Valencia is a native of Tanzania. Currently, she is a first-year Master of Science student in Global Health and Population department. Her research interests are women’s health and infectious disease epidemiology. In the future, she hopes to contribute to improving the health outcomes of populations in sub-Saharan Africa by employing a concentrated effort that tackles the social determinants of health and implements novel interventions based on epidemiological evidence.
Valencia Lambert’s project primarily aims to understand the barriers to HIV testing and care among women (of 18-49 years) who have never or infrequently test for HIV, and examine if and how informal healthcare providers, specifically birth attendants, can bridge these barriers to improve HIV testing and care in Mbarara district, in Uganda. Thus, targeting populations who have been difficult to reach through routine clinic-based programs.