Sara Jewett Nieuwoudt has coordinated the postgraduate field of Social and Behaviour Change Communication at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) since early 2011. She also manages the Wits component of a 5 year project to strengthen the SBCC capacity of the Ministry of Health, universities and civil society in Malawi.
Dr. Nieuwoudt completed her mixed methods PhD on the influences of infant feeding decision-making in the context of HIV in 2019. Her research interests include SBCC and research capacity strengthening on the African continent as well as health communication in the areas of infant feeding and HIV prevention. Prior to joining academia, Ms. Nieuwoudt worked on HIV prevention and capacity building programs/studies in Vietnam, the US, and Ethiopia.
Experience
2010–present
Public Health Consultant, various (UNICEF, N'weti, Soul City, etc.)
2011–present
Lecturer / Coordinator Social and Behaviour Change Communication field of study, University of the Witwatersrand
2009–2010
New Partners Initiative (NPI) Technical Manager, Field Liaison , Academy for Educational Development
2007–2009
Health Technical Advisor, CARE International in Vietnam
Education
2007
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, MPH
2000
Duke University, BA (International Comparative Studies)
Publications
2018
Frontline health workers and exclusive breastfeeding guidelines in an HIV endemic South African Community: a qualitative exploration of policy translation, International Breastfeeding Journal
2017
The Power of Song in the Struggle for Health and Development Outcomes in Africa: Lessons for Social and Behaviour Change Programmes, Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism
2014
Health Promotion is Ethical, South African Journal of Bioethics and Law
2013
Mainstreaming the social determinants of health in South Africa: Rhetoric or reality?, South African Health Review 2012
2013
SBCC capacity strengthening initiative - a South African university practitioner partnership, Global Health Action
Grants and Contracts
2014
Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) PhD Fellowship
Role:
Primary Recipient (PhD fellow)
Funding Source:
CARTA (Carnegie Corporation of New York (Grant No--B 8606.R02), Sida (Grant No:54100029), the DELTAS Africa Initiative (Grant No: 107768/Z/15/Z). The DELTAS Africa Initiative is an independent funding scheme of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS)’s Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) and supported by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) with funding from the Wellcome Trust (UK) (Grant No: 107768/Z/15/Z)