Ntombenhle Mkhize (39), from South Africa, is a public health specialist with an interest in bringing change in underserved populations, particularly adolescents and young people. She is pursuing a PhD in pediatrics and child health at the University of Stellenbosch.
Through her research, Ntombi aims to explore the role of community health workers in addressing mental health conditions affecting adolescents and young people. As a cadre that acts as a bridge between communities and health care service provision, community health workers are best placed to raise awareness and provide linkages to mental health care. This research area is inspired by Ntombi’s own personal struggles navigating the transition to adulthood as a teenager when, with little to no support available, she was expected to just figure things out. She has witnessed young people undergo similar experiences, being thrust with enormous expectations and minimal support into a fast-paced world, often with adverse effects on their mental well-being.
The intersectionality of socioeconomic challenges such as unemployment, poverty, and gender inequality further exacerbates the plight of young people. Seeing an increased rate of depressed young people within her own community, some even taking their lives, impelled Ntombi to better understand how she could support and advocate for young people’s mental health needs and start to catalyze change.
