Cynthia Wanzau Mutisya Mutisya

Cynthia Wanzau Mutisya is a nurse, health advocate, and emerging leader from Kenya, pursuing an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford and is a member of Lady Margaret Hall. She is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar .She is driven by a belief that investing in nurses and midwives is a powerful pathway to achieving universal health coverage across Africa and beyond.

Her passion for strengthening health systems began through volunteer work with the Kenya Red Cross and Hope Citadel Foundation, and deepened during her studies in Nursing and Public Health at Kenyatta University. As she progressed, she encountered the realities of overcrowded facilities, workforce fatigue, migration of skilled professionals, and communities struggling to access primary healthcare. These experiences shaped her journey and reinforced her commitment to systemic change.

Cynthia contributed to the formation of Kenya’s first Student and Novice Nurses Chapter, co-organised the inaugural Kenya Healthcare Students’ Symposium, and led a regional nursing resource platform across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zanzibar, reaching over 10,000 professionals. She also served on Kenya’s Ministry of Health Nursing and Midwifery Steering Committee, contributing to workforce policy discussions. Internationally, she was a Nursing Now Campaign Young Nurses Representative with the International Council of Nurses and an Advisory Board member for the WISH report on nursing and midwifery role in achieving universal health coverage.

As a mentee of the Emerging Leaders Foundation–Africa’s My Sister’s Keeper programme, Cynthia strengthened her skills in policy analysis, ethical leadership, and advocacy for women in health.

Outside work, Cynthia enjoys mentoring young people, traveling, and connecting across cultures. She comes to Oxford eager to learn from a global community and return home equipped to help build resilient, equitable, people-centered health systems.