Getnet graduated from Addis Ababa University (AAU) in 1990 with a BA in Sociology and Social Administration with cum laude honors. He received MSc degree in Health Social Science from the University of Newcastle, Australia and PhD in medical sociology/anthropology from the University of Amsterdam. He is now a full professor in the Department of Sociology of AAU. He is a honorary professor at Jimma University, Adjunct Professor at Bahirdar University and a Global Fellow at the Centre on Law and Social Transformation, University of Bergen, Norway. He is also community mobilizer/development agent and a member of Ethiopian parliament.