The doctor who is passionate about teenagers' mental and reproductive health

Growing up, Dr. Gitahi always knew she wanted to make an impact; and a huge one. This was a driving factor in her choosing to study medicine. She completed her studies at the University of Nairobi in 2006 and went on to complete her internship at the Kenyatta National hospital the following year.

Still, she wanted to be more than a general practitioner. Her quest for more was realised when she joined a clinical research team at the Kenyatta National hospital that was working on a HIV-related study. Two years later she transitioned to be a research physician.

"I saw an advertised opportunity that required a medical doctor to attend to research participants in a study," she says of the 2008 job advert. She applied and joined the research and was offered an opportunity to work at the KNH clinic, attending to young adolescents living with HIV.

It is then that she says she fell in love with the young HIV+ people she describes as being resilient, because they did not define themselves by their illness, but rather continued to focus on their dreams and aspirations.

"All I could think about was how to make the health system friendlier to them. They needed to learn how to come to the clinic by themselves, navigate their appointments by themselves, and be empowered for the inevitable," Dr. Gitahi who is currently pursuing her PhD. in global health matters about the sexual reproductive health of adolescents, says. 

This encounter catapulted Dr. Gitahi into the public health space and the field of research on mental health and access to reproductive health services. 

"These are the major issues that affect young people," the Master's degree holder in Public health in Epidemiology from Moi University, says. 

Her stars were aligned when in 2020 she got a job as the executive director of Gold Star Kenya, a Non-Governmental Organisation, which offers health, economic and social solutions to the vulnerable in 12 counties in Kenya. 

In the role, in which she doubles as the technical director, she offers leadership and guidance for a team of 40, while meeting donors' and partners' demands. 

"Apart from ensuring that our programs and services in HIV, reproductive health and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes are excellent, I offer leadership to the teams, while overseeing fundraising and ensuring sound financial practices," Dr. Gitahi who worked as 

an Infectious disease advisor at Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), before joining Gold Star, shares. 

Even so, she finds herself getting pulled towards the adolescent living with HIV.

She recalls her worst experience back in 2015, losing a young girl of 19 to a HIV-related condition. "She had been struggling to adhere to medication amid stigma associated with being young and living with the virus. This is common among all individuals living with chronic illnesses but in this case adolescence and the peer pressure that accompanies it made it worse. Having counseled her for over a year, it was heartbreaking for her not to make it," she adds.

An area that she also focuses on is reproductive health, especially taking the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the country.

"We educate the young to take care of their health while expectant while attending antenatal clinics and to ensure they immunize their children and feed them appropriately," Dr. Gitahi says.

For those who dropped out of school due to unplanned pregnancies, early marriages, and female genital mutilation, the organization encourages them to continue with their education or engage in income-generating activities. 

"These young people fight on despite the odds, like poverty and extreme traditional practices. That's why I find my life satisfying," explains Dr. Gitahi.

Doing her work means she has to divide her time between Nairobi, where the organisation is headquartered, and her family stationed, and the many outreach counties across Kenya, which can be as far away as Garissa. 

"We partner with county governments and local health experts because home-grown solutions and context are key to the success of a health program and in ensuring impact," she says. 

With all this on her plate, she says it would be almost impossible to operate without careful planning.

"The teams on the ground are very competent and virtual catch-ups are adequate. I am open to delegating and learning," she says.

While the job is fulfilling, Dr. Gitahi admits there is a price to pay especially on her emotional and psychological wellbeing. To loosen up after the constricted schedule, she goes for a run after a long day of work.

Taking time to reflect, being intentional, and depending on God's grace and wisdom is part of her life's mantras. 

"My primary inspiration is God, and my family, especially my children. Family is everything. I enjoy spending time with family, and connecting over meals and gatherings," she says. 

On her family of three children, she says she tries to spend valuable time with them whenever she can. "I ensure that on days that I am not working, I see them off to school," she explains of her children aged between five and ten years. 

She calls herself fortunate to have a prayerful mother who moulded her and perhaps unknowingly prepared her for the future of service. This attitude, she says, opened up her eyes more, even with the way she is raising her children. "I will support my children in whichever career path they chose to follow," she says. 

She is categorical that investing in adolescents and young people is critical for a nation. 

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