Elizabeth completed her Bachelor of Science in Public Health in 2017 at Babcock University, Nigeria, and went on to earn a Master of Public Health (Advanced Epidemiology and Biostatistics) from University College Cork (UCC), Ireland, in 2021.

Following her undergraduate degree, she joined the National Youth Service Corps and was assigned to the Evangel Fistula Center in Jos as a Research Assistant. She later advanced to the role of Programme Officer at the same center and served as an Interim Training Officer for the Christoffel Blinden Mission Women’s Health Programme in Germany. Elizabeth has gained research expertise across various public health domains. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked as a Surveillance Officer with the Departments of Public Health in the South and Midwest regions of Ireland, supporting the development of research and surveillance capacities nationwide.

Elizabeth is funded by the HRB SPHeRE Programme and is pursuing a PhD in Population Health and Health Services Research (PHHSR) at the UCC School of Public Health and INFANT Research Centre. Her doctoral research explores the long-term risks of maternal mental health outcomes following adverse pregnancy and birth complications.

Her PhD thesis is titled: “Understanding the Impact of Pregnancy-Related Complications on Long-Term Maternal Mental Health Outcomes”. She is supervised by an esteemed team: Professor Ali Khashan (INFANT), Professor Fergus McCarthy (INFANT), Dr. Karen O’Connor (HSE), and Dr. Karen Matvienko-Sikar (UCC).

Career Profile

• 2024 – Present: Epidemiologist, Department of Public Health, HSE Midwest, Ireland
• 2021 – 2025: SPHeRE PhD Scholar, School of Public Health, University College Cork
• 2021 – 2023: Surveillance Officer, Department of Public Health, HSE South & Midwest, Ireland
• 2019 – 2021: MPH Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University College Cork
• 2018 – 2020: Programme Officer, Women’s Health Programme (Christoffel Blinden Mission, Germany)
• 2017 – 2019: Research Assistant, Evangel Fistula Center (Fistula Foundation, California)
• 2013 – 2017: BSc (Hons) Public Health, Babcock University, Nigeria.

Publications

• Al Khalaf, S., Bodunde, E., Maher, G. M., O’Reilly, É. J., McCarthy, F. P., O’Shaughnessy, M. M., O’Neill, S. M., & Khashan, A. S. (2022). Chronic kidney disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 226(5), 656-670.e32. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AJOG.2021.10.037
• O’Byrne, L. J., Bodunde, E. O., Maher, G. M., Khashan, A. S., Greene, R. M., Browne, J. P., & McCarthy, F. P. (2022). Patient-reported outcome measures evaluating postpartum maternal health and well-being: a systematic review and evaluation of measurement properties. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, 4(6), 100743. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AJOGMF.2022.100743
• Bodunde, E. O., Buckley, D., O’neill, E., Maher, G. M., Matvienko-Sikar, K., O’connor, K., Mccarthy, F. P., Khashan, A. S., & Ellwood, D. (2023). Pregnancy and birth complications associations with long-term adverse maternal mental health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. HRB Open Research 2023 6:3, 6, 3. https://doi.org/10.12688/hrbopenres.13660.1
• Bodunde, E. O., Buckley, D., O’Neill, E., Al Khalaf, S., Maher, G. M., O’Connor, K., McCarthy, F. P., Kublickiene, K., Matvienko‐Sikar, K., & Khashan, A. S. (2024). Pregnancy and birth complications and long-term maternal mental health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG : An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.17889
• Bodunde, E. O., McCarthy, F. P., O’connor, K., Matvienko-Sikar, K., & Khashan, A. S. (2025). Mode of birth and maternal depression/severe anxiety: Findings from Millennium Cohort Study. PLOS ONE, 20(6), e0327129. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0327129
• Elhiny, R., O’Keeffe, L. M., Bodunde, E. O., Byrne, S., Donovan, M., & Bermingham, M. (2025). Goal attainment, medication adherence and guideline adherence in the treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia in Irish populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention, 24, 200364. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJCRP.2025.200364