About

Dr Shakira Choonara is multi award-winning public health practitioner, bold activist, and Operation Smile Ambassador for South Africa (SA). She currently serves as a Technical Support Specialist at the World Health Organization, supporting the development of the SRH-UHC Learning by Sharing Portal and the Working for Health Programme. She start-up entrepreneur and founder of a development consultancy firm. At present, Dr Choonara is the incumbent Lancet Commissioner for Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Dr Choonara previously served on the inaugural African Union Youth Council 2018-2020.

Dr Choonara is a recipient of a number of prestigious awards including being listed as the Mail and Guardian 50 Most Powerful Women, Destiny Magazine’s Most Powerful Woman under 40, 100 influential Young Africans and the Woman of the Year in Health in SA. Dr Choonara attained her PhD (Public Health) at the age of 27 years, an Honours (Cum Laude) and Masters in Demography from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

She is widely recognised for her work and experience as a researcher and advocacy specialist, focusing on health policy and systems research, specifically universal health coverage, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health rights, non-communicable diseases, HIV and youth development. She is currently a Board Member of Youth Health Africa focusing which focuses on youth, HIV and addressing unemployment in South Africa.

Employment

Employment history is unavailable.

Education

• University of the Witwatersrand PhD
  2014 - 2017
• University of the Witwatersrand Master of Arts (Demography)
  2012 - 2013
• University of the Witwatersrand Cum Laude, Honours (Demography)
  2011 - 2012
• University of the Witwatersrand Bachelor of Health Sciences
  2008 - 2010

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (11)

• Early and unintended pregnancy in Eastern and Southern Africa: analysis of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights policies
  BMJ Global Health 2024 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013929
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• Evidence attack in public health: Diverse actors’ experiences with translating controversial or misrepresented evidence in health policy and systems research
  Global Public Health 2022 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2021.2020319
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• Impact of COVID-19 public health responses on income, food security and health services among key and vulnerable women in South Africa
  African Journal of AIDS Research 2022 DOI: 10.2989/16085906.2022.2144392
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• Value of Ethnography: Understanding Health System Financial Management
  [] 2020 DOI: 10.4135/9781529742664
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• Changing the narrative: responsibility for youth engagement is a two-way street
  The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2019 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(19)30247-0
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• Urgency for transformation: youth engagement in global health
  The Lancet Global Health 2019 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(19)30221-9
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• Sustainable Development girls: mapping youth advocacy and action to achieve sexual and reproductive health rights in Africa
  Agenda 2018 DOI: 10.1080/10130950.2018.1427812
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• Open Access Significance of informal (on-the-job) learning and leadership development in health systems: lessons from a district finance team in South Africa
  BMJ Global Health 2017
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• Out of control: profit-seeking behaviour, unnecessary medical procedures and rising costs of private medical care in South Africa
  BMJ Global Health 2016
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• Getting started: Surviving and succeeding during the pre-dotoral stage
  Potgraduate Study in South Africa: Surviving and Suceeding 2016
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• Factors influencing the usage of different types of malaria prevention methods during pregnancy in Kenya
  Journal of African Health Sciences 2015
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