William Gardner

What attracted you to the health metrics field?

During my undergraduate studies I had the opportunity to work on a number of health-related research projects, including an urban and rural comparative health research fellowship in Ecuador that initially sparked my interest in the social determinants of health. Since then I’ve been particularly interested in how social, political, and economic institutions stratify health, and which policies and interventions are most effective in improving health worldwide. Measuring such complex social phenomena involves significant measurement and methodological challenges, and I found the work of IHME and the broader health metrics field in developing rigorous, innovative methods that incorporate practices from across disciplinary boundaries to be particularly exciting.

What work are you doing at IHME?

I work on the Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (MNCH) team as part of the Global Burden of Disease study, where I model suboptimal breastfeeding as a risk factor as well as coverage of maternal and child health interventions, such as antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, in-facility delivery, and treatment for childhood illness. I also previously modeled lead exposure on the Occupational and Environmental Risk Factors team.

How do you think your experience at IHME will contribute to your future work?

I hope to continue to work in global health research after the Post-Bachelor Fellowship, and working at IHME has equipped me with invaluable research and data analysis skills that will directly contribute to my future career. I continue to learn so much from all the incredible, dedicated people who work at the Institute, and I know the skills I develop and connections I make here will continue to serve me wherever I end up in global health work.