Thelma Z. Abu, PhD

Assistant Professor in Environment and Human Interactions

Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community and Urban Studies, University of Connecticut

The socioecological production of health, where environmental change, health inequalities and gender meet. Climate, water insecurity and gender in the Global South; flooding, combined sewer overflows and wellbeing in the Global North.

thelma.abu[@]uconn.edu

Dr. Thelma Abu is an Assistant Professor in Environment and Human Interactions in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community and Urban Studies at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Dr. Abu's research focuses on the socioecological production of health at the intersection of environmental change, environmental health inequalities, global health equity, and gender. In the Global South, she focuses on climate, water insecurity, gender, and health. In the Global North, she works on flooding, combined sewerage overflows, and wellbeing. Previously, she was a recipient of the University of Toronto Mississauga Postdoctoral Fellowship and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Research

Climate, gender and mental health in Ghana Principal Investigator
Food and water insecurity in Ghana and Bangladesh Principal Investigator
Flooding, combined sewer overflows and mental health in the United States Principal Investigator
Maternal and child health in Ghana and the United States Principal Investigator
Health service utilisation in Ghana and the United States Principal Investigator

Publications

Bhattacharya, S., Abu, T. Z., Cope, M., Dasgupta, A. (2026). Synergies of participatory mapping and health geography: A scoping review Social Science & Medicine doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119104
Achore, M., Abu, T. Z., Mbaya, P., Yeboah, E. O. (2025). Exploring the role of cash-based interventions in alleviating food insecurity among the forcibly displaced: the case of Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh Conflict and Health doi:10.1186/s13031-025-00714-9 Open access
Abu, T. Z., Achore, M. (2025). Gender at the crossroads of mental health and climate change: A scoping review Social Science & Medicine doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118708 Open access
Boadu, R. O., Abu, T. Z., Musah, C. I., Ainooson, O., Elliott, S. J. (2025). Oral histories on water, sanitation, and hygiene across women’s lifecourse and wellbeing implications in Ghana Health Promotion International doi:10.1093/heapro/daaf191
Kilius, E., Rishworth, A., Suh, J., Ali, F. M., Abu, T. Z., Adams, M., et al. (2025). The ‘survival job’ pathway: Risk-focusing and occupational challenges among Canadian racialized and immigrant adults during the COVID-19 pandemic Social Science & Medicine doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118415 Open access
Achore, M., Abu, T. Z., Mbaya, P., Yeboah, E. O. (2024). Exploring the Impact of Cash-Based Interventions on Alleviating Food Insecurity Among Displaced Populations Amidst COVID-19: A Case Study of Cox Bazar, Bangladesh. Research Square doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-5363128/v1 Open access
Abu, T. Z., Achore, M., Irfan, M. T., Musah, I., Azzika, T. Y. (2024). The past, present, and future of Ghana’s WASH sector. An explorative analysis Water Security doi:10.1016/j.wasec.2024.100185 Open access
Plamondon, K., Shahram, S., Abu, T. Z., Hanson, L. (2023). Weaving ways of knowing into pathways toward equitable futures doi:10.4324/9781003028130-2
Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J. (2022). The critical need for WASH in emergency preparedness in health settings, the case of COVID-19 pandemic in Kisumu Kenya Health & Place doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102841 Open access
Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J., Karanja, D. M. S. (2021). ‘When you preach water and you drink wine’: WASH in healthcare facilities in Kenya Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development doi:10.2166/washdev.2021.238 Open access
Araos, M., Jagannathan, K., Shukla, R., Ajibade, I., de Perez, E. C., Davis, K., et al. (2021). Equity in Adaptation: A Systematic Global Review SSRN Electronic Journal doi:10.2139/ssrn.3782859 Open access
Araos, M., Jagannathan, K., Shukla, R., Ajibade, I., de Perez, E. C., Davis, K., et al. (2021). Equity in human adaptation-related responses: A systematic global review One Earth doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2021.09.001 Open access
Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J. (2020). When It Is Not Measured, How Then Will It Be Planned for? WaSH a Critical Indicator for Universal Health Coverage in Kenya International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi:10.3390/ijerph17165746 Open access
Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J., Karanja, D. M. S. (2020). When you Preach Water and you Drink Wine: Exploring the Implementation, Use and Management of WaSH in Healthcare Facilities in Kisumu County Scholarship@Western (Western University) Open access
van Aalst, M., Siders, A., de Perez, E. C., Reckien, D., Browne, K., Mach, K., et al. (2019). Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Ziervogel, G., Satyal, P., Basu, R., Mensah, A., Singh, C., Hegga, S., et al. (2019). Vertical integration for climate change adaptation in the water sector: lessons from decentralisation in Africa and India Regional Environmental Change doi:10.1007/s10113-019-01571-y Open access
Abu, T. Z., Bisung, E., Elliott, S. J. (2019). What If Your Husband Doesn’t Feel the Pressure? An Exploration of Women’s Involvement in WaSH Decision Making in Nyanchwa, Kenya International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi:10.3390/ijerph16101763 Open access