2021 JoVE Librarian Innovation Award Winner: Mbangsi Mary Ann Zithem

Librarian/ Research Assistant at Effective Basic Services (eBASE) in Africa

Mbangsi Mary Ann is a search expert/librarian at Effective Basic Services (eBASE) Africa affiliated to Durham University in the UK. She holds a Masters in International and English Law from the University of Yaounde II SOA. Her passion includes improving the livelihood of the underserved population (women, girls, people living with disabilities, indigenous population like the Bororos) and fighting against Sexual Gender Based Violence. Currently, she works as a Librarian/search expert for Effective Basic Services (eBASE) Africa, where she focuses on developing search strategies, search and screening of papers for different projects, and conducting qualitative research and transcribing key Informant interviews and Focus group discussions. 

She was trained in search methods by a team from Durham University through a project funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) UK and the Center for Excellence Development for Impact and Learning Program (CEDIL) UK. She spent the last 4 years developing and practicing innovative approaches to research evidence dissemination. Amongst the projects I have worked with are: The We Attain Project funded by EEF, Using Meta-Analysis to Explore the Transferability of Education Mid-Range Theories in Middle Africa funded by CEDIL, the Landscape for Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in Francophone Africa  funded by African Population Health Research Center/Advance Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence(APHRC/IDAIR), and  Bornfyne project funded by Grand Challenge Canada. 

As a librarian, she has contributed to eBASE’s vision of improving livelihoods through best practices and innovation especially for underserved populations. This has been through her making available research evidence needed to develop guidance for policymakers and practitioners developing storytelling events to increase research evidence understanding and use by citizens especially non-literate citizens..    

Website 
LinkedIn: Mary Ann
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