Dr. Khadija I. Yahya Malima is a consultant epidemiologist and nurse whose career integrates public health, academic leadership, clinical research, regulatory governance, and health innovation. She holds degrees from the University of Dar es Salaam (BScN), the University of Cambridge (MPhil in Epidemiology), and the University of Bergen (PhD in Epidemiology, HIV & Other STIs). She currently serves as Head of the Department of Nursing Education and Management at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).
Her research career began with pioneering work on HIV and STI epidemiology in rural Tanzania, where she applied innovative diagnostic approaches such as saliva-based HIV antibody testing and an in-house ELISA for HSV-2 detection using Peptide 55 protein. She later expanded her scientific portfolio to neurophysiological rehabilitation for children with silent cerebral infarcts associated with sickle cell disease, using ICT-enabled rehabilitative mats and NIH Toolbox 3 to improve long-term outcomes. Her current research focuses on strengthening cervical cancer screening through novel diagnostic solutions and enhanced visualization technologies.
In academia, Dr. Yahya Malima is deeply committed to capacity building across the full training continuum. She teaches and mentors undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery students in foundational competencies such as nursing research and scientific inquiry. Her mentorship extends to Applied epidemiology specialists and nursing specialty trainees in nephrology, critical care, trauma, cardiovascular nursing, midwifery, women’s health, and mental health and psychotherapy, strengthening their ability to conduct rigorous clinical and applied research. She supports candidates transitioning toward PhD-level work, emphasizing methodological rigor, analytical competence, and publication readiness.
Dr. Yahya Malima’s innovation leadership spans national and global platforms. She serves as a judge, evaluator, and advocate for equitable, high-impact health innovations, assessing early-stage technologies and guiding innovators toward evidence-driven refinement.
Her regulatory experience is extensive, covering national oversight of health research ethics; licensing and accountability for nursing and midwifery professionals; accreditation of training programmes; and development of evidence-informed policies that safeguard the public and strengthen health systems. She has held major leadership roles including Head of Clinical Department, Dean of the School of Nursing, Chairperson of the Tanzania Nurses and Midwifery Council, Chair of the TACAIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Working Committee, Chair of the National Health Ethics Research Committee (NatHREC), Member of the Clinical Trials Regulation Committee at TMDA, Chief Research Officer advising the Government of Tanzania on science, technology, and innovation, and Vice Chair of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Medical Research. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Muhimbili National Hospital and Mloganzila.
Internationally, she represented Tanzania in the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) through COSTECH for seven years and continues to contribute to global women’s health innovation as a member of the Gates Foundation Innovation Accelerator Committee.
Her legacy is defined by a sustained commitment to integrating policy, research, education, and innovation to advance healthcare quality nationally and globally.