Child Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV. However, there is little evidence to understand frontline healthcare workers' experience with the policy changes and the readiness of different health system elements to contribute to this goal. OBJECTIVE: To understand frontline healthcare workers' experience of preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTC…
Addressing the migrant gap
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programming in South Africa. In 2020, it was estimated that there were 4 million cross-border migrants in South Africa, some of whom are women living with HIV (WLWH), who are highly mobile and located within peripheral and urban areas of Johannesburg. Little is known about the mobility typologies of these women associated with different…
Health on the move
Background Global human mobility has intensified due to globalization, economic inequality, conflict, and climate change, generating new vulnerabilities that disproportionately affect women's healthcare access. In sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV burden remains highest, migration intersects with gender and structural inequities to disrupt prevention and treatment services. South Africa—a major destination and transit country—illustrates these dynami…
Medicine (9 works) · Business (6 works) · Economic growth (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · Health care (5 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (5 works) · Nursing (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Family medicine (4 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (4 works)