Rate My Professor Gizachew Tessema

Associate Professor Gizachew Tessema is a leading perinatal epidemiologist in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, where he holds a teaching and research position and co-heads the Epidemiology Research Lab in the School of Population Health. His primary research specializations include perinatal and reproductive epidemiology, global health, health systems research, and maternal health. Utilizing advanced statistical analyses, mixed-methods research, and qualitative approaches, Tessema investigates key issues such as interpregnancy intervals and their links to adverse perinatal outcomes, maternal healthcare access barriers, child survival in low-resource settings, and environmental influences on health disparities. His Google Scholar profile reflects over 41,670 citations, highlighting his profound influence on public health scholarship.

Tessema obtained his PhD in Public Health from the University of Adelaide in 2018, earning the Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence, an MPH in Reproductive and Child Health from the University of Gondar in 2012, and a BSc in Public Health from Hawassa University in 2009. His career encompasses roles at the University of Gondar Institute of Public Health (2009-2015), the University of Adelaide School of Public Health (2015-2019), and since 2019 as Associate Professor at Curtin University, complemented by an Adjunct Senior Lecturer position at the University of Adelaide. He coordinates the core postgraduate unit Epidemiology and Evidence at Curtin. Notable awards include the NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellowship Level 1 (2020), WA Young Tall Poppy Award (2022), Early Career Researcher of the Year from the Curtin Faculty of Health Sciences (2022), Raine Research Prize (2022), PHAA WA Branch Mentor of the Year (2024), and BrightSpark Research Prize (2023). Prominent publications feature 'Interpregnancy intervals and adverse birth outcomes in high-income countries: an international cohort study' (PLoS ONE, 2021), 'The COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare systems in Africa: a scoping review' (BMJ Global Health, 2021), 'The role of intervening pregnancy loss in the association between interpregnancy interval and adverse pregnancy outcomes' (BJOG, 2022), 'Healthcare access barriers and maternal healthcare service uptake in 14 sub-Saharan African countries' (BMJ Public Health, 2026), and 'Spatial patterns of environmental injustice in social vulnerability and ambient dust levels across Australia' (Environmental Research Letters, 2026).