Jean J H Bashingwa
Researcher and Data Scientist, Specializing In African Health Systems & Community Data Analytics
Cape Town
Summary
Researcher and Data Scientist with a PhD in Applied Mathematics and extensive experience applying statistical modeling, machine learning, and survival analysis to large-scale health data across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Proven ability to translate complex datasets into actionable insights for decision-making, with specialized expertise in Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) spanning multiple African countries including South Africa, Mozambique,Ghana, Tanzania, kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Strong track record in capacity building and stakeholder engagement, with demonstrated success training multidisciplinary teams including health officials and community health workers on data analysis and interpretation. Experienced in managing international research collaborations and conducting independent fieldwork across diverse African urban and peri-urban contexts. Published researcher with impactful work on health inequalities and mortality patterns in leading international journals.
Technical proficiency in R, Python, C, and C++, with excellent communication and presentation skills for engaging diverse audiences from technical teams to policy stakeholders. Fluent in English and French, with working knowledge of Swahili, Kirundi, and Kinyarwanda. Proven ability to work independently under pressure while managing multiple complex research projects simultaneously.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Researcher
University of the Witwatersrand
10.2021 - Current
- Managing data collection and systems across multiple sites: Leading efforts to standardize data collection and analysis procedures across Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites spanning sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, while designing, implementing, and maintaining database systems for investigating health patterns and outcomes, including automated quality checks and control protocols for large-scale health monitoring datasets
- Building international partnerships and research capacity: Coordinating international research partnerships and data sharing agreements across African and South Asian research sites, while delivering training and technical support to research teams, data collectors, and health officials across multiple countries, and providing advanced statistical training and mentorship to graduate students and junior researchers to build local expertise in data analysis
- Translating research into actionable recommendations: Analyzing complex health surveillance data to produce practical insights for public health planning and resource allocation, ensuring effective data utilization for evidence-based decision making, with findings informing health system strengthening initiatives across multiple countries
Postdoctoral Position
University of Cape Town
01.2018 - 12.2021
- Managing digital health programs and improving effectiveness: Overseeing data gathering, quality checking, and analysis for two major digital health programs across 13 states in India, creating standard procedures for handling complex data from multiple regions while using advanced computer analysis methods to evaluate how well programs work and providing practical recommendations for improving program delivery and resource use
- Coordinating with government partners across multiple states: Working closely with state health departments and community health organizations across multiple Indian states to help share information, follow local regulations, and support decision-making based on solid evidence for large-scale public health programs, demonstrating strong ability to work effectively with diverse government and organizational partners
- Training and knowledge sharing at multiple levels: Creating and delivering comprehensive training programs on data analysis methods and digital health evaluation approaches for diverse groups including government officials, program staff, community health workers, graduate students, and research teams, building local expertise in health program evaluation and large-scale data analysis across both academic and practical work settings
Teacher Assistant
University of the Witwatersrand
01.2015 - 12.2017
- Tutoring and other administration duties
- Won the prize for the Teacher assistant of the year
Junior Lecturer
University of Burundi
01.2011 - 12.2013
- Prepare lessons, Lecturing and other administration duties
Education
PhD - Mathematics
University of The Witwatersrand
Johannesburg07.2017
Masters in Mathematical Sciences - Mathematical Sciences
University of The Western Cape
Cape Town06.2014
Licence - Mathematics
University of Burundi
Bujumbura11.2010
Skills
Project management: Including conception of projects
Programming: C/C, LaTeX
Software: R, Python, Mathematica, Stata
Predictive modeling: Multilevel modelling, Latent variable modelling, Longitudinal analyses
Machine learning: Supervise Machine Learning, Unsupervised Machine Learning
undefinedReferences
- Abdul, Kara, Professor, abdul.kara@wits.ac.za, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, School of Mathematics, Faculty of Sciences
- Diwakar, Mohan, Senior Scientist, dr.dmohan79@gmail.com, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Division
- Francesc, Gomez-Olive Casas, Reader, fgomez-olivecasas@wits.ac.za, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa, Mrc/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health
- Amnesty, LeFevre, Professor, aelefevre@gmail.com, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Division, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Nicola, Mulder, Head of Computational Biology Division, nicola.mulder@uct.ac.za, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Honors & Awards
2022, Associate membership of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015, Member of the South African Mathematical Society Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015-2017, Post AIMS Scholarship Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015-2016, National Research foundation(NRF) Doctoral Innovation award Cape Town, South Africa, 2013-2014, National Research foundation(NRF) Masters Innovation award Cape Town, South Africa, 2013-2014, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences(AIMS) full scholarship Cape Town, South Africa
Publications
- Daniel K. Azongo; Timothy Awinye; Chodziwadziwa W. Kabudula; Samuel Oladokun; Beth A. Tippett Barr; Jean JH Bashingwa; Bawa Ayaga; Mumuni Abu; Patrick Akum Ansah (2025) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all-cause mortality and life expectancy in northern Ghana: findings from the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance System. DOI: 10.1186/s12963-025-00389-7
- Sophia Adam Kagoye, Charles Mangya, Eveline Konje, Jim Todd, Chodziwadziwa Kabudula, Jean JH Bashingwa, Jacqueline Materu, Coleman Kishamaye, Ties Boerma, Milly Marston and Mark Urassa. (2025) Socio-economic inequalities in all-cause mortality during the COVID-19 period in north-western Tanzania, 2018–2021. DOI: 10.1186/s12963-025-00390-0
- Aimee Julien; Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa; Annelies Van Rie; Mi-Suk Kang Dufour; Nkosiantini Masilela; Rebecca L West; Dumisani Reboombe; Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé; Kathleen Kahn; Sheri A Lippman; Audrey Pettifor; Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula (2025) Trajectories and predictors of HIV care retention among individuals receiving ART in rural South Africa: a group-based trajectory modelling analysis. DOI: 10.7189/jogh.15.04187
- Armstrong Dzomba ; Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive ; Jean Bashingwa ; Morelearnings Sibanda ; Kathleen Kahn ; Chodziwadziwa Kabudula (2025) Viral load dynamics among adults receiving HIV care in rural North-Eastern South Africa, 2015-2020: insights from a population-based record linkage study. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1551847
- Daniel Ohene-Kwofie, Cyril Chinorda, Jean Bashingwa, Tshegofatso Seabi, Audrey Dube, Beth Tippett-Barr, Francesc Xavier Gomez-Olive, Kathleen Kahn, Stephen Tollman , Chodziwadziwa W. Kabudula (2025) The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mortality among adults receiving care for chronic health conditions in rural South Africa: findings from Agincourt health and socio-demographic surveillance system. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-025-00388-8
- Takwanisa Machemedze, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson Kabudula, Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa, Beth A. Tippett Barr, Nellie M Nyirenda, Sam Mahatab, Cleopas Hwinya, Stephen Tollman, Ziyaad Dangor , Shabir A. Madhi (2025) A retrospective assessment of COVID-19 vulnerability index indicators and mortality rates pre-COVID-19 (2018–2020) and during COVID-19 (2020–2022) in a health and demographic surveillance site, Soweto, South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-025-00387-9
- JJ Bashingwa, Diwakar Mohan, Sara Chamberlain, Kerry Scott, Osama Ummer, Anna Godfrey, Nicola Mulder, Deshen Moodley, and Amnesty E. LeFevre, (2023) Can we design the next generation of digital health communication programs by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to segment target audiences, bolster impact, and deliver differentiated services? A machine learning analysis of survey data from rural India. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/3/e063354.full
- Jean JH Bashingwa, Diwakar Mohan, Sara Chamberlain, Jai Mendiratta, Salil Arora, Sai Rahul, Vinod Chauhan, Kerry Scott, Neha Shah, Osama Ummer, Rajani Ved, Nicola Mulder, and Amnesty E. LeFevre (2021) Assessing exposure to Kilkari, the largest maternal mobile messaging programming of its kind in the world: a big data analysis of findings across 13 states in India BMJ Global Health. http://gh.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmjgh-2021-005213
- Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa, Neha Shah, Diwakar Mohan, Kerry Scott, Sara Chamberlain, Nicola Mulder, Sai Rahul, Salil Arora, Arpita Chakraborty, Osama Ummer, Rajani Ved, and Amnesty LeFevre (2021) Examining Reach and Exposure of a Mobile Phone-Based Training Program for frontline health workers (ASHAs) in 13 states across India BMJ Global Health. http://gh.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmjgh-2021-005299
- N. Shah, D. Mohan, J.J.H. Bashingwa, O. Ummer, A. Chakraborty, A.E. LeFevre (2020) Using Machine Learning to optimize the quality of survey data: protocol for a use case in India JMIR Research Protocols. DOI:10.2196/17619
- D Mohan , JJH Bashingwa , N Tiffin Diva Dhar, N Mulder, A E LeFevre (2020) Does having a mobile phone matter? Linking phone access among women to health in India: An exploratory analysis of the National Family Health Survey Plus One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236078
- Diwakar Mohan, Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa ; Pierre Dane; Sara Chamberlain; Nicki Tiffin; Amnesty Lefevre, (2019) Use of big data and machine learning methods in monitoring and evaluation of digital health programs : An exploratory protocol in the Indian setting, JMIR Research Protocols. DOI:10.2196/11456
- A E LeFevre, N Shah, JJH Bashingwa, A George, D Mohan (2020) Does women’s mobile phone ownership matter for health? Evidence from 15 countries BMJ Global Health. DOI: :10.1136/bmjgh-2020-00252
- Diwakar Mohan , Kerry Scott , Neha Shah, Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa , Arpita Chakraborty, Osama Ummer, Anna Godfrey, Priyanka Dutt, Sara Chamberlain, Amnesty Elizabeth LeFevre (2021) Can health information through mobile phones close the divide in health behaviours among the marginalised? An equity analysis of Kilkari in Madhya Pradesh, India BMJ Global Health. https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/Suppl_5/e005512
- Neha Shah, Osama Ummer, Kerry Scott, Jean Juste Harisson Bashingwa, Nehru Penugonda, Diwakar Mohan and Amnesty LeFevre (2021) SMS Feedback System as a Quality Assurance Mechanism: Experience from a Household Survey in Rural India BMJ Global Health. https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/Suppl_5/e005287
- Arpita Chakraborty, Diwakar Mohan, Kerry Scott, Agrima Sahore, Neha Shah, Nayan Kumar, Osama Ummer, JJH Bashingwa, Sara Chamberlain, Priyanka Dutt, Anna Godfrey, Rajani Ved, and Amnesty LeFevre (2021) Does exposure to maternal mobile messages increase immunisation knowledge, completeness, and timeliness in rural India? BMJ Global Health. http://gh.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmjgh-2021-005489
- Amnesty LeFevre, Neha Shah, Kerry Scott, Sara Chamberlain, Osama Ummer, Jean JH Bashingwa, Arpita Chakraborty, Rajani Ved, and Diwakar Mohan, (2022) The impact of a direct to beneficiary mobile communication program on reproductive and child health outcomes: a randomised controlled trial in India. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008838
- Diwakar Mohan, Jean JH Bashingwa , Kerry Scott, Salir Arora , Sai Rahul , Nicola Mulder, Sara Chamberlain, and Amnesty LeFevre (2022) Optimising the reach of mobile health messaging programmes: an analysis of system generated data for the Kilkari programme across 13 states in India. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009395
- Jean JH Bashingwa, Diwakar Mohan, Sara Chamberlain, Kerry Scott, Nicola Mulder, Amnesty LeFevre, and Deshen Moodley (2021) Using machine learning to predict women and frontline health workers’ ability to complete digital tasks in India. The Lancet GH
- JJ Bashingwa , AH Kara, AH Bokhari, FD Zaman , (2016) The geometry and Invariance properties for certain classes of metrice with neutral signature. International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics.DOI:10.11.42/S0219887816500080
- JJ Bashingwa , AH Kara, AH Bokhari, FD Zaman , (2016) Symmetry and conservation law structures of some anti-self-duality (ASD) manifolds. Pramana-Journal of physics. DOI:10.1007/s12043-016-1258-y
- JJ Bashingwa and AH Kara, (2017) Wave equations on anti self dual (ASD) manifolds, Indian Journal of Physics. DOI: 10.1007/s12648-017-1034-y
- JJ Bashingwa and AH Kara, (2017) On the geometry of diffusion equations on Anti self dual (ASD) manifolds, Journal of Mathematical Physics
- JJ Bashingwa and AH Kara, (2019) On a Theory for Analysing Second-Order Systems of Ordinary Discrete Equations, Journal of Mathematics. DOI: 10.1155/2019/8256867
- JJ Bashingwa and AH Kara, (2019) On some second order systems of difference equations. To appear in Journal of Nonlinear Sciences and Applications.
- JJ Bashingwa and AH Kara, (2020) A basis of hierarchy of generalized symmetries and their conservation laws for the (3+1)-dimensional diffusion equation.Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computation http://www.jaac-online.com/article/doi/10.11948/201903060
- African School for fondemental Physics and Applications Cheick Anta Diop University, Dakar Aug. 2014
- South African Mathematical Society conference University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2015
- Workshop on computer algebra and applications Douala, Cameroon 2017
- Workshop in Symmetries, Mechanics and Applications Durban, South Africa 2017
- A CIMPA research school on Explicit Number Theory Johannesburg, South Africa 2017
- Spring School on Local & Nonlocal Elliptic & Geometric problems Mbour, Senegal February, 2018
- CIMPA research school on Science des données pour l’ingénierie et la technologie Tunis/ Tunisia June-July 2019
- Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) Heidelberg/Germany Sept 2022
Funded Research & Grants
- OPP1179252 – (PI, Amnesty LeFevre) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Cape Town, South Africa
- FUNDING INSTITUTION: BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
- Title: Maternal and provider mobile messaging for health in India: generating evidence on the effectiveness of Kilkari and Mobile Academy
- My role: (Key Personnel): Planning and execution of experiments, responsible of all facets of data analyses and management, write manuscripts for publication and present data at conferences
- INV-030309 – (PI, Stephen Tollman) University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa
- Title: HDSS-based Mortality Surveillance in Africa and South Asia
Timeline
Researcher
University of the Witwatersrand
10.2021 - Current
Postdoctoral Position
University of Cape Town
01.2018 - 12.2021
Teacher Assistant
University of the Witwatersrand
01.2015 - 12.2017
Junior Lecturer
University of Burundi
01.2011 - 12.2013
PhD - Mathematics
University of The Witwatersrand
Masters in Mathematical Sciences - Mathematical Sciences
University of The Western Cape
Licence - Mathematics
University of Burundi