{
"meta": {
"title": "Our Team - Pivot Collective",
"description": "Our collaborative team: a global collective of researchers, facilitators, implementers, and activists working to advance justice in health and development."
},
"hero": {
"badge": "Our People",
"title": "Our",
"title_gradient": "Collaborative Team",
"description": "Based in South Africa, our work is delivered by a global collective of researchers, facilitators, implementers, and activists bringing together diverse lived and professional experience to advance justice in health and development. With experience spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia, we work alongside communities, organisations, and institutions to design processes that are both rigorous and responsive, combining strong evidence with deep attention to relationships, context, and practice."
},
"sections": [
{
"id": "core",
"heading": "Core Team",
"bg": "gradient",
"members": [
{
"id": "lindsey-reynolds",
"name": "Dr. Lindsey Reynolds",
"role": "Managing Director",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Lindsey-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyjreynolds",
"short_bio": "Lindsey Reynolds is the co-founder of Pivot Collective and Managing Director of Pivot Collective Consulting. She is a critically engaged researcher and learning partner who works across academic, institutional, and community settings to translate diverse forms of knowledge into more equitable and accountable health and development systems.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr. Lindsey Reynolds is a critically engaged public health and social science researcher with over twenty years of experience working in and on the South African health system and in global health research. Her work focuses on the social contexts, power dynamics, and ethical challenges shaping health and development initiatives, and on designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder processes that bring together diverse forms of expertise to translate evidence into strategy for policy and implementation.",
"Lindsey founded Pivot Collective in 2018 and has since led the development of both its non-profit and consulting arms. She currently serves as Managing Director of Pivot Collective Consulting and as a member of the Board of Directors of Pivot Collective NPC.",
"At Pivot, Lindsey leads strategic learning and systems change partnerships with funders, research institutions, and grassroots actors across the Global South and North. She designs and facilitates collaborative learning and strategy processes that connect community knowledge, research evidence, and institutional decision-making. She has served as team lead and principal advisor on multi-year initiatives with partners including the Wellcome Trust, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and Population Services International, supporting organisations to synthesise diverse forms of evidence and translate learning into programme design, policy strategy, and institutional reform. Her work often involves facilitating dialogue between government actors, technical experts, funders, and community leaders to align evidence, strategy, and implementation priorities.",
"Prior to founding Pivot, Lindsey held academic appointments at Brown University, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Cape Town. She holds a joint PhD in Anthropology and Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, where her dissertation examined constructions of vulnerability among children in South Africa.",
"She has led qualitative and interdisciplinary research examining the social and ethical dimensions of global health research and practice, including work on community engagement, representation, and participation in large-scale health interventions. Her research explores how concepts such as \"community,\" \"vulnerability,\" and \"population\" shape scientific knowledge, institutional practice, and the lived realities of people participating in health programmes and clinical trials. She has also led collaborative research initiatives focused on the positionalities and experiences of emerging African scholars in global health, contributing to the emergence of critically engaged global health studies. She has published extensively on topics such as HIV treatment dynamics, stigma and exclusion in healthcare access, and the ethics of community engagement in global health.",
"Alongside this work, she has convened international workshops and expert consultations bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to synthesise evidence and inform research and policy agendas. She has mentored and supported early-career African researchers and postgraduate students, and co-designed postgraduate curricula focused on global health ethics, transdisciplinary research, and epistemic justice.",
"Across her work, Lindsey prioritises collaborative approaches that bridge research, practice, and policy in ways that centre community knowledge and ethical accountability."
],
"sections": [
{
"title": "Book",
"items": [
{
"title": "The Ethics and Politics of Community Engagement in Global Health Research",
"desc": "Reynolds, L. & Sariola, S. (2020). Routledge."
}
]
},
{
"title": "Selected Strategic & Commissioned Work",
"items": [
{
"title": "Positioning Health at the Heart of the Just Transition (2025)",
"desc": "Commissioned by Agence Française de Développement. A national scoping study examining how climate change is reshaping South Africa's health system and identifying strategic pathways to integrate health into just transition policy, financing, and cross-sector planning."
},
{
"title": "Centres for Exchange: Equity-Centred Learning & Knowledge Exchange Partnership (2023–2027)",
"desc": "Commissioned by Wellcome Trust. A multi-year strategic learning partnership supporting the design and implementation of Wellcome's Centres for Exchange initiative, developing participatory learning frameworks and strengthening institutional practices to embed equity, participation, and community leadership in global health research."
},
{
"title": "Yim'lo Implementation Learning Guide: Adaptive HIV Service Delivery for MSM in South Africa (2024)",
"desc": "Commissioned by Population Services International (PSI). A strategic learning initiative documenting adaptive implementation practices to expand equitable HIV service access for men who have sex with men in South Africa, integrating peer-led research and participatory co-learning into programme design, scale-up, and replication."
}
]
},
{
"title": "Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications",
"items": [
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Reynolds, L., Moyer, E., Meta, J., Erio, T., and de Klerk, J. (2023). Mediating immediacy in the era of 'treat all': The (chrono) logics of HIV treatment initiation in Shinyanga, Tanzania. Social Science & Medicine, 338, 116317."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Myburgh, H., [...] and Reynolds, L (2023). Testing when I know my status: the social dynamics of household HIV testing in HPTN 071 (PopART) trial communities, South Africa. Social Science & Medicine – Qualitative Research in Health. 4: 100296."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "De Villiers, B.L., Thomas, A., [...] and Reynolds, L. (2020). Stigma and HIV service access among transgender and gender diverse people in South Africa – a narrative analysis of longitudinal qualitative data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial. BMC Public Health."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Viljoen, L., Myburgh, H., and Reynolds, L. (2020) \"It stays between us\": Managing comorbidities and public/private dichotomies in HPTN071 (PopART) trial communities. Medical Anthropology. 40(3): 280-293."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Hoddinott, G., Myburgh, H. [...] and Reynolds, L (2018). Households, fluidity, and HIV service delivery in Zambia and South Africa – an exploratory analysis of longitudinal qualitative data from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial. Journal of the International AIDS Society. 21(S4): 45-52."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Reynolds, L., Camlin, C., Ware, N. & Seeley, J. (2016). Exploring critical questions for the implementation of 'Universal Test and Treat' approaches to HIV prevention and care. AIDS Care. 28:sup3, 1-6."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Reynolds, L. (2014). \"Low-Hanging Fruit\": Counting and Accounting for Children in PEPFAR-funded HIV/AIDS Programmes in South Africa. Global Public Health. 9(1-2):124-143."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Reynolds, L., Cousins, T., Newell, M.-L., and Imrie, J (2013). Knowledge, Intimacy and Social Relations: The Gift of Blood in HIV research in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Social Science and Medicine, 77: 118-125."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"id": "angelique-thomas",
"name": "Angelique Thomas",
"role": "Programmes Lead",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Angelique-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquethomas/",
"short_bio": "Angelique Thomas is a story-crafter and social scientist, and Programme Lead and Senior Researcher at Pivot Collective. Her work focuses on mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and lived experience, exploring the social conditions that shape wellbeing for marginalised communities across the Global South.",
"full_bio": [
"Angelique Thomas is a Senior Researcher and Programme Lead at Pivot Collective. A social scientist and story-crafter, her work explores lived experience and the ethical dimensions of knowledge production across mental health and global health. She is particularly interested in how everyday realities, stigma, and structural inequalities shape both people's lives and the systems designed to understand them. Driven by curiosity about the whys, hows, and so whats of people's everyday realities, she works through narrative storytelling, ethnography, and participatory, trauma-informed approaches that centre relationality, context, and experiential knowledge. Her approach treats lived experience not just as data, but as a genuine source of knowledge, accountability, and social change.",
"At the heart of her current work is a question she returns to often: what does it mean to do research ethically, and with whom? She currently co-leads Our Lived Experience in Navigating Science (LENS) Matters, a Wellcome Trust-commissioned initiative exploring how mental health researchers with lived experience navigate research environments in South Africa. Bringing together researchers, lived experience leaders, and institutional partners, the project examines questions of disclosure, identity, emotional labour, and research culture, working toward research infrastructures that are more honest, more humane, and more accountable to the people at their centre. This focus on research culture and engaged practice runs across her broader work at Pivot Collective, where she has contributed to Wellcome Trust initiatives on engaged research and knowledge exchange, and led qualitative research and implementation work on HIV prevention programmes with men who have sex with men.",
"Her path to this work was built through years of close, sustained engagement with communities that research too often speaks about rather than with. At the Centre for Social Science Research at the University of Cape Town, she led longitudinal research with adolescent girls and young women living with HIV, developing youth-centred tools that translated complex biomedical concepts into resources young people could actually use. Before that, she spent four years embedded in the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University, one of the largest HIV combination prevention trials in sub-Saharan Africa, working directly with transgender women, cisgender female sex workers, young people, migrants, and people living with disabilities across South Africa and Zambia. That grounding in community-level realities, in the gap between what health systems promise and what people actually experience, is what continues to shape how she approaches every project she takes on. She holds an MA in Political Studies from the University of the Western Cape, with advanced training at the International Institute for Social Studies in The Hague, the University of Amsterdam's Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society, and the Comitas Institute for Anthropological Research."
],
"sections": [
{
"title": "Selected Publications",
"items": [
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Steventon Roberts, K., Smith, C., Cluver, L. D., Toska, E., Kelly, J., Thomas, A., Tolmay, J., Marlow, M., & Sherr, L. (2025). Men matter: a cross-sectional exploration of the forgotten fathers of children born to adolescent mothers in South Africa. BMJ Open, 15(7), e092723."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Lenz, C., Committee of African Youth Advisors, Rabaholo, T., Mphafi, M., Samonyane, F., Greenberg, L., Thomas, A., & Toska, E. (2024). Lessons from the field: understanding the use of a youth tailored U = U tool by peer educators in Lesotho. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 27(5), e26267."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Saal, W., Thomas, A., Laurenzi, C., Mangqalaza, H., Kelly, J., Tolmay, J., [...] & Toska, E. (2023). Resilience among young mothers affected by HIV in South Africa: Adaptations and psychometric properties of the CYRM-R. SSM-Mental Health, 4, 100285."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Gittings, L., Price, Y., Kelly, J., Kannemeyer, N., Thomas, A., [...] and Toska, E. (2022). Health and development-related priorities and challenges of adolescents and young people: findings from South Africa and Kenya. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1–26."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "de Villiers, L., Thomas, A., [...], and Reynolds, L. (2020). Stigma and HIV service access among transfeminine and gender diverse women in South Africa. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1898."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Hoddinott, G., Myburgh, H., de Villiers, L., Ndubani, R., Mantantana, J., Thomas, A., [...] and Reynolds, L (2018). Households, fluidity, and HIV service delivery in Zambia and South Africa. Journal of the International AIDS Society."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Bond, V., Ngwenya, F., Thomas, A., [...] Seeley, J. (2018). Spinning Plates: Livelihood mobility, household responsibility and anti-retroviral treatment in an urban Zambian community during the HPTN 071 (PopART) study. Journal of the International AIDS Society."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"id": "elethu-nkala",
"name": "Elethu Nkala",
"role": "Social Impact Designer",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Elethu-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/elethunkala",
"short_bio": "Elethu is a committed community and environmental activist and youth leader. He serves as Pivot's Social Impact Designer and Secretary of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC, where he co-develops and applies creative methodologies to build agency and social resilience among young people.",
"full_bio": [
"Elethu Nkala is an activist researcher and social impact designer based in Cape Town, South Africa, with a strong focus on health and food security advocacy. Passionate about creating lasting change, Elethu integrates co-creation and arts-based research into his work to promote communal impact. He has extensive experience in project implementation, management, and supporting youth-led initiatives that drive social justice. Elethu first began working with Pivot Collective NPC as a peer facilitator in the Young and Curious project (2019–2021), before joining the organisation as a Social Impact Designer in 2022. In this role, he has contributed to diverse projects, including facilitating youth engagement workshops, conducting evaluations on the intersections of climate change and health, and co-designing participatory learning processes. He also serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Pivot Collective NPC, contributing to the organisation's governance and accountability.",
"Elethu's professional journey includes roles such as Lead Facilitator at Heroes Academy, Co-Director of New Life Institute, and Interim Committee Member of the Gugulethu Urban Food Forest Initiative. Through these positions, he has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, programme design, community engagement, and fostering sustainability in social justice initiatives. He has also served as a Trustee for the Etafeni Day Care Centre Trust. These experiences highlight his commitment to empowering communities and fostering autonomy. These experiences highlight his commitment to empowering communities and fostering autonomy.",
"Elethu's dedication to social impact has earned him recognition as a DGMT Innovation Fellow (2023) and recipient of the CDKN Climate Justice Award (2023). He holds a Higher Certificate in Radio Production from SEDA and has pursued studies in Political Science at the University of Cape Town. His work reflects a deep commitment to translating research into actionable solutions that address pressing social challenges while ensuring long-term sustainability."
],
"sections": []
},
{
"id": "siphokazi-tau",
"name": "Siphokazi Tau",
"role": "Knowledge Manager",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/her/they",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Siphokazi-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/siphokazi-tau-99256873/",
"short_bio": "Siphokazi Tau is an African feminist researcher whose work explores African women's leadership, memory, and ways of being within colonial and exclusionary spaces. She is the Knowledge Manager at Pivot Collective, Project Coordinator for the Wellcome Trust Centres for Exchange initiative, and Treasurer of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC.",
"full_bio": [
"Siphokazi Orcillia Tau is a South African researcher specializing in African feminisms, women's leadership in higher education, and the intersections of gender and power. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at the University of Johannesburg and holds a Master's degree in Political Science from Nelson Mandela University, where her research focused on African women's leadership read through an African feminist lens. Her career spans roles in research, teaching, and programme coordination, with a strong emphasis on African feminist scholarship and higher education transformation. At Pivot Collective, she serves as Knowledge Manager and Programme Coordinator for the Wellcome Trust Centres for Exchange Phase 2 project, and as Treasurer of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC.",
"She has worked as a Research Coordinator for the Encyclopaedia of African Feminism, an NIHSS funded project, based at the University of Johannesburg, as well as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Researching Education & Labour at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is former programmes coordinator for the Centre for Women and Gender Studies at the Nelson Mandela University. She has also taught at Nelson Mandela University, Rosebank College, and Ijeruka.",
"She has also worked with Pivot Collective on HIV interventions for marginalized groups, her contributions to course design include developing modules on gender inclusivity and decolonial pedagogies to teaching. Siphokazi's publications explore themes such as African women's leadership, feminist expression, and institutional cultures in post-colonial universities.",
"Siphokazi is an active participant in academic conferences and engagements, including panels on African feminisms and leadership transformation. She has received recognition for her work through grants like the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS) grant for a heritage-focused initiative, Imbali yakwa Tyefu and is a current Canon Collins scholar, for her PhD studies. Her dedication to advancing African feminist thought and fostering inclusive academic spaces reflects her commitment to social justice and transformative education practices."
],
"sections": [
{
"title": "Selected Publications",
"items": [
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Tau, S. and Mokoena, D.A. (2025). \"African Women Leaders in Universities: Using Memory in the Establishment of Leadership Practices\", in Makoelle, T.M. and Mosito, C.P. (Ed.) Inclusive Education in South African Further and Higher Education, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 161-175."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Tau, S. (2024). Can I call you Ma or Prof? Reflexivity, memory and space in African feminist research. In G. Khunou (Ed.), Transforming Higher Education Scholarship: After Covid-19 and in the Context of the 4th Industrial Revolution. African Minds."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Tau, S. (2023). The power and authority of African women in the Southern African and African diaspora during \"precolonial\" and colonial times. In The Road to Democracy in South Africa (Vol. 9). South African Democracy Education Trust."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Tau, S. (2023). We are not fully Citizens of our Universities: African Women leaders, Non-belonging and Construction of New Cultures and Citizenships in South African Higher Education. Pan-African Conversations, 1(1), 145–171."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Tau, S. (2021). Brenda Fassie and Busiswa Gqulu: a relationship of feminist expression, aesthetics and memory. Social Dynamics, 47(1), 23–36."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"id": "clemence-petit-perrot",
"name": "Clémence Petit-Perrot",
"role": "Strategy And Learning Lead",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Clemence-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/cl%C3%A9mence-petit-perrot/",
"short_bio": "Clémence Petit-Perrot is an experienced communications for social change and development practitioner. She has overseen numerous collaborative media and research initiatives focusing on health, social, and environmental justice across the Global South.",
"full_bio": [
"Clémence Petit-Perrot is a seasoned practitioner in communications for social change and development with 15 years of experience in programme and campaign design, management, facilitation, and evaluation. Her work spans collaborative media and research initiatives across the Global South, focusing on health, social, and environmental justice. Passionate about storytelling, she leverages media to amplify marginalised voices, foster narrative change, and shift power dynamics locally and globally. Clémence has extensive expertise in interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, co-design, and organisational development, having designed strategic plans, theories of change, and evaluation frameworks for diverse organisations working toward rights-centred impact.",
"Currently serving as Strategy And Learning Lead at Pivot Collective Consulting, Clémence co-leads global initiatives such as the Wellcome Trust Centres for Exchange project. She also works as a Strategic Advisor and Impact Podcast Producer for Radio Workshop, where she develops organisational strategies and produces media campaigns for social impact. In her previous role, she was the Director for Learning and Innovation efforts at the Children's Radio Foundation, overseeing youth-led media projects across six African countries, and served as Southern Africa Correspondent for Radio France Internationale, producing documentaries on health, education, and environmental issues.",
"Clémence holds an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town, where her research explored climate change communication for social change campaigns in Africa. She also earned a Master's in Journalism from the Institute of Journalism of Bordeaux and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Political Science from Institut d'Études Politiques in France. Her work reflects a deep commitment to using media and interdisciplinary approaches to drive social justice and sustainable impact globally."
],
"sections": [
{
"title": "Selected Publications & Media",
"items": [
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Petit-Perrot, C., Mbugua, M. How audio storytelling can shift narratives about the climate crisis. Radio Workshop, 2025."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Petit-Perrot, C., Daniels, L. Using WhatsApp for Radio. South Africa Media Innovation Programme, 2022."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Martin, Y., Rahfaldt, M., Petit-Perrot, C. Linking Generations through Radio. Radio training toolkit – UNESCO, 2013."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"id": "phelisa-sikwata",
"name": "Phelisa Sikwata",
"role": "Engaged Research Fellow",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/they",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Phelisa-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/phelisa-sikwata-185142243/",
"short_bio": "Phelisa Sikwata is Pivot's Engaged Research Fellow, where they lead operations and communications. With a background in art and facilitation, Phelisa is passionate about nurturing healing within LGBTQI+ communities. Their work centers on creating spaces that foster creative knowledge sharing.",
"full_bio": [
"Phelisa Sikwata is a multidisciplinary artist with expertise in coordination, research, and community engagement. Their work centers on cultivating collaborative, emotionally intelligent environments through powerful storytelling and compelling performance. By fusing creative expression with research-driven insight, Phelisa produces thought-provoking work that amplifies marginalised voices and engages with pressing social justice issues. Their advocacy focuses on LGBTQI+ healing, mental health, and innovative approaches to community-based research- demonstrating a deep commitment to personal and collective transformation.",
"Currently, Phelisa serves as an Engaged Research Fellow at Pivot Collective Consulting. They previously held the role of Social Impact Designer at Pivot Collective NPC, where they led transformative youth programmes using arts-based methodologies. Phelisa is also the founder of inQ.U.E.E.Ries, a creative project dedicated to healing within the LGBTQI+ community through writing. Their artistic contributions include work on the Planet Divoc 91 webcomic and performances as a poet and facilitator at numerous cultural and advocacy events.",
"In recognition of their impact, Phelisa has been awarded fellowships such as the Quote This Woman+ Voices Fellowship (2024–2025); SPRINNG Writing Fellowship (2023), and the DGMT Innovation Fellowship (2023–2024)."
],
"sections": []
},
{
"id": "anna-versfeld",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Anna-opt.jpg",
"name": "Dr. Anna Versfeld",
"role": "Senior Researcher",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-versfeld-phd-4b1a2356/",
"short_bio": "Anna Versfeld is a medical anthropologist with a focus on tuberculosis, harm reduction, gender, and vulnerability. She is committed to health equity, and nurturing approaches to public health that recognise the experiences and expertise of affected people. As a Senior Researcher in Pivot Collective Consulting, she leads learning synthesis and analysis.",
"full_bio": [
"Anna Versfeld, PhD, found her way into medical anthropology twenty years ago through a fascination with the disjunctures between the assumptions of health research and service provision, and the lived realities and needs of people seeking care. She has brought this fascination, and a determination to bridge these gaps, to a wide range of health research and implementation projects, consulting both in South Africa and globally.",
"Anna has worked in the development sector for over two decades, building diverse experience in programme management, research design and implementation, youth development, participatory engagement, and grant support and oversight. She has consulted extensively for the Stop TB Partnership and the Global Fund, with a special focus on gender and TB. Notable projects include qualitative leadership in a study on hepatitis C among vulnerable populations in three South African cities; leadership of two South African Tuberculosis Community, Rights and Gender Assessments (and support for assessments in nine other countries); and an engaged qualitative research project on barriers to TB care among refugee populations in north-east Nigeria.",
"Anna's doctoral work focused on the interplay between tuberculosis and substance use in care facilities in Cape Town. This work resulted in the publication of her book, Making Uncertainty: Tuberculosis, Substance Use and Pathways to Health in South Africa (Rutgers University Press), and deepened her commitment to harm reduction. This built on earlier research into drug use in Manenberg, a marginalised community in Cape Town, through which she came to recognise the structural drivers of habitual drug use."
],
"sections": [
{
"title": "Book",
"items": [
{
"title": "Making Uncertainty: Tuberculosis, substance use and pathways to health in South Africa",
"desc": "Versfeld, A. (2023). New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press."
}
]
},
{
"title": "Selected Publications",
"items": [
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Versfeld, A. (2024). Quiet complicity: Anthropologists and the medicalization of TB. Human Organization, 83(1), 3–6."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Versfeld, A., James, M., Soltan, V., Kampoer, B., Mburu, R., Nawina, C., & Khuat, T. H. O. (2022). Towards meaningful inclusion of people affected by TB: Lessons for change from the COVID-19 response mechanism experience. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 26(6), 475–476."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Habib, S. S., Jamal, W. Z., Zaidi, S. M. A., Siddiqui, J.-U.-R., Khan, M., Creswell, J., Batra, S., & Versfeld, A. (2021). Barriers to access of healthcare services for rural women—Applying gender lens on TB in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10102."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Versfeld, A., McBride, A., Scheibe, A., & Spearman, C. W. (2020). Motivations, facilitators and barriers to accessing hepatitis C treatment among people who inject drugs in two South African cities. Harm Reduction Journal, 17(1), 39–47."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Scheibe, A., Shelly, S., & Versfeld, A. (2020). Prohibitionist drug policy on health in South Africa: Reasons and effects. International Development Policy, 12, 274–304."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Scheibe, A., Young, K., Versfeld, A., Spearman, W., Sonderup, M., Prabdial-Singh, N., Puren, A., & Hausler, H. (2020). Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV prevalence and related sexual and substance use risk practices among key populations who access HIV prevention, treatment and related services in South Africa: Findings from a seven-city cross-sectional survey. BMC Infectious Diseases, 20, 665."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Versfeld, A., Beukes, E., Gallant, C., et al. (2019). People who use drugs doing research: Reflections on inclusion and methodologies. In T. Waetjen (Ed.), Let's talk about opioids and harm reduction in South Africa (pp. 109–120). HSRC Press."
},
{
"title": null,
"desc": "Scheibe, A., Shelly, S., Versfeld, A., Howell, S., & Marks, M. (2017). Safe treatment and treatment of safety: Call for a harm-reduction approach to drug-use disorders in South Africa. South African Health Review, 20, 197–204."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"id": "francis-moult",
"name": "Francis Moult",
"role": "Designer & Technologist",
"role_type": "core",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Francis-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Franc is Pivot's in-house designer, photographer, and technologist, working across UX design, photography, and digital communication. He looks after the websites and digital infrastructure behind the team's work, and his practice starts with listening and sense-making, turning complicated ideas into digital spaces people can actually navigate and use.",
"full_bio": [
"Franc is Pivot's in-house designer, photographer, and technologist, working across UX design, photography, and digital communication. His practice starts with listening and sense-making, figuring out how to turn complicated ideas into digital spaces people can actually navigate and use. The work brings together user journeys, content structure, photography, and the hands-on site development that makes it all hold together.",
"His own pull is towards how people move through spaces, whether that's a website, an exhibition, a room, or a research platform. He thinks about digital interfaces less as flat surfaces and more as places people enter, move through, and spend time in. That perspective shapes his approach to UX: practical and usable, but also attentive to atmosphere, orientation, rhythm, and how a space feels to inhabit.",
"He pitches in wherever he can be useful, across the visible and less visible parts of Pivot's digital environment, from design and photography to maintenance and bits of the quiet plumbing behind the work. He also tests new tools and technologies that might help the team, and has a soft spot for clean systems, considered typography, and the small design decisions that make complicated research a little easier to see."
],
"sections": []
}
]
},
{
"id": "consultants",
"heading": "Consultants & Associates",
"bg": "white",
"members": [
{
"id": "tasha-koch",
"name": "Dr. Tasha Koch",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Tasha-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Dr. Tasha Koch is a molecular mycobacteriologist and public engagement practitioner based in Cape Town, South Africa. She co-leads Eh!woza, an organisation that operates at the intersection of public engagement, youth advocacy, science communication, and skills development.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr. Tasha Koch is a molecular mycobacteriologist and public engagement practitioner based in Cape Town, South Africa. She co-founded Eh!woza in 2013 with conceptual artist Ed Young during her PhD studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Based in Khayelitsha and supported by the Wellcome Trust, Eh!woza operates at the intersection of public engagement, youth advocacy, science communication, and skills development, bringing together the biology of infectious disease with its social and lived impacts. Serving as co-director, Tasha oversees the organization's conceptual, administrative, and implementation areas. Her interests include community-led knowledge production and media creation, translating complex biomedical concepts to build trust and agency, and exploring how social determinants of health influence the uptake of biomedical interventions and health equity.",
"Tasha earned her PhD from UCT in 2015. In 2017, she was awarded a Carnegie Corporation DEAL fellowship to use genomics to investigate the pathobiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis under the mentorship of Professor Digby Warner in the Molecular Mycobacteriology Research Unit (MMRU) at UCT. She remains an Honorary Lecturer in the MMRU, focusing on using genomics to understand the transmission and pathobiology of M. tuberculosis. Additionally, she serves as a molecular biology advisor to the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation's Aerobiology Research Centre.",
"Tasha has also been involved in collaborative public engagement initiatives, such as co-authoring articles and participating in discussions on community engagement in health research. She is currently registered for an MBA at UCT's Graduate School of Business, and is a member of Class XIV of the Aspen Global Leadership Network's African Leadership Initiative."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://za.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-tasha-koch"
},
{
"id": "devaki-nambiar",
"name": "Dr. Devaki Nambiar",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Devaki-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Dr. Devaki Nambiar is a distinguished health policy and systems researcher with over two decades of experience focusing on social exclusion, health equity, and community action for health. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Healthier Societies Strategy at the George Institute for Global Health India.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr. Devaki Nambiar is a distinguished health policy and systems researcher with over two decades of experience focusing on social exclusion, health equity, and community action for health. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Healthier Societies Strategy at the George Institute for Global Health India. Additionally, she holds academic appointments at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India, the University of New South Wales in Australia, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States.",
"Dr. Nambiar earned her Ph.D. in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009. She is a former Fulbright, Fogarty, and NIH scholar, and has been recognized with an Emerging Leader Award from the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Her research primarily addresses health system reforms in resource-limited settings, emphasizing the social and political determinants of health.",
"Throughout her career, Dr. Nambiar has collaborated with various organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), where she advises on health inequality monitoring and guideline development to ensure inclusivity. She has also contributed to several Lancet Commissions, such as those focusing on improving population health post-COVID-19 and sustainable healthcare.",
"Dr. Nambiar's commitment to health equity is further demonstrated through her involvement with the People's Health Movement and the Medico Friends Circle. She also serves on the Board of Health Systems Global and the Research Advisory Board of the Institute of Public Health in Bengaluru, India.",
"In addition to her research and advisory roles, Dr. Nambiar is dedicated to capacity building and postgraduate teaching in health policy and systems research, aiming to cultivate the next generation of public health professionals committed to achieving health for all."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://in.linkedin.com/in/devaki-nambiar-757b79a7"
},
{
"id": "kari-mugo",
"name": "Kari Mugo",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Kari-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Kari Mugo is a Kenyan writer, storyteller, and communications consultant known for her work in media, public engagement, and social justice advocacy. Her creative work often explores themes of identity, intersectionality, travel, and the arts.",
"full_bio": [
"Kari Mugo is a Kenyan writer, storyteller, and communications consultant known for her work in media, public engagement, and social justice advocacy. Born and raised in Nairobi, she spent part of her formative years in Minnesota, USA, before returning to Kenya. Kari has contributed to various publications, including Africa Is a Country and The Elephant, where her writings often focus on political and social issues in Kenya. Notably, she has covered topics such as the youth-led protests against the 2024 Finance Bill in Kenya, highlighting a renewed desire for political engagement among Kenyan youth.",
"In her professional capacity, Kari has led public engagement and capacity building at the Mawazo Institute, a non-profit research organization based in Nairobi. In this role, she supports the work of early-career African women researchers, aiming to amplify their voices and contributions to the global research community. Kari pursued a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where she worked on her first fiction manuscript. Her creative work often explores themes of identity, intersectionality, travel, and the arts.",
"Beyond her writing and consultancy work, Kari is an avid traveler and performer, engaging in various forms of storytelling to advocate for social justice and equity. Her diverse experiences across continents have enriched her perspectives, allowing her to address complex issues with depth and nuance."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-mugo"
},
{
"id": "gustavo-matta",
"name": "Professor Gustavo Matta",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Gustavo-opt.jpg",
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavo-matta-fiocruz/",
"short_bio": "Professor Gustavo Corrêa Matta is a Brazilian social psychologist and public health researcher affiliated with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). His research interests include health policy and planning, public health emergencies, primary healthcare systems, and the sociopolitical determinants of health.",
"full_bio": [
"Professor Gustavo Corrêa Matta is a Brazilian social psychologist and public health researcher affiliated with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). He holds a degree in psychology from Universidade Santa Úrsula and went on to complete both his Master's and PhD in Collective Health at the Institute of Social Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro. His academic foundation is deeply rooted in the interdisciplinary fields of psychology and public health, which have guided his work across Brazil's complex healthcare and research landscapes.",
"At Fiocruz, Gustavo occupies several influential roles. He is a researcher at the Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (Cidacs/Fiocruz Bahia), a permanent professor in the Graduate Program in Public Health at the National School of Public Health Sérgio Arouca (ENSP/Fiocruz), and the coordinator of both the Interdisciplinary Center for Public Health Emergencies and the Zika Social Sciences Network. His research interests include health policy and planning, public health emergencies, primary healthcare systems, and the sociopolitical determinants of health—especially in contexts of inequality and vulnerability.",
"One of his most impactful contributions has been leading the Conexão Saúde initiative, launched in response to the COVID-19 crisis in the Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro. The initiative brought together community organizations, public institutions, and healthcare providers to create a coordinated, community-centered approach to testing, telemedicine, contact tracing, and vaccination. This effort not only helped reduce COVID-19 mortality and increase vaccine uptake in the area, but also offered a scalable model of equitable health intervention in underserved communities.",
"Gustavo is also an active member of the Coalition for Equitable Research in Low-Resource Settings (CERCLE), where he contributes to initiatives aimed at reshaping global health research to be more inclusive and responsive to local needs. His work continues to bridge academic research, policy, and grassroots health practice, making him a key voice in both national and international discussions on health equity and emergency preparedness."
],
"sections": []
},
{
"id": "ricardo-amansure",
"name": "Dr. Ricardo (Ric) Amansure",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Ricardo-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Dr. Ricardo (Ric) Amansure is a South African researcher and practitioner with extensive expertise in renewable energy, sustainable development, and organizational leadership. He is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) at Stellenbosch University.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr. Ricardo (Ric) Amansure is a distinguished South African professional with extensive expertise in renewable energy, sustainable development, and organizational leadership. He earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Studies from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2017, focusing on revenue management for beneficiary communities within South Africa's renewable energy sector. His academic credentials also include a Master of Arts in Organisational Leadership from Eastern University, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Pretoria.",
"Throughout his career, Ric has held leadership roles in various organizations. He served as the CEO of Mercy Ships Southern Africa and has also worked as a Corporate Social Responsibility consultant. At the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), he was the Head of Communications, Fundraising, and Business Development, overseeing fundraising, business development initiatives, and the organization's media and branding efforts.",
"In the renewable energy sector, Ric has been instrumental in pioneering innovative approaches to socio-economic development, enterprise development, and public-private partnerships. He has authored several key publications, including works on revenue management models for South African renewable energy companies' communities.",
"Currently, Ric is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) at Stellenbosch University. His research focuses on the role of African Development Finance Institutions in the Just Transition, encompassing areas such as sustainable development, sustainability transitions, renewable energy, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, smart cities, and the global financial architecture.",
"Ric also participates as a speaker, panellist, and judge at a range of public events, including African Unity Week. His work continues to contribute to discussions on renewable energy and sustainable development in South Africa and beyond."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://za.linkedin.com/in/dr-ric-amansure-phd"
},
{
"id": "sarah-hyder-iqbal",
"name": "Dr Sarah Hyder Iqbal",
"role": "Consultant",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Sarah-opt.jpg",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "",
"short_bio": "Dr Sarah Hyder Iqbal is an independent researcher and practitioner working to shape a more socially responsive and inclusive science and innovation ecosystem. Based in India, she specialises in community-led science communication.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr Sarah Hyder Iqbal is an independent researcher and practitioner working to shape a more socially responsive and inclusive science and innovation ecosystem, with a focus on broadening who gets to engage with and influence it. Based in India, Sarah's current work spans science communication, youth education, inclusive STEM, community-led research, and building communities of practice that deepen public engagement with science and health research. She leads Superheroes Against Superbugs, an India-based initiative that uses youth-led and community-driven storytelling to make the science and impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) more relatable and actionable.",
"Across her work, Sarah has led and contributed to several collaborative public engagement initiatives. These include Arting Health for Impact (Country Co-Lead, 2017–2018), which used art-led public engagement to centre community perspectives on health; Planet DIVOC-91 (Country Co-Lead, 2020–2021), a youth-driven comic and digital storytelling project created during the pandemic; The Explorer Series (Lead, 2019–2020), which hosted live conversations bringing together biomedical researchers, young people, and wider publics; and Voices for Health (Lead, 2016–2017), a multi-city participatory storytelling initiative grounded in lived experience and community narratives.",
"From 2014 to 2021, Sarah also produced organisational media assets for the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, including campaign materials, videos, and public-facing communication pieces designed for diverse audiences and stakeholders.",
"Sarah holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and is a UK Chevening Fellow."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://in.linkedin.com/in/sarah-hyder-iqbal"
},
{
"id": "laing-de-villiers",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Laing-opt.jpg",
"name": "Dr. Laing de Villiers",
"role": "Consultant",
"role_type": "consultant",
"pronouns": "",
"short_bio": "Dr. Laing de Villiers is a socio-behavioural science researcher trained in psychology. His work focuses in particular on engaging hard-to-reach population groups in low-resource settings in public health services.",
"full_bio": [
"Dr. Laing de Villiers is a socio-behavioural science researcher trained in psychology. His work focuses in particular on engaging hard-to-reach population groups in low-resource settings in public health services."
],
"sections": []
}
]
},
{
"id": "npc",
"heading": "NPC Board of Directors",
"bg": "dark",
"members": [
{
"id": "maria-malomalo",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Maria-opt.jpg",
"name": "Maria Malomalo",
"role": "Pan-African Feminist & International Research Manager",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"short_bio": "Maria Mache Malomalo is a Pan-African feminist and advocate for the decolonisation of knowledge production, translation, and dissemination. As Senior International Research Manager at Restless Development, she brings to the Pivot Board extensive experience in youth-led research ecosystems and participatory knowledge production.",
"full_bio": [
"Maria Malomalo is a pan-African feminist with over 14 years of experience in women's rights, adolescent programming, and action research. She currently serves as the Senior International Research Manager at Restless Development, a global youth-powered agency, where she leads youth engagement and research initiatives. In this capacity, Maria co-authors the organization's annual State of Youth Civil Society report, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by youth-led movements worldwide.",
"Maria holds a Master of Philosophy in Human Rights, specializing in sexual and reproductive rights in Africa. She is the founder of Mwana Pwo, the first Angolan NGO dedicated to adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health. Through Mwana Pwo, Maria has worked to address issues such as child marriage and adolescent pregnancies in Angola, emphasizing community-based approaches and youth leadership.",
"In addition to her roles at Restless Development and Mwana Pwo, Maria serves as an advisor for the Urgent Action Fund Africa, a feminist funding organization supporting women's human rights defenders across the continent. She is also a member of the African Feminist Network for Communication and Development (FEMNET), contributing to regional efforts that promote gender equality and women's empowerment.",
"Maria's expertise encompasses participatory action research, youth development and leadership, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate change. Her commitment to these areas is evident in her contributions to various platforms, including authoring articles on the role of social media in fueling young feminist movements and participating in discussions on safeguarding digital rights for young people. Through her multifaceted roles and initiatives, Maria continues to champion the rights and well-being of young people, particularly young women, across Africa."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://zw.linkedin.com/in/maria-malomalo"
},
{
"id": "kolping-mbumba",
"name": "Kolping Mbumba",
"role": "Author, Comedy Writer & Community Developer",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Kolping-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Kolping Mbumba is a published author, comedy writer, and community developer raised in the townships of Nyanga and Philippi. Drawing on his lived experience, he works to mentor and support young men navigating challenging social environments and building positive pathways for their futures.",
"full_bio": [
"Kolping Mbumba is a published author, comedian, and community developer raised in the townships of Nyanga and Philippi. Growing up in these communities, he witnessed firsthand the impacts of gang violence, drug abuse, and gender-based violence—experiences that shaped his commitment to living a purposeful life dedicated to supporting young people and strengthening communities.",
"Kolping has devoted much of his work to mentoring and guiding young men in South Africa, supporting them to recognise their strengths and take leadership in their own lives. His work focuses on youth development, character building, and creating spaces where young people can grow into positive role models within their communities.",
"He is also involved with Heroes Academy, an organisation focused on mentoring young boys who often lack positive male role models and are exposed to harmful forms of masculinity from an early age. Kolping was drawn to the organisation's distinctive approach to character development and its commitment to guiding young boys toward more positive and supportive futures.",
"Through his work, Kolping remains committed to supporting young people and contributing to the transformation of the communities they are part of."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://za.linkedin.com/in/kmbumba"
},
{
"id": "yolisa-lawrence",
"name": "Yolisa Lawrence",
"role": "Qualitative Researcher & Development Practitioner",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Yolisa-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Yolisa Lawrence is a qualitative researcher, academic facilitator, and development practitioner. She brings to the Pivot Board experience in community-rooted health research and development practice, capacity strengthening, and facilitating collaborative learning spaces.",
"full_bio": [
"Yolisa Lawrence is an experienced qualitative researcher, academic facilitator, and development practitioner with over ten years of experience in capacity building, community health systems strengthening, academia, and programme coordination and management.",
"She has coordinated and disseminated qualitative research, facilitated participatory teaching and learning processes, managed philanthropic initiatives, and supported the growth of African philanthropy in Southern Africa. Her work is grounded in social justice, community development, health systems strengthening, and participatory learning approaches.",
"Yolisa holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Administration from Nelson Mandela University, alongside professional development training in community development, health systems research, adolescent and youth health, facilitation, research management, and global health equity. She brings to the board experience in research, capacity strengthening, and community-rooted development practice."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://za.linkedin.com/in/yolisa-lawrence"
},
{
"id": "lindsey-reynolds",
"name": "Dr. Lindsey Reynolds",
"role": "Board Member",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "she/her",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Lindsey-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Lindsey is the co-founder of Pivot Collective and the Managing Director of Pivot Collective Consulting. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, teacher, and mentor who works across academic, institutional, and community settings to advance more equitable and accountable approaches to global health and development.",
"full_bio": [
"Lindsey is the co-founder of Pivot Collective and the Managing Director of Pivot Collective Consulting. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, teacher, and mentor who works across academic, institutional, and community settings to advance more equitable and accountable approaches to global health and development."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyjreynolds"
},
{
"id": "siphokazi-tau",
"name": "Siphokazi Tau",
"role": "Treasurer",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "she/her/they",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Siphokazi-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Siphokazi Tau is an African feminist researcher whose work explores African women's leadership, memory, and ways of being within colonial and exclusionary spaces. She is the Knowledge Manager at Pivot Collective, Programme Coordinator for the Wellcome Trust Centres for Exchange Phase 2 project, and Treasurer of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC.",
"full_bio": [
"Siphokazi Tau is an African feminist researcher whose work explores African women's leadership, memory, and ways of being within colonial and exclusionary spaces. She is the Knowledge Manager at Pivot Collective, Programme Coordinator for the Wellcome Trust Centres for Exchange Phase 2 project, and Treasurer of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/siphokazi-tau-99256873/"
},
{
"id": "elethu-nkala",
"name": "Elethu Nkala",
"role": "Secretary",
"role_type": "npc",
"pronouns": "he/him",
"portrait": "/images/portraits/Elethu-opt.jpg",
"short_bio": "Elethu is a committed community and environmental activist and youth leader. He serves as Pivot's Social Impact Designer and Secretary of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC, where he co-develops and applies creative methodologies to build agency and social resilience among young people.",
"full_bio": [
"Elethu is a committed community and environmental activist and youth leader. He serves as Pivot's Social Impact Designer and Secretary of the Board of Pivot Collective NPC, where he co-develops and applies creative methodologies to build agency and social resilience among young people."
],
"sections": [],
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/elethunkala"
}
]
}
]
}