Lindi van Niekerk

I’m an independent consultant in health systems and social innovation. I’ve been pursuing a journey to better understand the role grassroots social innovation can play to transform challenges faced by country health systems.

By training, I’m a medical doctor (MBChB), and I have designed and led health innovation projects around the world in partnership with a wide range of organizations. I co-founded the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) with the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in 2014. . As SIHI’s principal investigator (2014-2016), I have researched 25 social innovation models across 17 countries. As part of this work, I have also supported the establishment of social innovation research hubs at universities in Malawi, Uganda and the Philippines and implemented multiple crowdsourcing contests.

I hold a MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and am currently conducting doctoral research on 'the adoption and institutionalization of social innovation in public health systems'.

Some things to know about me: Due to my deep love for storytelling, I learnt to make documentaries and produced multiple short films and videos. In my free time I receive great joy from surfing the Pacific Ocean, getting out into nature and going camping, learning Spanish, and up-cycling old furniture.