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Bio

Sam (MBChB, MMED in Paediatrics & Child Health, Dphil in Clinical Medicine), is a Principal Investigator at the Health Services Unit, Nairobi, and a Visiting Research Fellow, University of Oxford. He is a consultant paediatrician and did his medical education in Kenya and his Dphil studies at the University of Oxford. His Dhil, awarded in 2012, investigated haemodynamic status of children with severe febrile illnesses. Sam took a research break between 2012-2015 to obtain specialist medical training and re-joined KWTRP in 2016 as a post-doctoral researcher focussing on understanding the impact of recommended interventions of survival of hospitalised children.

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Current Work

His main research interests are; • Understanding the aetiology, management, and impact of interventions in children with severe febrile illnesses, focussing on malaria and severe infections • Improving triage and treatment of children with febrile illnesses presenting to hospitals • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in paediatric inpatient settings • Hospital inpatient surveillance for understanding impact of interventions and burden of diseases in children The studies inform case management of common childhood infections which lead to admission while also identifying areas that need further research evidence. He has led the sentinel surveillance in Kenya for the WHO-led evaluation of RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine following its pilot introduction in 2019 in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi. He leads the childhood severe febrile illness study group (cSEFI Group) within the Nairobi hub of KWTRP. He also supported publication of evidence briefs on COVID-19 that supported Kenya’s MoH response to COVID-19. Research Projects • An evaluation of the cluster-randomised pilot implementation of the RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine through routine health systems in western Kenya: a post-authorization observational study • The CINAMR (Clinical Information Network-Antimicrobial Resistance) Project: A pilot microbial surveillance using hospitals linked to regional laboratories in Kenya • Strengthening the evidence for policy on the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine: assessment of safety and effectiveness using case-control studies embedded in the Malaria Vaccine Pilot Evaluation • A Clinically Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Network (ACORN 2.0) • Triage and management of sepsis in children using the point-of-care Paediatric Rapid Sepsis Trigger tool

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Recent publications

Paediatric anaemia in rural Kenya and the role of travel time to emergency care services.
Musau, M. M., Khazenzi, C., Akech, S., Omondi, E., Okiro, E. A., Snow, R. W., Macharia, P. M., Kamau, A.
Front Epidemiol, (2025). 5:1578522

Implementation of Smart Triage combined with a quality improvement program for children presenting to facilities in Kenya and Uganda: An interrupted time series analysis.
Ansermino, J. M., Pillay, Y., Tagoola, A., Zhang, C., Dunsmuir, D., Kamau, S., Kigo, J., Agaba, C., Aye, I. A., Hwang, B., Novakowski, S. K., Huxford, C., Wiens, M. O., Kimutai, D., Ouma, M., Ahmed, I., Mwaniki, P., Oyella, F., Tenywa, E., Nambuya, H., Toliva, B. O., Kenya-Mugisha, N., Kissoon, N., Akech, S.
PLOS Digit Health, (2025). 4:e0000466

Examining the impact of implementing routine rotavirus vaccination on the number of paediatric admissions due to diarrhoea and dehydration in Kenyan hospitals: A study using interrupted time series analysis.
Chelangat, D., Malla, L., Langat, R. C., Akech, S.
Wellcome Open Res, (2022). 7:2

Repeatability of RRate measurements in children during triage in two Ugandan hospitals.
Asdo, A., Mawji, A., Omara, I., Aye Ishebukara, I. A., Komugisha, C., Novakowski, S. K., Pillay, Y., Wiens, M. O., Akech, S., Oyella, F., Tagoola, A., Kissoon, N., Ansermino, J. M., Dunsmuir, D.
PLOS Glob Public Health, (2025). 5:e0003097

Effects of health system limitations on the use of blood culture and sensitivity testing in Kenyan county hospitals: an interview-based qualitative study using causal loop diagrams.
Bahati, F., Mutua, E., Akech, S., English, M., Nyamwaya, B., Gachoki, J., McKnight, J.
Lancet Microbe, (2024). 6:100945