Dr Lawrence Achilles Nnyanzi received his PhD in public health from Teesside University - UK, a Master of Science in International Public Health and Nutrition from the University of Westminster - UK and a Bachelor of Sciences with Education (1st class) from Makerere University - Uganda. He recieved a meritorious award of the best science student of Makerere University at the 19th convocation in 2004. He is a highly experienced and a talented public health lecturer with an understanding of global contemporary public health challenges.  Over the last 17 years he has developed his professional practice to be responsive to the needs of the learners, and ensure that knowledge imparted can be directly translated to influence policy and practice. Lawrence has both national and international recognition, nationally he is a Fellow of the British Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society for Public Health. Internationally, he is a Honorary Associate Professor of King Caesar University.  Lawrence has led the development of public health courses (DrPH, MPH, DrPP) to respond to the global, contemporary public health issues. He currently serves as the Programme Director for the Doctorate in Public Health in the School of Health & Life Sciences at Teesside University.  He is a public health specialist with vast knowledge and expertise in non-communicable diseases epidemiology, multimorbidity, digital health interventions, international public health policy and research methodology.  He has been involved in many projects worth over £2,810,850. He has organised several conferences/workshops/seminar series in the UK and Uganda. He has spearheaded the development of collaborative partnerships with local authorities e.g., Public Health South Tees and overseas universities including Makerere University, King Caesar University etc. Lawrence has published in a range of peer-reviewed journals and has supervised doctoral projects to completion in a range of public health specific subject areas. His research interests include obesity and weight management, multimorbidity, health systems strengthening, international public health policy, disease surveillance and monitoring, digital health interventions, non-communicable diseases’ epidemiology and use of latest advances in technology (Artificial intelligence, deep machine learning, large data modelling, Internet of things etc.) to enhance public health.  

Teaching Roles

• Preparing and delivering lectures, seminars and tutorials to students in research methods (qualitative and quantitative) and public health. I teach doctoral, masters and undergraduate students.
• Supervising postgraduate and undergraduate students undertaking primary and secondary research projects.
• Supervising nursing and paramedic students writing their dissertations on proposed service improvement projects.
• Developing new programmes that are of relevance to the international public health practitioners.
• Developing both summative and formative assignments of the modules I deliver ensuring that they appropriately test achievement in the psychomotor, knowledge and emotional domains of learning.
• Marking and providing constructive feedback to students on their formative and summative assignments.
• Developing distance learning recorded lecturers.
• Providing support to colleagues teaching on the MPH and DrPH to enhance their skills for using distance learning technologies.

Research roles

• Publish research articles in peer reviewed journals.
• I have led a robust mixed methods study to explore the relationship between weight status and children’s mental wellbeing, especially in the context of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).
• I have conducted a survey study investigating associations between weight status of 10–11-year-old school children and their mental well-being.
• I conducted a qualitative study assessing the impact on the mental wellbeing of children, of participating in the NCMP; I have studied parents’/guardians’ and children’s reactions to the NCMP, with particular interest in identifying whether parents/guardians and their children found the weight feedback useful in moving towards the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.
• I have been part of the team updating the Cochrane Review on the effectiveness of interventions for combating childhood obesity.
• I have been part of the team that analysed the data and produced the report about the end-of-life care for GP practices in the Tees Valley project.
• Providing technical assistance on the on-going research projects within the Centre for Public Health Research.
• I have worked with the obesity management team at the Gateshead Council - effecting changes in practice of writing weight feedback letters to parents.
• I have worked with the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health (FUSE) – looking at various ways in which research evidence can be translated into actual practice.
• I have been part of the team that undertook a systematic review of children and young people’s own understanding of mental health conducted by the Centre for Health and Social Evaluation at the Teesside University.
• I have supervised 4 doctoral students and over 20 masters students to completion.
• I currently supervise over 15 doctoral students.
• I have developed funding bids being a named co-investigator to research bids worth over £1.5M.

Leadership roles – Course Leader MSc Public Health, Master of Public Health and Doctor of Public Health

• I am a Course Leader (Director) for the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) responsible for directing the programme.
• I have previously been a Course Leader for the Master of Public Health (MPH) responsible for overseeing smooth running of the programme.
• I am the admissions tutor for DrPH and MPH courses responsible for assessing applications and making a decision whether or not to admit prospective students.
• I chair course meetings and make strategic decisions about the courses.
• I chair course boards for postgraduate programmes in the Health and Life Sciences.
• I support Module leaders for modules feeding into the MPH and the DrPH programmes.
• I process applications for Mitigating circumstances, long extensions, interruption of studies and withdrawal from the programme.
• I attend assessment boards and advise the board about progress of students on my course.
• I have led the development of the DrPH course chairing both internal and external curriculum development meetings and delegating roles and responsibilities to the team members.
• I led the re-development of the MSc Public Health to a Master of Public Health (MPH) which is more recognised by employers both nationally and internationally.
• I was part of the team that led the development of the Doctorate in Professional Practice (DrPP), chairing consultative meetings and directing the curriculum development.
• I have led modules including; Masters modules - Epidemiology, International public health; Doctoral modules – Advanced independent Public Health Research Project Preparation and Management, Public Health Specific Negotiated Learning module, Advanced Independent Research Project; Undergraduate modules - Evidence Based Practice for Paramedics and Evidence Appraisal for Integrated Care.
• I provide pastoral and welfare support to students undertaking the DrPH and MPH.
• I have led development of a collaborative partnership with the Department of Public Health at Middlesbrough Local Authority for purposes of collaborative delivery of courses.

 International development roles

• I have represented the university on the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarships networking event.
• I have successfully developed funding bids for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Scheme winning 15 scholarships for international students to study the MPH course on campus.
• I have successfully developed funding bids for the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships Scheme winning 5 scholarships for international students to study the MPH course at a distance.
• I have supported the development of a collaborative partnership between Teesside University and Makerere University – MOU already signed.
• I have supported the development of a collaborative partnership between Teesside University and King Caesar University in Uganda – MOU signed.
• I have travelled overseas and represented the School/University for purposes of marketing and recruitment and exploring further opportunities for partnerships.
• I was part of the team that developed and implemented the TNE courses for Zambia and Malaysia.
• I spearheaded the development of a partnership between Teesside University and the International Education Link Institute (IELI) in Uganda for purposes of recruiting students who wish to study at Teesside University campus from the East and Central Africa.
• Supporting Trans-national education (TNE) I have travelled to Zambia and done block teaching at the Chainama College of Health Sciences in Lusaka as part of the activities for students undertaking a top up degree in professional health studies. I have also travelled to Malaysia and done block teaching at Mahsa University as part of the activities for students undertaking a top up degree in Nursing.
• I have been a guest speaker at the British Council fair representing Teesside University and actively market the Public Health courses.
• I led a business discussion at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) for purposes of developing partnerships to train nurses, radiographers and physiotherapists for this centre.
• I led a business discussion at the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University for purposes of establishing a partnership for training paramedics for the newly established Uganda National Ambulance Trust.
• I also led a business discussion with the Uganda Management Institute (UMI) for purposes of running short courses and master classes.
• I have always supported international development and recruitment activities for international students by being part of the international operations group.
• I have led international development officers to visit schools in key recruitment areas in Uganda and the result has been an increase in the recruitment of international students from Uganda.
• I have examined Doctoral theses as an external examiner for the Management and Science University in Malaysia.

 Commonwealth Scholarships Coordinator roles

• I have developed a partnership between Teesside University and the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC) for purposes of hosting scholarships for international students from developing countries.
• I have coordinated Commonwealth shared scholarships in the School of Health and Social Care.
• I have chaired the committee selecting the successful candidates for the commonwealth shared scholarships allocated to the School of Health and Life Sciences.
• I run the Huddles site for Teesside University where the CSC puts all the updates regarding scholarships.
• I liaise with the officials at the CSC secretariat.
• I settle in commonwealth scholars and to ensure that they progress well through their studies.
• I develop funding bids for the various commonwealth scholarships.
• I coordinate with the administrative office at Teesside University to ensure that the correct invoices are sent to the commonwealth secretariat and that commonwealth scholars receive the payments they are entitled to.
• I ensure pastoral care and welfare of the commonwealth scholars studying at Teesside University.

Funding projects

• 9/11/2020 – Awarded £12,955.68 by the Grand Challenges Project Fund (GCRF) for project titled: Improving post-harvest practices: A strategy for tackling Malnutrition in LMICs. Role: Principal Investigator.
• 10/10/2019 – Awarded £14,000 by the Grand Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) for project titled: Developing culturally relevant tools for assessing post-harvest losses and food safety of agricultural produce in LMICs. Role: Principal Investigator.
• 08/03/2018 – Awarded £9,999 by the Grand Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) as a seed fund to develop a collaborative partnership for the project titled: Tackling Malnutrition in LMICs through reducing post-harvest losses. Role: Principal Investigator.
• 17/12/2018 – Awarded £84,315 by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) for 7 international Scholarships to develop Public Health global workforce. Role: Principal applicant.
• 01/03/2018 – Awarded £60,225 by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) for 5 international Scholarships to develop Public Health global workforce. Role: Principal applicant.
• 12/02/2017 – Awarded £60,225 by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) for 5 international Scholarships to develop Public Health global workforce. Role: Principal applicant.
• 10/11/2016 – Awarded £24,090 by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) for 2 international Scholarships to develop Public Health global workforce. Role: Principal applicant.
• 30/09/2015 - Awarded £10,950 by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) for 1 international Scholarships to develop Public Health global workforce. Role: Principal applicant.

Research Projects

• Narh Isaac, Josette Bettany Saltikov, Rob McSherry, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2018) A Grounded Theory Exploration of the Student Nurse Clinical Learning Environment Supervision in the Greater Accra of Ghana. Teesside University.
• Ghanrajita Devi Barran, Alan Armstrong (DOS), Lawrence A Nnyanzi (2021) To explore understanding of the factors that contribute to ‘Fit to Practice’ (FtP) amongst Healthcare Professional Students (HPSs). Teesside University.
• Jennifer Teke Epse Che, Emma Giles, Louisa Ells, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2020) Exploring barriers and facilitators to access and uptake of weight management for adult Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Teesside University.
• Abimbola Shakirat Ojo, Emma Giles, Louisa Ells, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) Exploring the perceptions, beliefs, knowledge, and practices around dietary intake among Black Asian and Minority Ethnic adults in England. Teesside University
• Wafa Elamin, Dorothy Hannis (DOS), Lawrence A Nnyanzi (2021) Exploring the willingness and preparedness of nursing students and public health practitioners to use digital health technologies in the prevention and management of chronic diseases in the UK. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Caroline Nakachwa, Emma Giles, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) Overweight and obesity in Low and Middle-income countries: an exploration of treatment strategies. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Maines Msiska, Alan Armstrong, Scott Lloyd, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) Exploring the perceptions around unhealthy weight in children under 5 years amongst parents/guardians and professionals in the uptake and engagement with weight management services in the North East of England. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Wondu Gebresilasie, Rebekah McNaughton, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Muslim Parents’ Decision-Making on Childhood Immunisation. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Charlotte Kamundi, Debra Barker, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Dorothy Hannis (DOS) (2021) Exploring the available services for the black and ethnic minority women for prevention and treatment of maternal obesity during pregnancy and postpartum period. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Rachel England, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Vida Zohoori (DOS) (2021) The impact of COVID_19 on the oral health of students and faculty at Teesside University. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Dailey Paula, Rebekah McNaughton, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) A quantitative prospective cohort study to compare the efficacy of the PRIDE heart failure scoring system with usual care in the identification of heart failure (HF) in an acute UK hospital setting. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Chris Norwood, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Razzaque Mohammad (DOS) (2021) Ameliorate Telecoms Call Data Processing using Bulk Data Manipulation Techniques over Current Serial Methods. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Ramsdale Alison, Rebekah McNaughton, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) A mixed-methods study to explore UK undergraduate physiotherapy students’ motivation to learn, and educators’ perceptions of factors influencing student motivation. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Laura Joseph, Dorothy Hannis, Rebekah McNaughton Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) An Exploratory Study of Parent-Adolescent Communication of Sexuality and Sexual Health in Eastern Nigeria. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Phillip Watson, Emma Giles, Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) The role of the social work practice educator in promoting poverty informed practice. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Catherine Mushore, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Alan Armstrong (DOS) (2021) A study of perceptions, attitudes and knowledge regarding childhood obesity/overweight among black and other minority ethnic communities in Middlesbrough, North-East of England. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• George Fom Ameh, Josette Bettany-Saltikov, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Dorothy Hannis (DOS) (2021) Perspectives of policy actors on the influence of contextual factors in the integration of performance-based financing programs in Rwanda and Senegal. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Rakhshanda Hameed, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Dorothy Hannis (DOS) (2021) A Phenomenological Study to Critically Explore the Experiences and Perceptions of New Parents or Caregivers of the Provision of Child Health Services in the Northeast of England during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Johnson Mbabazi, Barry Tolchard Lawrence A Nnyanzi (DOS) (2021) Experiences related to making healthy lifestyle choices: a qualitative study in a Teesside-based Adult BAME population. Teesside University (still ongoing).
• Ahmed Sharif, Alamgir Mohammed Hossain, Lawrence A Nnyanzi, Zia Ush Shamszaman (DOS) (2021) AI enabled personalised prediction and preventive model for risk analysis for the patients with comorbidity and multi-morbidity. Teesside University (still ongoing).

• College of Health Sciences, Makerere University (Uganda) – Collaborative research partnerships.
• King Caesar University (Uganda) – Honorary Associate Professor in Public Health.
• Chainama College of Health Sciences, Lusaka, Zambia – Visiting Lecturer.
• Mahsa University of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. – Visiting Lecturer
• College of Education, Makerere University – Visiting Lecturer
• Calabar University Nigeria – Collaborative research partnerships.

• Obesity research and weight management interventions
• Non-communicable diseases research,
• Multimorbidity research,
• Digital health research,
• Childhood obesity,
• Childhood mental health,
• International public health policy,
• Health systems strengthening research,
• Evidence-based practice.

• Nominated for Teesside University STAR Award for best supportive lecturer (2020 & 2019)
• Honorary Associate Professor of Public Health – King Ceasor University, Uganda (2018).
• An award of the best Science student of Makerere University at the 19th convocation, year 2004.
• An award of the Ann Rance Scholarship to undertake MSc, University of Westminster, 2006.
• An award of the Teesside University Doctoral Scholarship to undertake PhD, 2008.
• An award of the Uganda Government Scholarship to undertake BSc, 2000

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), September 2018.
• Associate Member of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH), October 2018.
• Member of the Uganda UK Health Alliance (UUKHA), January 2015.
• Associate member of Fuse (Centre for Translational Research in Public Health).
• Fellow of the British Higher Education Academy (HEA), November 2016.
• Member of the Association for the Study of Obesity.
• Member British Sociology Association.
• Keynote Speaker at the British Sociological Association conference (2012).
• Keynote Speaker at Technology in Health workshops organised at Makerere University.
• Reviewer for a number of Public Health journals.
• Internal Examiner for PhD at Teesside University.
• Member of the Teesside Ugandan Community (TUC).
• Director of the Humane Africa Mission UK Charitable Organisation