Willis Odek
Functional Title:
Population and Development Advisor
Institution:
UNFPA - United Nations Population Fund
Email Address:
odek@unfpa.org
Phone Number:
+201070916077
Bio
A national of Kenya, Willis has over two decades of experience in research, monitoring and evaluation in population and development, including technical areas of family planning, key populations’ HIV interventions, malaria, nutrition, employment research, population and housing census, surveys, health information systems and data use. He is Population and Development Advisor at UNFPA Arab States Regional Office since June 2023. Prior to this, he was Strategic Information Specialist within the Middle Income Countries’ Technical Hub at the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) for four years. Before then, Willis spent six years in Tanzania as Chief of Party/Senior Technical Advisor for MEASURE Evaluation, the US Agency for International Development’s global flagship project for strengthening population and health data systems. Earlier, he was a Technical Lead for epidemiology and M&E of Key Populations’ HIV programs in Kenya and Nigeria with the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Global Public Health (2011-2013). He has also been a Research Associate with FHI360 in Kenya (2005-2006), HIV Strategic Information Specialist with UNDP Somalia (2005) and a research manager of a pioneer intervention study on the potential role of microfinance and microenterprise development in HIV prevention among vulnerable populations, with the University of Nairobi’s STD/HIV Control Project (1998-2005). He holds an MSc in Demography and Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
A national of Kenya, Willis has over two decades of experience in research, monitoring and evaluation in population and development, including technical areas of family planning, key populations’ HIV interventions, malaria, nutrition, employment research, population and housing census, surveys, health information systems and data use. He is Population and Development Advisor at UNFPA Arab States Regional Office since June 2023. Prior to this, he was Strategic Information Specialist within the Middle Income Countries’ Technical Hub at the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) for four years. Before then, Willis spent six years in Tanzania as Chief of Party/Senior Technical Advisor for MEASURE Evaluation, the US Agency for International Development’s global flagship project for strengthening population and health data systems. Earlier, he was a Technical Lead for epidemiology and M&E of Key Populations’ HIV programs in Kenya and Nigeria with the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Global Public Health (2011-2013). He has also been a Research Associate with FHI360 in Kenya (2005-2006), HIV Strategic Information Specialist with UNDP Somalia (2005) and a research manager of a pioneer intervention study on the potential role of microfinance and microenterprise development in HIV prevention among vulnerable populations, with the University of Nairobi’s STD/HIV Control Project (1998-2005). He holds an MSc in Demography and Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
Social
Years of experience 15+ Years
Social field:
Aging, Disability, Education, Health, Inequality, Job Creation and Entrepreneurship, Population Dynamics & Migration, Poverty Reduction, Social Protection, Youth Empowerment
Additional fields of expertise:
Data use, Administrative (Routine health information systems)
SDGs Expertise:
Countries of Expertise:
- Capacity building
- Data analysis
- Project management
- Strategic planning
- Team management
- VNR Preparations/Support
| Degree Title | University | Graduation Date |
|---|---|---|
| PhD (Sociology) | University of Aberdeen | 2012-07-05 |
| MSc (Demography & Health) | University of London (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - LSHTM) | 2004-11-01 |
| Title | Completion Date |
|---|---|
| Monitoring and Evaluation Certification - ILO International Training Centre | 2022-06-17 |
| Public Policy Analysis - London School of Economics | 2023-05-17 |
| Title | URL | Author/Co-Author |
|---|---|---|
| Heightened risk of unintended pregnancy among sex workers and sex worker organizations’ response during the stringent COVID-19 containment measures in East and Southern Africa. | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-023-00128-1 | Co-Author |
| Knowledge and Technology Transfer for the 2020 Census Round | https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA%20Good%20Practices%20on%20South-South%20Cooperation%202021.pdf | Co-Author |
| Social networks and mental health among people living with HIV in Johannesburg, South Africa | https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2014.902421 | Author |
| How important are Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) clinical markers to the long-term formal employment among people living with HIV in developing countries? A study in South Africa | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-012-9183-9 | Author |
| Estimating the size of the female sex worker population in Kenya to inform HIV prevention programming | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089180 | Author |
