Judy Khanyola is a registered nurse and midwife and nursing leader in Africa. She currently serves as chair of the Center for Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. With more than 25 years of experience in clinical nursing and education programs, Judy aims to transform nursing and midwifery education and leadership. She is secretary of AFREhealth, the convening body for health education and research in Africa and a board member of AfriPEN, the Africa interprofessional collaborative. She is also on the advisory council of Africa’s primary healthcare initiative, AfroPHC. She has worked with health ministries across Africa, led HIV programs, and provided technical support to NGOs. She is academic editor for PLOS One Global Health. Judy was the 2019 recipient of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) Global HIV award. Judy earned a Master of Advancing Health Care Practices from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Eastern Africa.
Applied Project Title: Policy Reform to Strengthen Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Care in Rwanda’s Health Care System
In its current form, the health care system in Rwanda cannot meet the needs of the country’s population, resulting in high levels of non-communicable diseases. This project focused on transforming the public and primary health care delivery model from one focused on illness to one focused on wellness. To do so, Khanyola proposed harnessing the collective strength of Rwanda’s 10K nurses and midwives and 58K community health workers. Specific recommendations call for the creation of dedicated nursing staff at Butaro District Hospital to provide ongoing disease prevention and wellness care to families, as well as nurses to link with community health nurses at health centers and health posts in rural and remote regions throughout the country. Khanyola recommends appointing a chief nursing and midwifery officer to lead this transformation.