ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: MEET TWO RESEARCH ASSISTANTS GRADUATING FROM START’S TRAINING PROGRAM

This past fall, two research assistants graduated from the Strategic Analysis, Research & Training (START) Center’s training program. Chidozie Declan Iwu is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology. Sarah Shaw is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology.

Below, learn more about our impressive graduates and the work they completed while engaged with START.

CHIDOZIE DECLAN IWU, MPH, MSc

Chidozie is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington. He is passionate about infectious diseases epidemiology. He is also interested in understanding the transmission dynamics of emerging/re-emerging microbial diseases using the One-health framework. Chidozie previously worked on a project that characterised antimicrobial resistance within the environment-public health interface. He also assessed the implementation status of the Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance in Africa using data retrieved from the World Health Organization. Chidozie served as a graduate researcher at the Clinical Unit of the Council for Medical Schemes, South Africa and a teaching assistant at the School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria. His overarching research interests include infectious diseases epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, outbreak investigation, disease surveillance, disease control, and antimicrobial resistance.

Chidozie worked on six START projects during his time with START, acting as the Project Manager for one of them. Below are the highlights from the three projects Chidozie worked on:

• Surveillance, Burden and Epidemiology of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Settings: The purpose of this research project was to understand the current state of STI surveillance, burden and epidemiology for targeted populations, as well as data gaps for the following pathogens: HPV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea (GC), Chlamydia (CT). START team members conducted numerous literature reviews and produced numerous summary reports, data summaries, and maps for pathogens and subpopulations of interest in LMICs globally.
• Business Exemplars of Good Jobs: The Economic Mobility and Opportunity division asked START to develop four case studies that demonstrate how businesses implemented the Good Job practices, what incentivized them to do so, and what has the impact been on their businesses’ bottom line and resiliency as well as on the economic mobility of their low-income workers (individuals that make <2x the federal poverty line).

Reflecting on his time with START, Chidozie said, “My experience at the START Center was awe-inspiring. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work on diverse projects, and consult with esteemed clients and global health leaders from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Having worked on seven different projects and led two that were data-driven, policy-related, evidence-based, and business-related, I was able to hone my time management, collaborative, and leadership skills, for which I am appreciative of. The vibrant community at START and its commitment to delivering top-tier research and analytics for global transformation resonated deeply with my passion for creating meaningful change in the world. I am looking forward to applying these skills as I journey through my future endeavours.”

Chidozie will continue to engage with START’s extensive alumni network, established in 2011. START often invites alumni to share their experiences after graduating from the training program at all-team meetings and, additionally, taps into the alumni network for content expertise on projects. The alumni network is comprised of highly skilled START graduate professionals employed in global health, business, and consulting across disciplines.

SARAH SHAW, MPH

Sarah is a Northern Pacific Global Health Fogarty Research Scholar in Kenya, and third year doctoral student in Global Health Implementation Science at UW. She received her MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan and has an undergraduate background in medical anthropology from UCLA. Her research interests include demonstrating how community-based participatory approaches can be combined with implementation science to conduct pragmatic research activities to address health inequities and identifying drivers of the scale-up and sustainability of evidence-based interventions. Prior to joining the PhD program, Sarah worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and Malawi, supporting program implementation and research activities related to HIV prevention, gender-based violence prevention and response, and sexual and reproductive health, particularly among youth populations in southern Africa.

Sarah was engaged in a unique appointment with the START Center, read below about her project that she was the Project Manager for:

• Gender Equality Data Analytics and Modeling: The team supported the Gender Equality Data Analytics & Modeling team w/their work on the Pathways project which aims to understand which women are most vulnerable within certain settings & what factors contribute to this vulnerability. The START team will focus on preparing quantitative data & supporting the analysis for the updated Kenya segmentation using DHS data w/a wider sample.

Sarah will continue to engage with START’s extensive alumni network, established in 2011. START often invites alumni to share their experiences after graduating from the training program at all-team meetings and, additionally, taps into the alumni network for content expertise on projects. The alumni network is comprised of highly skilled START graduate professionals employed in global health, business, and consulting across disciplines.