Early Career Researcher Spotlight – Elise Elisante Kimambo

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a dedicated Paediatrician at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), with a clinical passion for the care of newborn infants. Since joining the KCMC team, I have focused this expertise on the unique physiological and medical needs of neonates, ranging from term well-babies to premature and low-birth-weight infants. 

Committed to evidence-based practice, I am conversant in neonatal resuscitation, thermoregulation, and early nutritional support (including breastfeeding optimisation), and care of preterm babies. I believe that the first 28 days of life are the most critical, and work tirelessly to provide Family-Centred Care, ensuring that both the infant and the parents receive the support they need during this sensitive period. My goal is to lower neonatal morbidity and mortality and give every child born at KCMC the strongest possible start to life, even for the preterm babies. 

What is your research focus?

Primary research interests

Newborn preterm babies care, with a focus on Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), health systems, and developing a user-friendly but effective KMC duration tracking tool.

Current or recent projects

I am developing a KMC duration tracking tool that is meant for use for clinical use, that can track as accurately as possible the duration for KMC for preterm babies without increasing the burden of paperwork to already overwhelmed teams. This will increase the duration of KMC, optimise care of preterm babies whilst increasing health benefits of KMC to the baby.  

Why does this matter?

Proper recording system for KMC duration has been one of the major challenges. I am focused on addressing this by creating or adopting a tool a customise it such that can be used to track the duration of KMC as accurately as possible, all along continuing all other areas of care needed by preterm baby such as feeding and treatment.  

The mentorship experience

I joined the PANSAA mentorship scheme to strengthen my skills as an early-career researcher in neonatal health. My goal is to deepen this research capacity, with a particular focus on evidence synthesis and translating findings into clinical practice, as well as developing my leadership abilities. I am also looking forward to mentorship and collaborative opportunities to advance this work on KMC and to grow as a paediatrician dedicated to improving neonatal care and outcomes. 

Looking ahead

I aim to grow from an early-career researcher into a confident leader in neonatal health. Through PANSAA, I plan to deepen my skills in evidence synthesis, implementation science, and research translation. I look forward to advancing my work on KMC, building meaningful collaborations at my workplace, as well as other low-resource settings and contributing to policy that improves newborn outcomes. Ultimately, I aspire to mentor future ECRs and lead multi-centre studies that bridge the gap between research and bedside practice. With the right mentorship, I am confident I can help shape a future where every newborn has a fair chance at life. 

What advice do you have for other Early Career Researchers?

Start where you are, and that is enough. You do not need a big grant to begin—just a small project on KMC at KCMC. Reach out to mentors; they are waiting for you to ask. Show up, listen, and share gently with others. When a paper is rejected, let yourself feel it, then try again. When you feel tired, remember the tiny newborn in your arms and the mother who trusts you. You are not alone on this journey. You are becoming exactly who you need to be. Keep going, one small step at a time. 

Connect with Elise

• Email: elise.elisante@kcmuc.ac.tz