Director/CEO- Impact Research and Development Organization, Kisumu, Kenya
Dr. Kawango Agot, MPH, PhD, is a Kenyan research scientist who obtained her PhD and MPH concurrently from the University of Washington, Seattle, then proceeded to coordinate the ground-breaking trial on medical male circumcision for HIV prevention at the Kisumu site, western Kenya. She has conducted multiple studies on various topics, including pre-exposure prophylaxis, multipurpose technologies, HIV self-testing, optimizing HIV care outcomes among adolescents and young adults living with HIV, and improving savings as a strategy to reduce spending on transactional sex and alcohol, among others. She also runs community-based HIV, Malaria and TB prevention programs. She is currently setting up her site for COVID-19 drug and vaccine trials. Dr. Kawango also founded Nyanza Initiative for Girls Education and Empowerment (NIGEE) as a give-back outfit; NIGEE raises funds locally to return to school girls who dropped out mainly due to pregnancy, early marriage or female genital mutilation.
Publications
- Badia, J, Dyer, J, Agot, K, Wilson, K, Jiang, W, Beima-Sofie, K et al.. Prevalence and Correlates of Violence Among Adolescents and Young Adults Living With HIV in Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2026; :. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000607. PubMed PMID:41505629 .
- Sheira, LA, Ayieko, B, Gutin, SA, Kwena, ZA, Charlebois, ED, Agot, K et al.. Gaps in Effective HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Screening and Uptake Among Fishermen in Kenya. AIDS Behav. 2025; :. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04950-1. PubMed PMID:41251869 .
- Roberts, ST, Otticha, S, Browne, EN, Bann, C, Nyblade, L, Hartmann, M et al.. Measuring Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Stigma Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Western Kenya: Scale Development, Validation, and Associations with PrEP Adherence. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2025;39 (8):323-338. doi: 10.1177/10872914251361105. PubMed PMID:40711412 PubMed Central PMC12490956.
- Kohler, P, Jiang, W, Badia, J, Kibugi, J, Dyer, J, Kadima, J et al.. Data-informed Stepped Care (DiSC) to improve adolescent and young adult HIV care outcomes in Kenya: a cluster randomized trial. J Int AIDS Soc. 2025;28 Suppl 3 (Suppl 3):e26501. doi: 10.1002/jia2.26501. PubMed PMID:40622356 PubMed Central PMC12232485.
- Ochieng', LA, Onyango, J, Owuor, GO, Obare, I, Ochillo, M, Odwar, T et al.. Saving for a rainy day: piloting a savings intervention to reduce HIV risk among young female sex workers in Kenya. Afr J AIDS Res. 2025;24 (1-2):76-80. doi: 10.2989/16085906.2025.2465535. PubMed PMID:40384153 .