Aldina Mesic

Aldina Mesic holds a Global Health Implementation Science PhD from the University of Washington. Aldina holds an MPH in Monitoring and Evaluation and Maternal and Child Health from Boston University and a BS in Biology from Northeastern University.  Aldina has worked on research studies focused on gun violence in the U.S., intimate partner violence in low income countries, and HIV among adolescents. Most recently, Aldina worked as a Senior Research Associate at Innovations for Poverty Action in Zambia. During that time, she worked on a study that sought to address barriers to safe delivery services in rural villages. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of interventions focused on shifting gendered social norms, increasing access to reproductive and maternal care, and decreasing the risk of intimate partner violence.

“When reflecting on my time at START – two words come to mind: 1) community, and 2) challenge. On the first, START provided a unique community of students, faculty, and staff to come together in one physical and virtual space to share our experiences, thoughts, and knowledge with one another. I deeply value the strong relationships that have come from START, those which were developed by spending time in the START room while enjoying many snacks, attending trainings and retreats, and working together closely to achieve common goals on projects. I feel especially grateful to START for providing an introduction and opportunity to work closely with faculty members, some of which I’m certain I will continue working with for years to come.

On the second, START has challenged me in numerous ways which has led to substantial professional growth. The START model focuses on exposure to a variety of disease areas, methods, and teams. Students/faculty are challenged to learn, grow, and become experts in a new topic. Through this exposure and through the project manager role, I was given an opportunity to improve my leadership, communication, and presentation skills. This exposure also allowed me to gain clarity about the topics/methods that I’m most interested in (e.g., spatial analysis). What an amazing opportunity it has been!”  Aldina Mesic, START RA 2019 - 2022