University of Zimbabwe

Primrose Nyamayaro is a Research Psychologist who holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Psychology from International Medical University Malaysia and a Masters of Research degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Birmingham (UK). She is currently a doctoral fellow at the University of Zimbabwe funded by the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI).

Her main research interests are in the areas of depression, neuropsychology and health psychology. She has experience working with people living with HIV who are depressed, who have antiretroviral therapy adherence problems, and providing problem solving therapy to adults living with HIV who are depressed. She has worked as a research coordinator on a study adapting a cognitive behavioural intervention to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and a study investigating the effectiveness of peer-based adherence counselling for adolescents living with HIV.

Primrose's doctoral research is focusing on validating a screening tool for HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND). HAND is not routinely screened for in Zimbabwe. The gold-standard batteries needed to screen for HAND are expensive and specialized personnel are required to administer them. Therefore, in her doctoral fellowship, Primrose will validate the Neuroscreen, a tablet app-based cognitive screener, that can be used in primary care clinics by lay counsellors.

Supervisors:

Prof James Hakim, University of Zimbabwe

Prof Dixon Chibanda, University of Zimbabwe

Dr Hetta Gouse, University of Cape Town