Biography
What attracted you to the health metrics field?
As an undergraduate neuroscience major, I found myself simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the rate and potential consequence of scientific development and society’s lack of preparedness for these advances in terms of how to translate improved science into improved and equitably distributed health outcomes. This concern motivated me to design a bioethics minor, which entailed coursework in philosophy, sociology, biology, and psychology, and allowed me to grapple with big-picture science and health issues in a formal setting. Although I felt intellectually challenged and excited by the interdisciplinary debates that arose during this coursework, I remained dissatisfied with working abstractly and sought a way to act upon the discussions I was having in and out of the classroom.
Around that time, I traveled to rural India and witnessed first-hand blatant health injustices shortly before spending a semester studying medical practice and policy in Denmark, where social inequalities were impressively minimal. The juxtaposition between these travel experiences was eye-opening, and I realized that my love of bioethics and my interests in health and medicine could be bridged by work in global health. Given my inclination toward analytical thinking, health metrics was the natural next step in this progression of interests. How can we begin to discuss solutions and alternatives to unethical inequalities if we do not have a concrete understanding of the magnitude of the problems (or, perhaps, we do not even know exactly what problems exist)? I wanted to see quantitative evidence and I wanted to understand health inequalities in a more concrete and nuanced way so as to better prepare myself for work in the global health field.
What work are you doing at IHME?
I am working on the Salud Mesoamérica 2015 Initiative, which is a public-private partnership aiming to provide evidence-based solutions to extreme health inequities in southern Mexico and Central America. This multinational initiative specifically targets maternal and child health in poor, indigenous, and rural populations. IHME’s multifaceted role in this project includes developing large-scale household and health facility surveys with which to evaluate the health services of the countries, analyze the data, and generate reports that can be used by stakeholders to make effective changes. The work our team is doing is especially exciting because so little information exists about the populations of interest to the Salud Mesoamérica 2015 Initiative. Our team members are frequently on the ground providing survey trainings or presenting results, while the rest of the team is back at IHME, working to analyze the data. My responsibilities involve target setting and preparation of materials and reports for stakeholders. I am very excited to witness the changes and improvements that stem from the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative 2015 throughout my time here at IHME.
How do you think your experience at IHME will contribute to your future work?
Although I do not yet have a clear path in mind for my post-PBF journey, I do know that I intend to dedicate my career to efforts to reduce health inequities, whether this be through further work in health metrics or through a more direct role in policy or on-the-ground work. No matter what my next step may be, the knowledge and skills I gain while at IHME will provide me with a deeper understanding of the health issues and inequalities that exist globally and the complexities associated with generating evidence-based solutions.
Hernandez B, Colombara DV, Gagnier MC, Desai SS, Haakenstad A, Johanns C, CR McNellan, Nelson J, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Schaefer A, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Barriers and facilitators for institutional delivery among poor Mesoamerican women: a cross-sectional study. Health Policy and Planning. 15 Mar 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czx010
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*Authors listed alphabetically
†Corresponding author
Dansereau E, McNellan CR, Gagnier MC, Desai SS, Haakenstad A, Johanns CK, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Schaefer A, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Hernandez B, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Coverage and timing of antenatal care among poor women in 6 Mesoamerican countries. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2016 Aug 19; 16:234. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-1018-5
Colombara DV, Hernández B, Schaefer A, Zyznieuski N, Bryant MF, Desai SS, Gagnier MC, Johanns CK, McNellan CR, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Institutional Delivery and Satisfaction among Indigenous and Poor Women in Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama. PLoS ONE. 2016 Apr 27; 11(4): e0154388. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154388
Colombara DV, Hernández B, McNellan CR, Desai SS, Gagnier MC, Haakenstad A, Johanns C, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Schaefer A, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Zyznieuski N, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Diarrhea prevalence, care, and risk factors among poor children under 5 years of age in Mesoamerica. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2016 Jan 19. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0750.
Colombara DV, Hernández B, Gagnier MC, Johanns C, Desai SS, Haakenstad A, McNellan CR, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Schaefer A, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Zyznieuski N, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Breastfeeding practices among poor women in Mesoamerica. The Journal of Nutrition. 2015 Jul 1. doi:10.3945/jn.115.213736.