Educational/professional background
I completed my BSc at the University of Guelph and MSc in Health Promotion at Western University in Canada. After completing my MSc, I went on to work at two academic medical centres in Chicago leading programmes that focused on decreasing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities, specifically among young women.
Research interests or career goals
It was through my professional experiences where I became interested in programmes and policy initiatives focused on re-shaping healthcare delivery models to address SRH disparities and better meet the needs of women.
My DrPH work is a continuation of the impact evaluation of the DREAMS Partnership, led by Dr Isolde Birdthistle and Prof Sian Floyd, which aims to reduce HIV incidence among young women across Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Specifically, I’m examining the approaches by which DREAMS integrated HIV prevention and SRH service delivery as part of the implementation in Kenya.
Why I chose LSHTM/my programme
I chose to pursue a DrPH degree because it provides me with analytic training in epidemiological methods while also focusing on practical skills that are necessary to bridge the gap between research, policy, and implementation.
I’m hopeful my research findings can inform the future design of integrated service delivery models for young women and given LSHTM’s international presence and collaborative nature, I know I will be well supported to translate my findings beyond the research environment into tangible impacts.