Our Staffs

Dr. Yared Mekonnen

Managing Director

Dr. Yared is the founder and Managing Director of Mela Research. He brings more than 28 years of experience in designing, implementing, managing, monitoring, and evaluating public health programs. Dr. Yared led several reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health program evaluations in Ethiopia. Currently, he is serving as the Managing Director for Mela Research in Ethiopia, leading and supervising all research and consultancy activities in the Company.

Dr. Yared was a recipient of the 2004 Public Health Research Award of the Ethiopian Public Health Association for outstanding contribution in public health research in Ethiopia, and also received the best researcher award (2002) of the Ethiopian Medical Association. He was an Academic Visitor (1999), in the Department of Ecology and Epidemiology, Warwick University, UK. He has conducted more than 35 evaluation studies and has authored and co-authored over 45 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and published a number of monographs and technical reports. He serves as scientific reviewer for several international journals including BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Public Health, Social Science and Medicine, Global Health, and Journal of Biosocial Science, PLOS One, to mention the few. He received a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Amsterdam and an MSc in Demography from Addis Ababa. He also received certificates in public health, international health, mathematical modelling, and advanced statistical techniques from the University of Erasmus, the Netherlands, and University of Warwick, UK.

Dr. Daniel S. Telake

Dr. Daniel has been with Mela Research since its inception and continues to be affiliated with as a Senior Research Associate. Dr. Telake holds a Doctorate Degree in International Development Studies (Dr. phil) from Bremen University, Germany and a Doctorate Degree in Social Demography (Ph.D.) from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Center for International Health of the University of Toronto where he was also a Research Associate at the Comparative Program on Health and Society of the Munk Center for International Development. Dr. Telake has worked as a Research Associate for the Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder and as a visiting researcher at the Addis Ababa Mortality Surveillance Program, Addis Ababa University School of Nursing. His professional work experience which spans for over fifteen years has been obtained through his involvement in the public, non-profit as well as the private sectors. Dr. Telakes longest service was with the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development where he progressively achieved a senior expert position. His contribution to the non-profit sector mainly includes, serving as a project manager, monitoring and evaluation officer and providing advisory and consultancy services. He has also lectured at universities in Ethiopia, Germany and Canada. Dr. Telake has provided professional consultancy services to various agencies, such as the USAID (External Mid-term Evaluation of the HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program (HCSP) and National OVC Costing), and Hewlett Packard Foundation to name a few. In the private sector, he is the co-founder of a successful school in Jimma, a city in southwest Ethiopia. Dr. Telake has his research contributions published in refereed journals and working papers, and has presented his research findings at several local and international forums. His major publication is a book entitled Non-Governmental Organizations in Ethiopia: Examining Relations between Local and International Groups published by Edwin Mellen Press in 2005. Dr. Daniel currently lives in Canada.

Dr. Walter Rasugu Omariba

Dr. Walter lives and works in Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University where he focused on cross-national differences in child health and developments.His professional work experience spanning over fifteen years has been obtained through his involvement in the public and non-profit sectors.Dr. Omariba has worked as an Epidemiologist at the Toronto Western Research Institute, as a Research Associate at the Population Studies Centre, University of Western Ontario, and as a programme Officer at the Family Support Institute, Nairobi, Kenya among others. He has taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in universities in Kenya and Canada. He has also provided expert advice and technical assistance to various multi-national organizations working in diverse development areas, and successfully completed a number of research and consultancy assignments. Dr. Omariaba is currently serving as Associate Researcher at Mela Research Plc. He is actively involved in grant proposal preparation, developing study designs, study protocols, data collection tools, data analysis and report preparation. His accumulated research and acdamic experiences have been greate assets to Mela. Dr. Omariba has published his research in leading demography, health and social sciences refereed journals, book chapters, and in different working papers series. He has also presented his research work at several national and international forums.

Dr. Tati Hagos

Dr. Tati has been affiliated with Mela Research, where she serves as a Clinical Research Associate, focusing particularly on child and maternal health. Holding a Medical Degree, she possesses extensive expertise in clinical practices. Notably, she also holds the position of Senior Specialist Staff Nurse within the Critical Care Unit at Chelsea and Westminster University Hospital in London, UK. Driven by a career spanning diverse healthcare environments, she has contributed her skills to both the National Health Service and Private Agencies for over a decade, primarily in London’s distinguished hospitals. Having successfully earned her initial degree in healthcare science (Adult Nursing) from the University of Greenwich, she continued her educational journey with a focus on general medicine. Her academic pursuits culminated in the completion of a master’s degree in general Medicine in 2022, awarded by the University of Oradea, Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Tati is distinguished by her possession of dual practice licenses, enabling her to practice as both a nurse and a foundation year 1 (F1) Medical Doctor. She currently engages in clinical rotation and specializes in critical care, Accident and Emergency. Her skill set extends to encompass health visiting, pediatric medicine, occupational health, family health promotion, health education, research, and the mentorship of students and new staff members.