Tabitha Okech is a dedicated Public Health Practitioner and Pharmacist based in Nairobi, Kenya, with over a decade of experience in managing preventive and promotive public health programs. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Technology Assessment from Mahidol University, Thailand, and has undergone advanced training in Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training from Moi University leading to a MSc in Field Epidemiology. She joins CEMA to advance the use of HTA in collaboration with researchers, health professionals, and policymakers in various areas to help communicate the value of health initiatives using economic evidence in Kenya and across Africa. She intends to contribute to the training of HTA to support universal health coverage (UHC) and health systems in Kenya. Her focus will be on how to apply health economics and health technology assessment (HTA) in the real-world setting as well as how to advance methods in economic evaluation. She hopes to focus on conducting economic evaluations using various methods and using person-level data from sources such as administrative databases, registries, and clinical trials in health economics and HTA to support evidence generation and policy-making process. Dr. Okech has extensive experience in infectious disease surveillance, response, and management. She has played critical roles in various national public health initiatives, including supplemental immunization activities across multiple counties in Kenya, investigation of disease outbreaks and risk assessment for Yellow Fever outbreaks at the National Public Health Emergency Operation Centers. Additionally, she has played critical roles during the national roll-out of multiple COVID-19 vaccines, including planning and training of sub-national teams. She led targeted spontaneous reporting for adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination. Her professional journey includes significant leadership roles such as the Sub-County Medical Officer of Health in both Kuria West and Awendo Sub-Counties, where she supervised hundreds of healthcare workers and community health volunteers. She has been instrumental in steering epidemiological investigations, managing infectious disease outbreaks, and enhancing health service delivery at the county level. Her expertise spans across pharmacy, public health, epidemiology, health economics, and health policy formulation through health technology assessment (HTA). She is a proficient communicator, fluent in English and Kiswahili, and skilled in data analytics and economic modelling for health. Her contributions to public health have been recognized through various presentations and abstracts at international conferences, and she actively engages in community and professional organizations, including the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya and the Field Epidemiologists Society of Kenya. In her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to improving public health outcomes through evidence-based decision-making, capacity building, and effective stakeholder management.

Health Technology Assessment