Binega Haileselassie Hagos

My name is Binega Haileselassie Hagos, and I am currently on the verge of completing my PhD in Anthropology. I am affiliated with Mekelle University, Tigray Ethiopia, where I focus on culture, health, and illness in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

My academic journey began in psychology at Addis Ababa University, followed by a Master’s in Higher Education (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and later a Master’s in Social Work at Addis Ababa University. My MSW thesis on “The Role of Community Care Coalitions in Providing Psychosocial Support to HIV/AIDS Infected and Affected People” shaped my path as a qualitative researcher, deepening my interest in community voices, vulnerability, and resilience. Broadly, my research interests sit at the intersection of anthropology, psychology, and social work, with a focus on stigma, health equity, and culturally grounded approaches to wellbeing.

At present, my PhD work explores community engagement and the lived realities of vulnerable populations in Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray region. As PhD fellow, I am actively engaged with the ECLIPSE global learning platform, which has been an invaluable space for intellectual growth, collaboration, and innovation. Through ECLIPSE, I have learned from a diverse group of researchers across disciplines and geographies, enriching my thinking on community engagement, stigma reduction, and participatory research methods.

My work strongly aligns with CHaI themes, particularly in examining how cultural contexts shape experiences of health, illness, and marginalization. I am especially passionate about understanding stigma, exploring community-driven strategies for resilience, and identifying ways to bridge traditional and biomedical health systems.

Through CHaI, I hope to contribute my expertise on community engagement and social wellbeing while also learning from colleagues who are advancing culturally sensitive and interdisciplinary approaches. I am keen to explore collaborative methods, particularly ethnography, participatory action research, and qualitative inquiry, that amplify marginalized voices in global health.

Email: binipsych@gmail.com

Affiliation: Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia