Dr Kayem is a lecturer and researcher with interdisciplinary training in infectious disease epidemiology and maternal and child health (DPhil – 2017 – 2021, University of Oxford); global health policy and systems research (MSc – 2015 – 2016, University of Oxford); and implementation research (TDR graduate certificate – 2024). Delphine trained as a medical doctor in Tanzania (MD – 2007) and South Africa where she worked for several years in clinical practice and public health. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Member of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and a Member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Delphine has served as a consultant for various global health research and capacity/capability building projects; most recently supporting the WHO’s Global Alert Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN); The Global Health Network (tGHN); and Health Information for All (HIFA).

Research interests:

• Emerging and re-emerging viral infections
• Vaccine-preventable viral infections
• HIV
• Post-acute infection syndrome
• Multimorbidity
• Humanitarian settings
• Black and Minority Ethnic groups (BME)

Geographic areas:

• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Latin America 
• United Kingdom

Research Overview:

In line with her research interests, Dr Kayem studies various problems that fall under the banner of viral infections during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence, using a mix of methods guided pragmatically by the research question.

Her research aims to support improved health policy for viral infections in pregnancy, childhood and adolescence; working collaboratively with interdisciplinary research teams and partners within and beyond academia to co-produce insight that supports evidence-based policy and improved intervention uptake and delivery. 

Delphine is affiliated with the Maternal and Infant Research Group (MIRU) and the Improvement and Implementation Research Group (IIMPRES) within the School of Health Sciences.

Research Openings:

We have openings for PhDs which can be found on the School Webpage. If you are interested in and passionate about working in her research areas, you can read more about the PhD topics here please feel free to contact her directly on [email protected]. 

You might also find it useful to look at the following funding resources such as Dundee Scholarship pages and Commonwealth scholarship pages, and contact Dr Kayem to discuss developing a proposal.

Ongoing projects:

1. Gaining consensus on the components for a self-management intervention for prevention and early diagnosis of recurrent urinary tract infections in older adults.
2. Clinical Decision making for cessation of methotrexate for children and young people with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Other research roles:

Delphine serves as a member of the SHS peer review committee and the SHS research integrity committee. She is a member of the University of Dundee's Africa Project Management Group which aims to drive equitable partnerships with African institutions through the University's Africa Initiative.

Delphine currently serves as an Academic Adviser for the Commonwealth Scholarship Comission.

Delphine's main passion as a teacher is to build capacity and capability for global health research, particularly for and/or in resource-limited contexts.

At the School of Health Sciences, she currently supports research-related modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the clinical skills modules for final-year undergraduates, and the student-selected modules on social determinants of health. She is the module (course) lead for the global public health module on the new Masters of Global Public Health.