Addis Ababa University

Awoke is an AMARI PhD alumni from Ethiopia. He did his PhD with Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia. Awoke obtained his BA degree in Psychology from Jimma University, Ethiopia. He then undertook post-graduate studies at AAU and obtained MA degree in Clinical Psychology. He has worked with people with mental health problems in Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, where he practiced as a psychotherapist for seven years prior to his AMARI fellowship. He worked primarily with cases of mild to severe psychiatric and substance use disorders.

Awoke’s research interest is in culture and mental health including substance use disorders. Particularly, he is interested in studies focusing on development and validation of local models and theories that explain substance use disorders and mental illness. In his AMARI fellowship, he focused on problematic khat use, specifically its exploration, measurement and associated factors in rural Ethiopia.