Fernandos Ongolly

Biography

Ongolly has a background in Medical Anthropology and lots of interests in Health Innovation, Activism, Behavioural Science, and Implementation Science. He has wide experience of conducting qualitative research in both rural and urban Kenya focusing on sexual and reproductive health. His PhD is funded by the MISFIRES ERC project(https://misfires.ucd.ie/). Prior to joining MISFIRES, he worked at the Kenya Medical Research Institute as a social scientist and a technical advisor for a project implementing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in public HIV clinics in Kenya. He was also involved in studies that focused on innovative HIV prevention technologies such as HIV self-testing kits, adherence monitoring/support devices and mobile apps. He also worked with the University of Nairobi Innovation Fellowship as a mentor in the East African Problem Based Learning Innovation C4D lab where he integrated his knowledge in Medical Anthropology with Design thinking. Prior to starting his PhD in September 2020, he worked as a Research Assistant at UCD Quinn School of Business under the MISFIRES ERC project researching on the rollout of PrEP in Sub-Saharan Africa with interests on mapping out the role of activists among other PrEP actors in influencing the scaleup of PrEP as a HIV prevention intervention. Through this role, he got the inspiration for his PhD research. His research focuses on how health advocates facilitate access to medicines at the last point of delivery. Ongolly is also the current Assistant Secretary of the UCD-PhD Society. 

Featured articles

1. Silicon Republic: ‘Social scientists play an important role in the fight against Covid in Ireland’- https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/fernandos-kredgie-ongolly-ucd-misfires
2. Euraxess Ireland: Researchers from abroad help Ireland fight COVID-19- https://www.euraxess.ie/ireland/news/researchers-abroad-help-ireland-fight-covid-19

Publications

1. Zimmermann B, Wagenaar H, Kieslich K, Prainsack B, Meyers G, Buyx A, El-Sayed S, Fiske A, Galasso I, Geiger S, Hangel N, Horn R, Johnson S, Kuiper J, Lucivero F, McLennan S, Paul KT, Pot M, Radhuber I, Samuel G, Sharon T, Siffels L, Van Hoyweghen I, Awad S, Bourgeron T, Eichinger J, Gaille M, Haddad C, Hayes S, Hoffman A, Jasser M, Kenens J, Lanzing M, Libert S, Lievevrouw E, Marelli L, Ongolly F, Phillips A, Pinel C, Riesinger K, Roberts S, Saxinger G, Schlogl L, Schönweitz F, Sierawska A, Spahl W, Stendahl E, Vanstreels S, Vidolov S, Weiss E. Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic. SSM Qual Res Health. 2022 Sep 7:100158. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100158. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36092769; PMCID: PMC9448682.
2. Schönweitz, F., Eichinger, J., Kuiper, J., Ongolly, F., Spahl, W., Prainsack, B., & Zimmermann, B. M. (2022). The Social Meanings of Artifacts: Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in public health, 10, 829904. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.829904
3. Lucivero, F., Marelli, L., Hangel, N., Zimmermann, B., Prainsack, B., Galasso, I., Horn, R., Kieslich, K., Lanzing, M., Lievevrouw, E., Ongolly, F., Samuel, G., Sharon, T., Siffels, L., Stendahl, E. and Van Hoyweghen, I., 2021. Normative positions towards COVID-19 contact-tracing apps: findings from a large-scale qualitative study in nine European countries. Critical Public Health, pp.1-14.
4. Ongolly, F. K., Dolla, A., Ngure, K., Irungu, E. M., Odoyo, J., Wamoni, E., Peebles, K., Mugwanya, K., Mugo, N. R., Bukusi, E. A., Morton, J., Baeten, J. M., & O'Malley, G. (2021). "I Just Decided to Stop:" Understanding PrEP Discontinuation Among Individuals Initiating PrEP in HIV Care Centers in Kenya. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 87(1), e150–e158. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000002625
5. Mwayuli, S., Ongolly, F., Casmir, E., & Ondicho, T (2020) Intimate Partner Violence against Men: A Socio-Legal Perspective of their Experiences in Mathira East Sub-County, Central Kenya. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences. Vol. 14 (2): 148–162. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3712681 Available on http://www.sascv.org/ijcjs/pdfs/MwayulietalVol14Issue2IJCJS.pdf
6. Casmir, E., Kasete, A., Ongolly, F., Thuo, N., Oluoch, L., Kiptinness, C., Wald, A., Mugo, N. R., Roxby, A. C., & Ngure, K. (2020). Protection at First Sexual Intercourse Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya. Archives of sexual behavior, 10.1007/s10508-020-01785-w. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01785-w
7. Ngure, K., Ongolly, F., Dolla, A., Awour, M., Mugwanya, K. K., Irungu, E., Mugo, N., Bukusi, E. A., Morton, J., Odoyo, J., Wamoni, E., Barnabee, G., Peebles, K., O'Malley, G., Baeten, J. M., & Partners Scale-Up Project Team (2020). "I just believe there is a risk" understanding of undetectable equals untransmissible (U = U) among health providers and HIV-negative partners in serodiscordant relationships in Kenya. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 23(3), e25466. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25466
8. Irungu, E. M., Ngure, K., Mugwanya, K. K., Awuor, M., Dollah, A., Ongolly, F., Mugo, N., Bukusi, E., Wamoni, E., Odoyo, J., Morton, J. F., Barnabee, G., Mukui, I., Baeten, J. M., O'Malley, G., & Partners Scale-Up Project Team (2020). "Now that PrEP is reducing the risk of transmission of HIV, why then do you still insist that we use condoms?" the condom quandary among PrEP users and health care providers in Kenya. AIDS care, 1–9. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2020.1744507
9. Odoyo, J. B., Morton, J. F., Ngure, K., O'Malley, G., Mugwanya, K. K., Irungu, E., Awuor, M., Dolla, A., Ongolly, F., Bukusi, E. A., Mugo, N. R., Baeten, J. M., & Partners Scale-Up Project Team (2019). Integrating PrEP into HIV care clinics could improve partner testing services and reinforce mutual support among couples: provider views from a PrEP implementation project in Kenya. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 22 Suppl 3(Suppl Suppl 3), e25303. https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25303
10. Ongolly, F. K., & Bukachi, S. A. (2019). Barriers to men's involvement in antenatal and postnatal care in Butula, western Kenya. African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 11(1), e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v11i1.1911
11. Casmir, E. N; Ondicho, T. G & Ongolly, F. K (2018). HIV and AIDS in Kenya: Fourty Years Later. Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies. 2(5), 91-99 available on https://kenyasocialscienceforum.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/pdf-camsmir-ondicho-and-ongolly-hiv-and-aids-in-kenya-fourty-years-later.pdf