Name
Evelyne Kestelyn MSc MPH

Position
Head of the Clinical Trials Unit

About
Evelyne Kestelyn has a Master from the University of Ghent in Comparative Science of Cultures and in Conflict and Development. She went on to pursue a long distance Master in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine after having worked for several years on HIV and RTI’s in Africa. She became involved in Microbicides research and has been a strong advocate for multi purpose prevention technologies to offer women options that protect them against multiple risks; HIV, STIs and/or pregnancy. She is pursuing a PhD on the acceptability and adherence of a contraceptive vaginal ring in Rwanda.

Evelyne is currently acting as Head of the Clinical Trials Unit for the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam. The CTU manages around 64 research projects annually and is working on setting up 12 new clinical trials in the next year. One of her goals is to deliver high quality clinical trial data in a timely and cost-effective manner. She is currently working on the OUCRU Data Sharing policy to push for an institutional sustainable open access policy. Evelyne has a strong interest in Research Ethics, and as a member of the Project for Informed Consent in Africa (PICA) network, she has worked on several informed Consent projects. She is interested in Informed Consent understanding, comprehension and assessments across different countries.

Publications
Evelyne has published more than 15 articles in international journals.

5 key recent research articles:
• High Human Immunodeficiency Virus Incidence in a Cohort of Rwandan Female Sex Workers. Braunstein, Sarah L.; Ingabire, Chantal M.; Kestelyn, Evelyne; Uwizera, Aline Umutoni; Mwamarangwe, Lambert; Ntirushwa, Justin; Nash, Denis; Veldhuijzen, Nienke J.; Nel, Annalene; Vyankandondera, Joseph; van de Wijgert, Janneke H. H. M. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, May 2011 – Volume 38 – Issue 5.

• Living situation affects adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adolescents in Rwanda: a qualitative study. Mutwa PR, Van Nuil JI, Asiimwe-Kateera B, Kestelyn E, Vyankandondera J, Pool R, Ruhirimbura J, Kanakuze C, Reiss P, Geelen S, van de Wijgert J, Boer KR. PLoS One.2013;8(4):e60073. Epub 2013 Apr 3.

• The Ring Plus project: safety and acceptability of vaginal rings that protect women from unintended pregnancy. Schurmans C, De Baetselier I, Kestelyn E, Jespers V, Delvaux T, Agaba SK, van Loen H, Menten J, van de Wijgert J, Crucitti T; RING PLUS study group. BMC Public Health. 2015 Apr 10;15(1):348.

• Evaluation of an enzymatic Chlamydia trachomatis point-of-care rapid assay in Rwanda: the BioChekSwab Rapid Test. De Baetselier I, Mwambarangwe L, Cuylaerts V, Musengamana V, Agaba S, Kestelyn E, van de Wijgert J, Crucitti T. Sex Transm Infect. 2016 Sep;92(6):430-2. doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052202.

• Informed Consent, community engagement, and study participation at a research site in Kigali, Rwanda. Van Nuil JI, Kestelyn E, Umutoni G, Mwambarangwe L, Umulisa MM, van de Wijgert J, Ravinetto R. Dev. World Bioeth. 2017 May 11. doi:10.1111/dewb.12149.