Liza Sankar-Gorton

Liza Sankar-Gorton earned an MBA from the Foster School of Business. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Science in Society in which she studied microbiology and biochemistry alongside the history of science.  After graduation she worked in the newsroom of The Huffington Post as a science writer covering topics from NASA’s first-ever close-up photos of Pluto to anthropological perspectives on race and racism. From the newsroom she moved into marketing and branding for myriad organizations including those within the healthcare industry such as Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Humana. Whether in service of news coverage or advertising campaigns, Liza has always been driven by her love of qualitative research. Most recently she applied that skill as a human-centered design strategy consultant working with organizations such as Novartis and Lumedic.

Reflecting on her time at START, Liza said,  "START has made my time at UW so much richer. As an MBA student it can be difficult to find relevant coursework in science and global health, START is one of very few opportunities for business students to get hands-on experience in this area. Many of my most proud grad school achievements have come from my time at START, and I feel that I am a stronger job candidate coming out of this program. As I depart, I feel more connected to UW overall because, through START,  I’ve seen more of campus, met more people, become familiar with more graduate programs, and formed closer connections with faculty and staff. I would highly recommend START to any and all MBA students, it makes your time at Foster that much more rewarding and richer."

Liza worked on four projects during her time with START, acting as the Project Manager for three of them. Below are highlights from two of the projects Liza worked on:

• Food Fortification in Latin America – Phase 2: The Foundation commissioned START to aid the Nutrition Program Strategy Team in implementing large-scale food fortification (LSFF) to tackle global micronutrient deficiencies. Phase I identified LSFF stakeholders and conducted case studies in Latin America (Chile, Costa Rica, & Guatemala), highlighting compliance monitoring programs.
• Climate Change & Health Research: The START Center, in conjunction with the Emergency Response team within the Global Development division of Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, developed a comprehensive report that explores the escalating impact of climate change on public health in humanitarian setting and gives recommendations drawn from research for the climates adaptation strategies to prevent public health crises, focusing on Haiti, Ethiopia, and Pakistan. In particular, climate events and associated public health outcomes in nine low-and middle-income countries, the findings of which were then used to select narrowed focus on: 1) hurricanes and infectious diseases in Haiti; 2) drought and malnutrition in Ethiopia; and 3) flooding and infectious diseases in Pakistan.