Dr. Nellie Myburgh

Nellie Myburgh is a South Africa–based public health researcher whose work centers on maternal, neonatal, and child health in resource-limited settings. Closely engaged with the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network, her research advances understanding of causes of death through minimally invasive tissue sampling and multidisciplinary cause-of-death determination, strengthening evidence for policy and clinical practice across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Her publications highlight major contributions to improving diagnostic accuracy in high-mortality contexts, particularly in neonatal deaths, pneumonia, and stillbirths. By comparing verbal autopsy methods with pathology-informed approaches, her work exposes critical gaps in routine cause-of-death attribution and underscores the need for better diagnostic tools, refined algorithms, and enhanced clinical capacity to reduce preventable child mortality.

In parallel, Myburgh examines vaccine hesitancy and health-seeking behavior in South Africa, exploring trust, misinformation, and structural barriers affecting COVID-19, influenza vaccination, and antenatal care. Drawing on qualitative and mixed-methods designs, she provides context-sensitive insights into confidence, complacency, and convenience factors, informing culturally responsive communication strategies and health system improvements.