About me: I studied undergraduate History and Global Development Studies at the University of Virginia. Upon graduating, I worked as a Peace Corps Community Health Development Agent in Burkina Faso, and then in the international public health sector in Washington, DC. I completed my masters in Demography and Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in 2017. Through the exposure to research taking place at LSHTM, and with the guidance of my professors, I refined my own research interests, and was motivated to pursue a PhD.
The difference my research makes: My research focuses on how record linkage with routine programme data can improve understanding of under-five mortality patterns in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate measurement of infant and child mortality is essential to tracking and accelerating progress towards its reduction. In regions facing the most serious health challenges, high-quality data is often lacking. Record linkage of demographic surveillance sites (DSS) with routine programme data allows areas without effective vital registration systems to monitor and evaluate population-health and health systems performance over time. Record-linked data can also be used to ascertain and ultimately correct bias in reports of pregnancies, pregnancy outcomes, early childhood mortality, and their risk factors. My research aims to evaluate the record linkage of approximately three African DSS with local clinics; utilize record-linked data to correct stillbirth, neonatal, infant, and child mortality estimates in DSS; and improve the ability of DSS to capture maternal and newborn events.
Supervisor: Georges Reniers
Pathway: Demography
