Biography
What attracted you to the health metrics field?
As I explored my academic interests in biology and environmental politics in college, I continued to be drawn to the beauty of mathematics on the one hand and to issues of social justice on the other. Over time, I saw my passions and interests cohere along intersecting lines: growing concern with global inequities – in health, education, income, and more – and belief in the value of using mathematical and statistical techniques to better understand biological processes. I wanted to pursue work that combines the rigor of quantitative methods and the ultimate goal of social reform.
Courses in human health and related topics helped to clarify and reinforce my interests. A course in medical care and the limits of state action illustrated the human results of inequality, while courses on infectious disease modeling and epidemiology pointed to the need to measure and understand the science behind health outcomes. A class on the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases inspired me to use mathematical and statistical analyses to better understand, and, ultimately, help solve problems in a variety of fields, including public health. These courses prepared me for an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where I wrote a chapter in an e-book on the effects of environmental exposures on human infertility and talked to toxicological modelers about research on how poisonous molecules disperse physiologically in the human body. My experience at the CDC solidified my interest in working in a health-related field.
These interests and passions led me to health metrics, a field in which I can apply methods I love to problems I am passionate about and harness the power of numbers to strive for the health of diverse global communities.
What work are you doing at IHME?
I work on the demographics research team. Our team calculates mortality estimates for every country, year, age, and sex as a part of the Global Burden of Disease project. We use a series of models to interpret a variety of data types, including vital registration, birth histories in surveys, and censuses, in order to estimate child and adult mortality. It is critical, but methodologically challenging, to make estimates for countries with weak systems of vital registration, and I have enjoyed delving into these innovative methods.
So far, I have worked on cleaning and prepping data from China’s DSP (Disease Surveillance Points). I am also working on generating estimates of stillborn rates in each country. Such data are essential for improving maternal health and measuring the effectiveness of neonatal care. Given the lack of available data, especially in poorer countries, this project is exciting and challenging.
How do you think your experience at IHME will contribute to your future work?
While I am not sure exactly what future work I will pursue after my time here, the research, quantitative, and analytical skills gained at IHME will give me a solid foundation for work in related fields. I am amazed at how much I am learning, from technical skills in computer coding to an entirely new vocabulary of data sources and modeling techniques. The mission of IHME, the vision and commitment of its faculty and staff, and the talent and enthusiasm of my cohort of fellows will inspire me and drive me to pursue social good, a passion that will remain my guiding philosophy no matter what I choose to do next.
The Global Burden of Disease Child and Adolescent Health Collaboration. Child and adolescent health from 1990 to 2015: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2015 Study. JAMA Pediatrics. 2017;171(6):1-21. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0250.
Gething PW, Casey DC, Weiss DJ, Bisanzio D, Bhatt S, Cameron E, Battle KE, Dalrymple U, Rozier J, Rao PC, Kutz MJ, Barber RM, Huynh C, Shackelford KA, Coates MM, Nguyen G, Fraser MS, Kulikoff R, Wang H, Naghavi M, Smith DL, Murray CJL, Hay SI, Lim SS. Mapping Plasmodium falciparum Mortality in Africa between 1990 and 2015. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016 Oct 10. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1606701
GBD 2015 Maternal Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, and national levels of maternal mortality, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1775–1812.
GBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1459–1544.
GBD 2015 Child Mortality Collaborators. Global, regional, national, and selected subnational levels of stillbirths, neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. The Lancet. 2016 Oct 7; 388:1725–1774.
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