Laboratory Manager
Nyanza Reproductive Health Society, Kenya
Walter Agingu Otieno is a Medical Laboratory Technologist, with over 37 years of continuous practice in Kenya. He has managed: 1) Kenyan public hospital laboratories for a period of 10 years; 2) Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) laboratories for a period of 5 years; and 3) Research laboratories for over 22 years. Walter has also participated in numerous studies with laboratory components like: 1) A Randomized Controlled Trial of Male Circumcision to Reduce HIV Incidence, conducted in three countries of Kenya at UNIM Project (young men), Uganda at Rakai District and South Africa at Orange Farm, near Johannesburg; 2) A Phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled HIV-negative women from 4 sites in 3 countries of Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa; 3) A cross-sectional study aimed at initiating surveillance of HIV and STI infection among MSM in Kenya; 4) A study of the microbial diversity of genital ulcer disease (GUD) among women in Kenya; 5) A prospective cohort study to measure the effect of the penile microbiota on BV, GUD, and genial epithelial trauma; 6) A study of the characteristics of the penile and rectal microbiomes and mucosal immunology among men who have sex with men; 7) An open label, single arm study of the safety and efficacy of dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC) in therapy-naïve HIV-1 infected adolescents; 8) A study of molecular and microbiologic surveillance for antimicrobial resistant N. gonorrhoeae for more effective containment in Kenya. Walter is currently the Laboratory Manager for UNIM Research and Training Center (UNIM-RTC) Laboratory at Nyanza Reproductive Health Society (NRHS). He has also been a trainer at The Kisumu National Polytechnic (TKNP), where he teaches courses in medical laboratory sciences. He has also mentored, and still mentors, local and international students in areas related to laboratory medicine in particular and research practice in general.