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From a medically underserved community in Ghana to a doctoral training program at ɫ��ֱ��, Harriet Yayra Adzofu, MSc, MHS, BSN, RMN, is building a research agenda focused on trauma, intimate partner violence, and women’s mental health within the HIV care continuum. Early experiences with health inequities, and later clinical work at Accra Psychiatric Hospital, helped shape her commitment to mental health and reproductive health research. Below, Adzofu reflects on lessons from work with regional and global organizations, including WHO/AFRO and the African Union, and shares what she hopes her work will change for women and young people across Africa.

What inspired you to pursue nursing and mental health work?

I grew up in a medically underserved community in Ghana, where accessing basic healthcare often required traveling several miles. Watching family members and neighbors struggle to receive timely care made health inequities deeply personal to me. Over time, witnessing the profound burden of unaddressed health needs (especially psychological distress in my community) drew me toward mental health nursing, where I felt I could make a more meaningful impact. I would say nursing was my way of responding to my lived experience with health inequities, a path that allowed me to combine compassion, advocacy, and hands-on care.

How did your experience at Accra Psychiatric Hospital shape your interests and goals?

Working at Accra Psychiatric Hospital exposed me to the realities of mental health in Ghana compared to the small scale I experienced in my community. As it is the nation’s largest psychiatric hospital, I cared for people from all over the country and witnessed first-hand the resilience of patients, the dedication of staff, and the systemic gaps that left many without adequate support. Most significantly for me, observing many women struggle with maternal mental health challenges helped sharpen my awareness of the structural barriers that shape mental health outcomes, particularly for women. This ignited a strong interest in pursuing my masters in reproductive health.

What motivated your shift into reproductive and global mental health research? 

As I cared for women and adolescent girls, I became increasingly aware of how reproductive health events (e.g, puberty, pregnancy, childbirth) intersect with mental health. I wanted to understand these connections more deeply and contribute to evidence-based solutions. Graduate training in reproductive health and global mental health gave me the tools to study these intersections systemically. My shift into research was driven by a desire to move upstream—to generate knowledge, shape interventions, and influence policies that could transform care at scale. 

What key lessons did you gain from working with organizations like WHO/AFRO or the African Union?

Working with WHO/AFRO, the African Union and UNECA, taught me the importance of collaboration, context-specific solutions, and youth leadership in global health. I learned how policies are shaped, how programs are implemented across diverse countries, and how critical it is to center local voices in decision making. More importantly, this experience showed me the importance of nurses actively participating in health policy development and decision-making processes.

As the largest segment of the global health workforce and the professionals most consistently engaged in frontline patient care, nurses possess invaluable insight into the practical realities of health system functioning. When nurses are absent from policy discussions, critical perspectives on feasibility, equity, patient-centered care, and implementation challenges are often overlooked. In short, meaningful nurse engagement in policy is not optional, it is essential to ensure that health policies are responsive and capable of translating into sustainable improvements in care delivery. 

What research questions or projects are you most focused on right now?

My current work is laying the grounds to understand how changes over time in intimate partner violence affect women’s mental health, and to identify what helps protect women—especially those who have experienced sexual trauma—while they are receiving HIV care. I am also exploring how trauma-informed evidence-based interventions can be adapted to better support women in resource-limited settings. More broadly, I am interested in deeper understanding of how trauma affects mental health of women, and how health systems can integrate trauma-informed approaches into routine care. 

What do you enjoy doing to unwind or recharge outside of school and research? 

Outside of school and research, I stay grounded by nurturing my spiritual life. Spending time with God through prayer and participating in Christian fellowships gives me clarity, peace, and a sense of purpose. I also draw strength from staying connected with my family and friends in Ghana and across the world, whose support continually reminds me of why my work matters. 

I am fortunate to have an amazing PhD cohort that inspires me to embrace new and invigorating activities. Recently, I even started playing pickleball with one of my colleagues—a fun and energizing way to unwind. Beyond these personal routines, I find deep motivation in the social impact projects I continue to support in Ghana. Whether organizing trauma-informed trainings for frontline gender-based violence responders or mentoring young people, these efforts keep me focused and connected to the communities that shaped me. 

What impact do you hope your work will have on perinatal and youth mental health in Africa?

I hope my work contributes to building trauma-informed, equitable health systems that recognize and respond to the psychological needs of women and young people. My goal is to help inform and/or co-design trauma-informed approaches that are culturally grounded, scalable, and sustainable to reduce stigma, strengthen resilience, and improve health outcomes. Ultimately, I want to support a future where African women and youth can access compassionate, evidence-based mental health care within diverse healthcare delivery systems. 

Learn more about ɫ��ֱ��'s PhD in Nursing program:

PhD in Nursing