Nellie Myburgh
Dr Nellie Myburgh is a sociologist with more than 20 years of experience in applied social science research across Southern Africa. She is a member of faculty at Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), and co-founder of the African Social Sciences Unit of Research and Evaluation (ASSURE), based at the Wits Health Consortium, University of the Witwatersrand.
Her research spans a wide range of public health priorities, including TB, HIV/Aids, maternal and child health, vaccine-preventable diseases, malnutrition, and the health impacts of migration. Her work focuses on addressing behavioural, equity, and healthcare access challenges among vulnerable and marginalised populations.
Nellie holds a PhD in sociology from the University of South Africa, and has worked across academic institutions, international NGOs – including the United Nations – as well as the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She is deeply committed to building social science research capacity on the continent, and currently supervises and mentors postgraduate students who are applying social science methodologies to their research.
At AHRI, Nellie is a collaborator on several multidisciplinary projects, where she leads the social science components. Her future research will explore community perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes towards tuberculosis, HIV, and new vaccines, with a focus on vaccine acceptability.
Get in touch with Nellie via nellie.myburgh@ahri.org
Selected Recent Publications
Nellie Myburgh ,Thabisile Qwabi, Lunghile Shivambo, Lerato Ntsie, Andile Sokani. Factors affecting women’s attendance of antenatal care in Soweto, Johannesburg: revisiting the three delay model. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine (PHCFM).
Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Trenton M. White, Katarzyna Wyka, Scott C. Ratzan, Kenneth Rabin,. Influence of COVID-19 on trust in routine immunization, health information sources and pandemic preparedness in 23 countries in 2023. Nat Med (2024).
Myburgh N, Mulaudzi M, Tshabalala G, Beta N, Gutu K, Vermaak S, Lau C, Hill C. A Qualitative Study Exploring Motivators and Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among Adults in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Vaccines (Basel).
Assefa N, Scott A, Madrid L, Dheresa M, Mengesha G, Mahdi S, Mahtab S, Dangor Z, Myburgh N,. Comparison of causes of stillbirth and child deaths as determined by verbal autopsy and minimally invasive tissue sampling. PLOS Glob Public Health.
John A. Mushomi, George Palattiyil, Paul Bukuluki, Dina Sidhva, Nellie D. Myburgh. Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Crisis on Migrants on the Move in Southern Africa: Implications for Policy and Practice. Health Systems & Reform.