Dr Deborah Chirwa

Biography

Dr Deborah Nyirenda is a social scientist with over 13 years of experience in global health research. She currently serves as the Associate Group Head for the Community Engagement and Bioethics Research Group at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme and holds a position as a Career Track Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). Deborah completed her PhD through a joint program between the University of Liverpool and the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, focusing on social interactions among research stakeholders and ethical issues in community engagement. She has led several research projects, particularly in the areas of community engagement in health research and community led health interventions. Deborah is also a theme lead in various multidisciplinary projects, including the Global Health Research Group on gastrointestinal infections and Global Health Research Group on vaccines to control respiratory pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in Africa. She is an active member of several committees and groups including the Global Health Bioethics Network, promoting research capacity development in bioethics.

Research interests

Dr. Nyirenda has published over 30 articles in renowned international journals and contributed to book chapters. Her research interests span from community engagement, applied social science and ethics research in vaccine trials, climate change, antimicrobial resistance and other global health challenges.

Teaching

Deborah is the module convenor for Qualitative Research Methods in Global Health. As a member of the Global Health Bioethics Network, she mentors postdocs, PhD and MSc students based at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme and other low-income settings.

Selected research publications

Perspectives on multimorbidity care provision among public hospital-based healthcare workers in Blantyre and Chiradzulu, Malawi A qualitative study – Journal: PLoS ONE – Published: 2nd April 2026

Conflicting perspectives on what constitutes fair compensation and benefits among research stakeholders in Malawi – Journal: BMC Medical Ethics – Published: 23rd December 2025

Evidence needs and community involvement in policy decisions for vaccine-preventable diarrhoeal infections among children under the age of five years: Stakeholder engagement in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi – Journal: PLOS Global Public Health – Published: 1st December 2025

Caregiver dynamics and factors affecting health-seeking behaviors for childhood diarrhea in Mukuru informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya – Journal: Frontiers in Public Health – Published: 21st November 2025

Participant and researcher understandings of research responsibilities in Malawi: a comparative analysis. – Journal: BMC Medical Ethics – Published: 24th October 2025

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