Frankline O
Dr. Dr. Franklin Onukwugha is a Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Hertfordshire. He joined the University in 2022, bringing with him a wealth of academic and research experience. Prior to this, he served as a Research Fellow and Project Manager for an NIHR-funded project focused on alcohol harm prevention in pregnancy at the University of Hull (2020–2022). He was also a Lecturer at the University of Sunderland in London (2016–2019) and an Associate Lecturer at Coventry University (2017–2019).
At the University of Hull, Dr. Franklin held the position of Lead Coordinator for the Global Health Research Network. He also served as a Co-Investigator on a QR-GCRF-funded global health project on adolescent reproductive health in Nigeria, in collaboration with INASP Oxford, and as a Research Associate on a community-based mHealth project in Western Kenya, in partnership with the Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development (TICH), Kenya.
Dr. Franklin is an active public health researcher with extensive expertise in applying mixed-methods research to address complex public health challenges. His core focus areas include adolescent and young people’s mental health and sexual and reproductive health. He is currently the Principal Investigator on the NORM Wellbeing Project, funded by the Wellcome Trust and managed by the British Science Association. This project, in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Hull and Nottingham, seeks to develop innovative tools and creative outputs to enhance young people’s mental health and wellbeing (£124,000 grant awarded).
Sam is passionate about collaborative learning as well and he was one of the people that launched Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project in his previous place of primary assignment. This COIL project has made it possible for institutions in different location and country to learn seamlessly without any interference.
Dr. Onukwugha is also a committed member of HolyNations International Ministries, where he actively contributes to community and faith-based initiatives.
His work has garnered multiple accolades and recognitions, including an invitation to His Majesty The King’s Royal Garden Party, the Commonwealth Early Career Academic Grant, and the Population Reference Bureau Policy Communication Fellowship sponsored by USAID and the African Institute for Development Policy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health and an active member of several professional associations, including the British Society for Population Studies and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. His research and advocacy work have been featured on national and international media platforms including BBC and AIT.
