Elizabeth Ngugi

Elizabeth Ngugi (died 2015) was a Kenyan professor of community health at the University of Nairobi, and a nurse by training and profession. Her major contributions to her university's program was her research and work with local prostitutes to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission. Ngugi is described as the first Kenyan nurse to become a professor.

Early career and education Ngugi started nursing at the Kenyatta National Hospital in 1960, as the Sister in Charge of paediatric health. In 1981, while still practicing as a nurse, Ngugi presented a paper about the emerging, new role of nurses in the Kenyan health system. She emphasized that the role of a nurse is not only caring for the patient, but engaging with and caring for the patient's family members as well. Ngugi studied at Columbia Pacific University for her BA and Masters in Nursing Administration from 1983 to 1985, and earned a PhD in social work in 1989. Work against HIV/AIDS Ngugi was involved in an international collaboration in Nairobi to engage with sex workers and help them to tackle sexual transmitted diseases. Much of Ngugi's research focused on these vulnerable communities, and she provided them with medical care, advice and free condoms in return for participation. By helping the sex workers to collectively demand condom use from their clients, their utilisation has soared from 4% to 90%, even though men often offer more money for unprotected sex. Through this clinic, Ngugi worked in the forefront of treating sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia. Ngugi and Frank Plummer from Manitoba published a study indicating levels of long-lived HIV resistance among Kenyan sex workers who work in Majengo, Nairobi. Ngugi decried the fact that these women contribute so much to research but are still living in poverty and must sell their bodies to survive. Now HerStory also looks after AIDS orphans.

Ngugi established the University of Nairobi Centre of HIV Prevention and Research in 2006. 2004–05 Order of the Golden Warrior Presidential Award.

Personal life Ngugi has a son who practises law in Nairobi.