Biography
Bernardo Hernández Prado, DSc, MS, is a Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. In this role, he works with IHME’s Integrated Surveillance Systems research team in the evaluation of the Salud Mesoamérica 2015 project, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Division of Social Protection and Health. IHME and IDB designed surveys for households and health facilities to measure coverage of key interventions in nutrition, immunization, and maternal and child health. The research supports efforts to improve health system performance and build capacity in Mesoamerica.
Since 2008, Dr. Hernández Prado has collaborated with IHME on the Population Health Metrics Research Consortium project for the validation of verbal autopsy and chronic disease diagnosis questionnaires, and he analyzed verbal autopsy data collected for the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative #13 (GC-13). He also collaborates with the Verbal Autopsy research team and is involved in the evaluation of PREVENIMSS, a program of preventive actions launched by the Mexican Institute of Social Security. In addition, he serves as the director of the Health Metrics track of the Master of Public Health program at the University of Washington.
Prior to joining IHME, Dr. Hernández Prado had a long and distinguished career on the faculty of the National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He headed the Department of Maternal Health and the Center for Research in Population Health, for which he directed the epidemiology and nutrition programs. Most recently, he served as the institute’s Director of Reproductive Health. His research has focused on maternal health and mortality, the evaluation of social and health programs, and the effect of physical activity and improved nutrition on the health of children and mothers.
From 2002 to 2006, Dr. Hernández Prado coordinated the evaluation of Oportunidades, the principal antipoverty program of the Mexican government. He helped develop the master plan for maternal and neonatal health of the Mesoamerican Initiative in 2010. He is a level 1 National Investigator for the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico.
Dr. Hernández Prado earned a BSc in Social Psychology from the Metropolitan Autonomous University-Mexico City, a Master’s in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics, and a Doctorate in Sciences in Health and Social Behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health. Among the many honors he has received, Dr. Hernández Prado was awarded the 2005 Miguel Bustamante Prize of the National Institute of Public Health.
IHME was established at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2007. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice.
Hernández-Prado B, Rodríguez-Angulo EM, Palmisano EB, Ojeda-Rodríguez R, Ojeda-Baranda RJ, Andueza-Pecha MG, Johnson LM, Chen A, Johanns C, Marquez N, Kamath AM, Camarda JN, Flaxman AD. Factors associated with delays in the search for care in under-5 deaths in Yucatán, Mexico. Salud Publica de Mexico. 20 May 2021. doi: 10.21149/12216.
Gutierrez JP, Agudelo-Botero M, Garcia-Saiso S, Zepeda-Tena C, Davila-Cervantes CA, Gonzalez-Robledo MC, Fullman N, Razo C, Hernandez-Prado B, Martinez G, Barquera S, Lozano R. Advances and challenges on the path toward the SDGs: subnational inequalities in Mexico, 1990–2017. BMJ Global Health. 29 October 2020. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002382.
Híjar M, Pérez-Núñez R, Hidalgo-Solórzano E, Hernández Prado B, Valdez-Santiago R, Hamilton EB, James SL, Bertolacci GJ, Cunningham M, Dingels ZV, Fox JT, Liu Z, Roberts NLS, Sylte DO, Agudelo-Botero M, Borges G, Cahuana-Hurtado L, Campos-Nonato IR, Cardenas R, Davila-Cervantes CA, Denova-Guiterrez E, Diaz D, Lansingh VC, Martinez G, Montero-Zamora PA, Servan-Mori E, Lozano R. Unintentional injuries in Mexico, 1990–2017: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Injury Prevention. 1 April 2020. doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043532.
Kamath AM, Schaefer AM, Palmisano EB, Johanns CK, Marmol AG, Mendoza MD, Schwarzbauer K, Zuniga-Brenes P, Rios-Zertuche D, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH, Prado BH. Access and use of oxytocin for postpartum haemorrhage prevention: a pre-post study targeting the poorest in six Mesoamerican countries. BMJ Open. 16 March 2020. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034084.
Kamath AM, Johanns CK, Thom MG, Cogen RM, Rios-Zertuche D, Mokdad AH, Hernandez B. Assessing multidimensional care coverage for pre‐eclampsia in the era of universal health coverage: A pre–post evaluation of the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 29 February 2020. doi:10.1002/ijgo.13131.
Local Burden of Disease Child Growth Failure Collaborators. Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries. Nature. 8 January 2020. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1878-8.
Local Burden of Disease Educational Attainment Collaborators. Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries. Nature. 25 December 2019. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1872-1.
McNellan CR, Dansereau E, Wallace MCG, Colombara DV, Palmisano EB, Johanns CK, Schaefer A, Ríos-Zertuche D, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Hernandez B, Iriate E, Mokdad AH. Antenatal care as a means to increase participation in the continuum of maternal and child healthcare: an analysis of the poorest regions of four Mesoamérican countries. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 12 Feb 2019;19:66. doi:10.1186/s12884-019-2207-9.
El Bcheraoui C, Kamath AM, Dansereau E, Palmisano EB, Schaefer A, Hernandez B, Mokdad AH. Results-based aid with lasting effects: sustainability in the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative. Globalization and Health. 16 Oct 2018;14(1):97. doi:10.1186/s12992-018-0418-x.
Rios-Zertuche D, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Palmisano E, Hernández B, Schaefer A, Johanns CK, Gonzalez-Marmol A, Mokdad AH, Iriarte E. Methods to measure quality of care and quality indicators through health facility surveys in low- and middle-income countries. International Journal for Quality in Health Care. 18 June 2018; mzy136. doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzy136/503991
Duber HC, Hartford EA, Schaefer AM, Johanns CK, Colombara DV, Iriarte E, Palmisano EB, Rios-Zertuche D, Hernandez-Prado B, Mokdad AH. Appropriate and timely antibiotic administration for neonatal sepsis in Mesoamérica. BMJ Global Health. 2018;3:e000650. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000650.
Mokdad AH, Palmisano EB, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Ríos-Zertuche D, Johanns CK, Schaefer A, Desai SS, Haakenstad A, Gagnier MC, McNellan CR, Colombara DV, Romero SL, Castillo L, Salvatierra B, Hernandez B, Betancourt-Cravioto M, Mujica-Rosales R, Regalia F, Tapia-Conyer R, Iriarte E. Supply-side interventions to improve health: Findings from the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative. PLoS ONE. 16 Apr 2018; 13(4):e0195292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195292
El Bcheraoui C, Palmisano EB, Dansereau E, Schaefer A, Woldeab A, Moradi-Lakeh M, Salvatierra B, Hernandez-Prado B, Mokdad AH. Healthy competition drives success in results-based aid: Lessons from the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative. PLoS ONE. 2017 Oct 27; 12(10): e0187107. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187107
Dansereau E, Schaefer A, Hernandez B, Nelson J, Palmisano EB, Ríos-Zertuche D, Woldeab A, Zúñiga MP, Iriarte E, Mokdad A, El Bcheraoui C. Perceptions of and barriers to family planning services in the poorest regions of Chiapas, Mexico: a qualitative study of men, women, and adolescents. Contraception. 2017 Oct 17; 14:129. doi: 10.1186/s12978-017-0392-4
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
Rios-Zertuche D, Cuchilla J, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Hernández B, Jara P, Mokdad AH, Iriarte E. Alcohol abuse and other factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among adolescent students from the poorest areas in Costa Rica. International Journal of Public Health. 29 Aug 2017; 62: 271. doi:10.1007/s00038-016-0859-z
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.
Serina P, Riley I, Stewart A, Flaxman A, Lozano R, Mooney M, Luning R, Hernandez B, Black R, Ahuja R, Alam N, Alam SS, Ali SM, Atkinson C, Baqui AH, Chowdhury HR, Dandona L, Dandona R, Dantzer E, Darmstadt G, Das V, Dhingra U, Dutta A, Fawzi W, Freeman M, Gamage S, Gomez S, Hensman D, James SL, Joshi R, Kalter HD, Kumar A, Kumar V, Lucero M, Mehta S, Neal B, Ohno SL, Phillips D, Pierce K, Prasad R, Praveen D, Premji Z, Ramirez-Villalobos D, Rampatige R, Remolador H, Romero M, Said M, Sanvictores D, Sazawal S, Streatfield PK, Tallo V, Vadhatpour A, Wijesekara N, Murray CJL, Lopez AD. A shortened verbal autopsy instrument for use in routine mortality surveillance systems. BMC Medicine. 2015 Dec 16; 13:302. doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0528-8.
Serina P, Riley I, Stewart A, James SL, Flaxman AD, Lozano R, Hernandez B, Mooney MD, Luning R, Black R, Ahuja R, Alam N, Alam SS, Ali SM, Atkinson C, Baqui AH, Chowdhury HR, Dandona L, Dandona R, Dantzer E, Darmstadt GL, Das V, Dhingra U, Dutta A, Fawzi W, Freeman M, Gomez S, Gouda HN, Joshi R, Kalter HD, Kumar A, Kumar V, Lucero M, Maraga S, Mehta S, Neal B, Ohno SL, Phillips D, Pierce K, Prasad R, Praveen D, Premji Z, Ramirez-Villalobos D, Rarau P, Remolador H, Romero M, Said M, Sanvictores D, Sazawal S, Streatfield PK, Tallo V, Vadhatpour A, Vano M, Murray CJL, Lopez AD. Improving performance of the Tariff Method for assigning causes of death to verbal autopsies. BMC Medicine. 2015 Dec 8; 13:291. doi: 10.1186/s12916-015-0527-9.
Mokdad AH, Gagnier MC, Colson KE, Dansereau E, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Ríos-Zertuche D, et al. Missed Opportunities for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Immunization in Mesoamerica: Potential Impact on Coverage and Days at Risk. PLoS ONE . 2015; 10(10): e0139680. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0139680.
Flaxman AD, Serina PT, Hernandez B, Murray CJL, Riley I, Lopez A. Measuring causes of death in populations: a new metric that corrects cause-specific mortality fractions for chance. Population Health Metrics. 2015 Oct 12; 13:28. doi:10.1186/s12963-015-0061-1.
Mokdad AH, Gagnier MC, Colson KE, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Ríos-Zertuche D, Haakenstad A, Palmisano EB, Anderson BW, Desai SS, Gillespie CW, Murphy T, Naghavi P, Nelson J, Ranganathan D, Schaefer A, Usmanova G, Wilson S, Hernandez B, Lozano R, Iriarte E. Health and wealth in Mesoamerica: findings from Salud Mesoamérica 2015. BMC Medicine. 2015 Jul 14; 13:164. doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0393-5.
Colson KE, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Ríos-Zertuche D, Conde-Glez C, Gagnier MC, Palmisano E, Ranganathan D, Usmanova G, Salvatierra B, Nazar A, Tristao I, Sanchez Monin E, Anderson BW, Haakenstad A, Murphy T, Lim S, Hernandez B, Lozano R, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Comparative estimates of crude and effective coverage of measles immunization in low-resource settings: Findings from Salud Mesoamérica 2015. PLOS One. 2015 Jul 2. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130697.
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.
Colson KE, Potter A, Conde-Glez C, Hernandez B, Ríos-Zertuche D, Zúñiga-Brenes P, SM2015 Collaborators, Iriarte E, Mokdad AH. Use of a commercial ELISA for the detection of measles-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in dried blood spots collected from children living in low-resource settings. Journal of Medical Virology. 2015 May 18; 87:1491–1499.
Mokdad AH, Colson KE, Zúñiga-Brenes P, Ríos-Zertuche D, Palmisano EB, Alfaro-Porras E, Anderson BW, Borgo M, Desai S, Gagnier MC, Gillespie CW, Giron SL, Haakenstad A, López Romero S, Mateus J, McKay A, Mokdad AA, Murphy T, Naghavi P, Nelson J, Orozco M, Ranganathan D, Salvatierra B, Schaefer A, Usmanova G, Varela A, Wilson S, Wulf S, Hernandez B, Lozano R, Iriarte E, Regalia F. Salud Mesoamérica 2015 Initiative: design, implementation, and baseline findings. Population Health Metrics. 2015 Feb 7; 13:3. doi:10.1186/s12963-015-0034-4.
James SL, Romero M, Ramírez-Villalobos D, Gómez S, Pierce K, Flaxman A, Serina P, Stewart A, Murray CJL, Gakidou E, Lozano R, Hernandez B. Validating estimates of prevalence of non-communicable diseases based on household surveys: the symptomatic diagnosis study. BMC Medicine. 2015 Jan 26; 13:15. doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0245-8.
Rampatige R, Mikkelsen L, Hernandez B, Riley I, Lopez AD. Systematic review of statistics on causes of deaths in hospitals: strengthening the evidence for policymakers. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2014; 92:807-816. doi: 10.2471/BLT.14.137935.
Doubova SV, Pérez-Cuevas R, Ortiz-Panozo E, Hernández-Prado B. Evaluation of the quality of antenatal care using electronic health record information in family medicine clinics of Mexico City. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2014 May 16.
Campero Cuenca L, Atienzo EE, Lopez LS, Hernandez Prado B, Hernandez AV. Salud sexual y reproductiva de los adolescentes en México: evidencias y propuestas. Gaceta Medica de Mexico. 2014 Apr 23.
Vogel JP, Souza JP, Mori R, Morisaki N, Lumbiganon P, Laopaiboon M, Ortiz-Panozo E, Hernandez B, Perez-Cuevas R, Roy M, Mittal S, Cecatti JG, Tuncalp O, Gulmezoglu AM, on behalf of the WHO Multicountry Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health Research Network. Maternal complications and perinatal mortality: findings of the World Health Organization Multicountry Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2014 Mar; 121(Suppl 1).
Murray CJL, Lozano R, Flaxman AD, Serina P, Phillips D, Stewart A, James SL, Vahdatpour A, Atkinson C, Freeman MK, Ohno SL, Black R, Ali SM, Baqui AH, Dandona L, Dantzer E, Darmstadt GL, Das V, Dhingra U, Dutta A, Fawzi W, Gómez S, Hernández B, Joshi R, Kalter HD, Kumar A, Kumar V, Lucero M, Mehta S, Neal B, Praveen D, Premji Z, Ramírez-Villalobos D, Remolador H, Riley I, Romero M, Said M, Sanvictores D, Sazawal S, Tallo V, Lopez AD. Using verbal autopsy to measure causes of death: the comparative performance of existing methods. BMC Medicine. 2014 Jan 9; 12(5). doi:10.1186/1741-7015-12-5
Rampatige R, Mikkelsen L, Hernandez B, Riley I, Lopez AD. Hospital cause-of-death statistics: what should we make of them? Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2014 Jan 1; 92(1).
Hernández B, Kestler E, Díaz J, Walker D, et al. Situational profile and intervention strategies in the Mesoamerican region in the area of reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health. Salud Pública de México. 2011; 53, suppl. 3: 323-332.
Hernandez B, Ramirez-Villalobos D, Romero M, Gomez S, Atkinson C, Lozano R. Assessing quality of medical death certification: concordance between gold standard diagnoses and underlying cause of death in selected Mexican hospitals. Population Health Metrics. 2011; 9:38.
Murray CJL, Lopez AD, Black R, Ahuja R, Ali SM, Baqui A, Dandona L, Dantzer E, Das V, Dhingra U, Dutta A, Fawzi W, Flaxman AD, Gomez S, Hernandez B, Joshi R, Kalter H, Kumar A, Kumar V, Lozano R, Lucero M, Mehta S, Neal B, Ohno SL, Prasad R, Praveen D, Premji Z, Ramirez-Villalobos D, Remolador H, Riley I, Romero M, Said M, Sanvictores D, Sazawal S, Tallo V. Population Health Metrics Research Consortium gold standard verbal autopsy validation study: design, implementation, and development of analysis datasets. Population Health Metrics. 2011; 9:27.
Lamadrid Figueroa H, Ángeles G, Mroz T, Salomón J, Hernández B, Cruz-Valdez A, Téllez- Rojo MM. Heterogeneous impact of the social programme Oportunidades on use of contraceptive methods by young adult women living in rural areas. The Journal of Development Effectiveness. 2010; 2(1):74-86.
Ramírez-Villalobos D, Hernández-Garduño A, Salinas A, González D, Walker D, Rojo-Herrera G, Hernández B. Early hospital discharge and early puerperal complications. Salud Pública de México. 2009; 51(3):212-218.
Urquieta J, Ángeles G, Mroz T, Lamadrid-Figueroa H, Hernández B. Impact of Oportunidades on skilled attendance at delivery in rural areas. Economic Development and Cultural Change. 2009; 57(3):539-558.
Lajous M, Chavarro J, Peterson KE, Hernández B, Cruz-Valdéz A, Hernández-Ávila B, Lazcano-Ponce E. Screen time and adiposity in adolescents in Mexico. Public Health Nutrition. 2009; 12(10):1938-1945.
Litman HJ, Horton NJ, Hernández B, Laird NM. Incorporating missingness for estimation of marginal regression models with source predictors. Statistics in Medicine. 2007; 26(5):1055-1068.
Campero L, Hernández B, Osborne J, Morales S, Ludlow T, Muñoz C. Support from a prenatal instructor during childbirth is associated with reduced rates of caesarean section in a Mexican study. Midwifery. 2004; 20(4):312-324.
Walker D, Campero CL, Espinoza H, Hernández B, Anaya L, Reynoso S, Langer A. Deaths from complications of unsafe abortion: misclassified second trimester deaths. Reproductive Health Matters. 2004; 12(24 suppl.):27-38.
Sloan NL, Langer A, Hernández B, Romero M, Winikoff B. The etiology of maternal mortality in developing countries: what do verbal autopsies tell us? The Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2001; 79(9):805-810.
Hernández-Diaz S, Peterson KES, Dixit S, Hernández B, Parra S, Barquera S, Sepúlveda J, Rivera JA. Association of maternal short stature with stunting in Mexican children: common genes vs common environment. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999; 53:938-945.
Hernández B, Gortmaker SL, Colditz GA, Peterson KE, Laird NM, Parra Cabrera S. Association of obesity with physical activity, television programs and other forms of video viewing among children in Mexico City. International Journal of Obesity. 1999; 23(8):845-854.