Dr. Beth Tippett Barr
Founder and Director
Advancing Health Research and Transforming Lives
A locally owned health research institute in Malawi conducting rigorous and policy-relevant research.
Check out where our offices will be.Who we are
Research Institute Built for Impact
We are a locally-owned health research institute based in rural Malawi with a dual mandate to:
Conduct rigorous epidemiological and operational research which is responsive to the Ministry of Health’s stated needs, and provide solutions. Train and equip young researchers from low and middle income countries to conduct excellent and impactful health research. Below are some of our partners.
What we do
Turning research into real-world impact.
Research & Surveillance
Generating evidence to understand health challenges and drive better decisions.
Scientific capacity-building
Strengthening researchers and institutions with the skills, knowledge to advance research.
Community Initiatives
Working with communities to develop solutions that address local health needs and wellbeing.
Why Malawi
From Local Context to Global Impact
Malawi’s intersecting health, environmental, and social challenges provide an important setting for developing evidence-based solutions.
- High burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases
- Climate change and environmental health challenges
- Food insecurity and nutrition-related challenges
- Limited access to healthcare and essential services
- Children with anemia
- 63%
- Children affected by stunting
- 37%
- Women underweight
- 14%
- People living with HIV
- 9%
Recent Research
Turning research into real-world impact.
Discover the latest research, insights, and the evidence from our work across Malawi.
Fundraising
Help Us Build the Future of Health Research
We have purchased 13 acres of land to build the physical infrastructure of Nyanja Health Research Institute. This plot is located in Salima. We are seeking $1.5 million.
Our Goal
To develop research facilities, laboratories, meeting spaces and visitor accommodation.
Our Vision
Developing agricultural and nutrition projects to address impacts of climate change.
Our Founder
The Vision Behind Nyanja
Dr. Beth Tippett Barr is the Founder and Director of Nyanja Health Research Institute. A third-generation Malawian, she has been shaped by education and public health experience across Africa and beyond.
With over 20 years of experience in public health and research, Beth has worked across Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Sudan.
Through Nyanja, she aims to provide practical evidence and solutions for severe disease and mortality where routine health programmes cannot easily provide the answers. She believes this work is best led from within Malawi, by Malawian researchers working alongside the communities they serve.
Her vision is simple: to improve the health of Malawians through research that responds directly to the country’s most pressing health needs.
Our Team
Meet The People Behind the Work
Tiwonge Chirwa
Technical Advisor
Tassyanne Kachingwe
Director of Operations and Management
Ben Sitolo
Clinician
News & Events
Check Out Recent News and Events
SnakebiteSnakebite Grant Opportunity
Nyanja Health Research Institute has succeeded in landing a 5-country snakebite incidence study.
15 mins read
SnakebiteStrengthening Africa’s Response to Snakebite
The meeting focuses on generating and translating evidence into actionable and scalable interventions.
15 mins read
HIV & AIDSRethinking national HIV
Strengthening HIV surveillance, research, and data-driven health decisions in Malawi.
15 mins read
Work with us
Explore OpportunitiesBe Part of the Work
Join our community through collaboration, volunteering or internships, and find a way to get involved.
