Houssynatou Sy

Houssynatou Sy is a researcher in the Department of Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, with 18 years of experience in international cooperation including 12 years focused on health in fragile contexts across Sub-Saharan Africa. Her work spans multiple countries including Morocco, Ghana, Mozambique, Guinea, Ethiopia, Senegal, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, and Benin.

Education:

• Master of Science in Public Health (2022) - Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
• Advanced Master in Development Studies (2010) - University of Antwerp
• Master in Business Engineering (2005) - Université libre de Bruxelles

Houssynatou's research focuses on co-creation with vulnerable communities, particularly internally displaced people in urban areas affected by conflict and climate change. Her work employs eco-health approaches and realist methodologies to understand how external actors can effectively contribute to health systems strengthening in fragile settings. She brings a multidisciplinary perspective from her background in business engineering, development studies, and public health.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on health systems in fragile contexts, with particular attention to urban health, internal displacement, and co-creation methodologies. The research spans multiple continents and addresses critical challenges in humanitarian health responses, showing a progression toward more complex systems approaches to health in crisis situations.

Houssynatou has coordinated numerous research projects including ALERRT (African Coalition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training), SCUBY (Scaling-up evidence-based health interventions), ORT (Outbreak Research Team), and EmERGE (Evaluating mHealth technology in HIV). These projects have been funded by major organizations including the European Commission, Flemish Government, and SRI International.

She has a strong interest in translating research output into policies and practices, particularly in the context of fragile health systems. Her work bridges academic research with practical implementation challenges faced by humanitarian organizations and local health systems in crisis-affected regions.