Remembering Kalonde Malama

Above: Dr. Kalonde Malama (centre), with Dr. Carmen Logie (second from right), former FIFSW SSHRC postdoctoral fellow Dr. Lesley Gittings (second from left) and colleagues from the Uganda Network of Young People living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA) at YARID in Kampala, Uganda.

Kalonde Malama — a rising star in HIV research who completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social work from 2021 to 2023 — passed away last week, on April 17th. 

During his time at FIFSW, Malama worked closely with Professor Carmen Logie and the SSHINE Lab (Stigma and Sexual Health Interventions to Nurture Empowerment), an interdisciplinary community-based research team that examines the social factors that shape global sexual and reproductive health and rights. In August 2024, he joined McGill University’s Ingram School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor focused on sexual health equity within Black populations. 

“Kalonde was an incredible HIV researcher, which is why we were so excited and grateful for him to join us at FIFSW for the Provost Postdoctoral Fellowship,” says Logie.  

“During his time with us, he contributed to a wide research program in the context of HIV, including work with refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda; with northern and Indigenous youth in the Northwest Territories; and with women living with HIV across Canada. He also led important analyses with the World Health Organization (WHO) on self-care interventions across global regions. Kalonde was a wonderful colleague and mentor to other post-doctoral fellows, doctoral students, master’s students, and undergraduate students on our team.” 

 Above: Dr. Malama (second from right) received the International AIDS Society Prize in 2018, honoring his significant contributions to HIV/AIDS research and his unwavering commitment to advancing health equity. 

As a researcher, Malama worked to destigmatize HIV, a pursuit inspired by his experiences growing up in Zambia where he lost many relatives to the disease. His goal was “to preserve the dignity of affected people and ensure access to treatment.” (Read our 2021 story: De-stigmatizing HIV treatment: How Kalonde Malama is working to advance health equity for marginalized populations.)  

“Kalonde was passionate in particular about supporting other African, Caribbean and Black Scholars to succeed and nurtured their research interests and capacity,” says Logie. “He was kind, smart, compassionate and generous, and will be greatly missed not only in academia but also by his wide network of family and friends. He was a rising research star and we are so grateful we had the opportunity to spend two years learning with and from him.” 

Dr. Malama’s wish was to be buried at home in Zambia. His loved ones are in the process of honouring his request through the repatriation of his body and preparing for the funeral in Lusaka, Zambia. If you would like to contribute to these efforts, please contact Dr. Carmen Logie for details.