Dr Deborah Nyirenda is a Global Health Bioethics Network senior fellow and an Associate Group Head for Community Engagement and Bioethics at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme. She has over 11 years’ experience of leading social science research projects on various health topics. Deborah completed a PhD on social interactions among research stakeholders and ethical issues in the context of community engagement in Malawi. She holds a Masters Degree in International Public Health from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and a Bachelors Degree in Education, Humanities from Chancellor College. Deborah serves as a member of the African Academy of Sciences Community & Public Engagement Advisory Group and a reviewer for funding applications. She has published 22 research articles in international journals and guest edited publications on public engagement in low- and middle-income countries (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5867-4687).