About Dr. Catherine
About Catherine’s Career Journey
Dr. Catherine Kahabuka’s journey commenced with an unwavering passion for making a difference in people’s lives. Trained as a medical doctor at Tanzania’s esteemed Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), her initial aspiration was to become a pediatrician, motivated by her deep commitment to children’s well-being.
After completing her internship at Muhimbili National Hospital in 2006, Dr. Kahabuka undertook a significant role as a study physician in a malaria trial at Korogwe District Hospital. Her motivation for joining this trial was her deep passion for children’s well-being. While working in the pediatric ward, she cared for children suffering from severe malaria, who were enrolled in a clinical trial to evaluate an alternative drug for severe malaria treatment. However, her time at the rural district hospital in Korogwe shed light on the numerous systemic challenges that obstructed children’s access to life-saving interventions. This profound experience prompted her to make a pivotal decision: she relinquished her long-standing aspiration of becoming a pediatrician and instead pursued a Ph.D. in health systems.
Driven by the belief that research is a vital component of effective health programs, she committed herself to developing strong research skills. After earning her Ph.D. in 2012, Dr. Kahabuka embarked on her journey as an independent consultant for health systems research in Tanzania. Her passion was to contribute high-quality evidence that could inform and enhance effective programs.
Her first major assignment was the development of the “Tanzania National Family Planning Research Agenda 2013-2020.” This initiative brought her in close collaboration with researchers from the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and program managers from the Ministry of Health’s family planning unit. The Research Agenda was launched at the National Family Planning Conference in October 2013, where Dr. Kahabuka was awarded a “young scientist award” in recognition of her potential to make an outstanding scientific contribution to the field of family planning and demonstrating potential for future scientific leadership.
In her continuous pursuit of enhancing healthcare delivery through robust evidence, Dr. Kahabuka took the significant step of founding CSK Research Solutions in 2014. The firm swiftly earned recognition for its unwavering dedication to facilitating top-tier research endeavors, driven by a team of passionate and skilled professionals. By the year 2022, CSK had provided invaluable support for over 80 research initiatives, collaborating with more than 35 international clients spanning across 18 countries globally.
A major milestone was reached in 2023 when CSK Research Solutions achieved the distinction of becoming one of the six Tanzanian research institutions entrusted with a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) for the evaluation of USAID-funded projects under the USAID-funded Tanzania Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation (T-MELA) initiative. During this pivotal period, the firm transitioned into a newly established entity, now known as CREMES International. The acronym “CREMES” represents the “Centre for Research Mentorship and Support.” This transformation signifies a strategic shift towards strengthening the firm’s core focus on capacity building for research, affirming its commitment to advancing the field of research in Tanzania & Beyond.
As an independent consultant, Dr. Kahabuka has also been involved in various high-profile activities, such as strategic planning for organizations like Amref Health Africa Tanzania, technical review of funding applications under DFID, and quality assurance of research studies commissioned by UNICEF, Tanzania country office.
Driven by her passion to share the knowledge and skills she acquired during more than a decade of working as a research consultant, Dr. Catherine established the CREMES Research Mentorship Program in 2019. Initially launched in Tanzania, the program expanded to five other African countries in 2023, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Mentees benefit from comprehensive training in diverse research skills, all provided free of charge, with a primary focus on qualitative and mixed methods research. The program places a strong emphasis on nurturing work ethics and professionalism, offering mentees practical opportunities to apply these newfound skills through ongoing research activities.
Since the program’s inception in 2019, Dr. Kahabuka has continually innovated tools and approaches to make research concepts easier to understand and apply to aspiring young researchers. Some of these tools have been highly effective, allowing her to delegate advanced research tasks to junior researchers with exceptional results, something she rarely did before due to quality concerns. Having observed the profound transformation brought about by her training methods among program participants and receiving a multitude of requests for her courses, Dr. Catherine made the decision in 2023 to commence offering research courses beyond her research mentorship program, all at highly affordable rates. Simultaneously, Dr. Kahabuka started receiving requests for and providing qualitative research courses to organizations. Some of Dr. Catherine’s innovative approaches, including ‘Beginning with the End in Mind,’ ‘The Master Interview Guide Approach,’ and ‘The CREMES Approach for Organizing Qualitative Findings in Excel,’ are quickly gaining recognition for their remarkable effectiveness in streamlining the design and execution of qualitative studies.
In addition to her research-focused courses, Dr. Kahabuka is offering two transformative consulting courses:
- “How to Become and Succeed as a Consultant in Any Field”
- “How to Write Highly Competitive Proposals for Consulting Opportunities.”
These courses are designed to guide individuals who aspire to excel as consultants.
If you aspire to sharpen your skills in research and consulting while achieving professional excellence, please follow Dr. Catherine Kahabuka’s social media pages to stay updated on upcoming training opportunities.
Summary of my expertise and experience
Offering technical support to the research design, including data collection tools.
Offering quality assurance of research studies
Conversant with various data management nt software, including SPSS, Atlas Ti, MAXQDA & N - vivo
Experience in supporting strategic planning processes for non - governmental organizations implementing public health programs
Extensive experience working with multiple local and international stakeholders, including donors and government officials.
Supporting design and implementation of both pr ocess and impact evaluations of large donor - funded projects.
Supporting training of research teams and other capacity building activities in research
Supporting development of research proposals,
Providing technical review of applications for funding
Supporting dissemination activities for research findings, including writing of project reports, research manuscripts, policy briefs, and PowerPoint presentations.
Get in Touch for Support in Any of the Above Areas
Who I have Worked With
My Clients
Examples of my support
Selected Program Monitoring and Evaluations Activities
2022
2021-2022
2019
2018
Curriculum Vitae
For more information about the research activities that I have supported and clients served, please refer to my curriculum vitae below