Violet Naanyu

Violet Naanyu is a Kenyan social scientist, medical sociologist, global bioethics expert and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.

Early life and education Violet was born and raised in Kajiado county, a Maasai community in Kenya. She is married with four biological and two step children. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Moi University, Kenya. She then completed a master's degree in medical anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. She went on to complete both a master's degree and a PhD in sociology from Indiana University, Bloomington. She also pursued post-graduate training in Global Bioethics from the Universidad Anahuac, Mexico.

Career She serves as Associate Professor at Moi University in the School of Arts and Social Sciences, as well as Visiting Research Scientist at the Center of Excellence Women and Child Health Aga Khan University, Nairobi. She is the Founder and past Director of the AMPATH Qualitative Research Core , an active member of the Bioethics Society of Kenya, and a past member of The Africa Ethics Working Group (AEWG) and the National Science and Ethics Committee at NACOSTI, Kenya. She currently serves on two institutional research committees in Kenya.

Awards and recognition In March 2023, she was elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and also selected as one of 16 global experts to join the World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Sciences for Better Health.

Distinction Track Mentor Honor, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Kentucky, United States (2017).

Atherton–Bean Fellowship for meritorious graduate students, Department of Sociology, Indiana University Bloomington (2008).

Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund award, recognizing commitment to improving the lives of women and children in the developing world, World Bank (2007).

John H. Edwards Fellowship, awarded in recognition of superior scholastic ability, intellectual capacity, citizenship, character, and community service, Indiana University Bloomington (2007).

Arthur R. Metz Philanthropic Opportunity Fund award, administered through the Indiana University Student Foundation Scholarships and Service Committee (2007).cite web |title=Violet Naanyu – Curriculum Vitae |url=https://profiles.mu.ac.ke/sites/default/files/vnaanyu/files/violet_naanyu_-_cv_-_

Selected publications