Layla Banda

Layla Banda is currently pursuing an MSc in Translational Health Sciences at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. She is a Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholar and a member of Kellogg College.

Layla has extensive experience as a medical doctor and assistant lecturer at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi, and as a paediatric doctor at Queen 'Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Lesotho. She also served as the focal person for Paediatric HIV under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi.

With over seven years of clinical experience in low- and middle-income countries, Layla has contributed to a range of public health initiatives. As the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for the Rotary Family Health Day Project, she supported the provision of free health services to underserved communities in Malawi. During Cyclone Freddy, she mobilised resources for the emergency drug fund at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital through the Rotary Club of Limbe to assist flood victims.

After her time at Oxford, she plans to explore why marginalised groups are often excluded from policy discussions. She also aims to investigate how academia, industry, and government can collaborate to accelerate healthcare innovations. Layla intends to pursue an academic career focusing on Health Equity.