Education
PhD, Johns Hopkins University, 2004
Overview
My research focuses on populations affected by natural disasters and conflict, including both refugees and internally displaced populations in camp and non-camp settings. Within the context of humanitarian emergencies, my areas of interest include health service access and delivery, nutrition and food security, livelihoods and cash interventions. My work is centered on the development of context-specific approaches for population-based surveys, needs assessments and the monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian assistance programs, that are rigorous yet feasible to implement given situational constraints of emergency settings. The focus is on implementation science, with the aim of informing ongoing humanitarian assistance and health programs and in the longer-term, providing an evidence base for emergency response programs and policies. Recent research and evaluation projects have been implemented in collaboration with NGOs, UN agencies, and other academic institutions in a variety of countries including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo among others.
Honors and Awards
Excellence in Teaching, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for course entitled ‘Food, Nutrition and Livelihoods in Complex Emergencies,’ 2013.
American Public Health Association International Section, award for outstanding research in conflict epidemiology in Iraq, 2007.