Biography

Dr. Dickens Onyango is a Kenyan medical doctor and public health researcher at the County Government of Kisumu and currently a visiting scientist at Kenyatta National Hospital. He earned his medical degree from the University of Nairobi, an MS in Epidemiology through the Kenya Field Epidemiology Training Program, and a PhD from Utrecht University. He completed a Fogarty Global Health Fellowship through the University of Washington in 2020. His research focuses on tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) among people living with HIV, including evaluating TPT cascades and assessing adherence using urine dipstick tests developed by the University of Washington Bioengineering Department.

Expertise

TB Diagnostics
Public Health

Key Impacts

Point-of-care biomarker-confirmed adherence to the three-month weekly isoniazid plus rifapentine (3HP) regimen in people with HIV

The urine dipstick test effectively detected INH metabolites within 48 hours of ingestion. Self-reported intervals >48 hours since last 3HP dose was associated with negative tests. Community-based biomarker assessment could provide objective evidence of adherence to weekly 3HP.

Source: Conference 2024