Dawit Getachew Assefa
Afox Fellow 2025
Dawit Getachew Assefa is an Ethiopian clinical research specialist and academic with over a decade of experience in infectious diseases, clinical trials, and evidence synthesis. He is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trials and Clinical Trials Specialist at Dilla University, Ethiopia, where he pioneered participant-centered active surveillance of vaccine safety and has trained academic and research staff in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. His career also includes roles as a Clinical Trial Monitor at CDT-Africa, Research Nurse at KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, and frontline nurse in Ethiopia’s public health system.
Dawit holds an MSc in Clinical Trials (Great Distinction) from Addis Ababa University and a BSc in Nursing from Jigjiga University. He recently completed a WHO/TDR Clinical Research Leadership Fellowship at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, where he led and contributed to projects on visceral leishmaniasis, post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, and trachoma.
He has authored 28 peer-reviewed articles, including nine as first author, spanning malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and neglected tropical diseases. His work has been presented at major international conferences and supported by competitive grants. Dawit is passionate about advancing equitable health research to strengthen evidence-based policy and clinical practice in low- and middle-income countries.