Student Fellows Program 2024 - 2025 Research Projects

Below is a list of the proposed research projects for the 2024 - 2025 Global Health Student Fellows. Once accepted to the fellowship program, the student will be matched with a faculty supervisor. More information about the program and how to apply is available on the GUGHI Student Fellows Program website.

Opportunities for Students

Enhancing Maternal Health in Zanzibar

Faculty Mentor: Christina X. Marea, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing

Project Description: The School of Nursing is preparing a research and clinical collaboration with an NGO in Zanzibar (WAJAMAMA) and the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA). In the fall, the fellow will help finalize an IRB application for a three-aim study related to the feasibility of expanding group prenatal and postpartum care to more Ministry of Health clinics throughout the island. Data collection will occur with the support of clinical partners in Zanzibar in October/ November, and the fellow will support data analysis and manuscript writing through winter 2024-2025 with an aim to submit two to three papers and a grant application by late spring 2025.

Transformational Health Law

Faculty Mentor: Sam Halabi, Director, Center for Transformational Health Law

Project Description: The Center for Transformational Health Law (CTHL) at Georgetown University undertakes cutting-edge work in the fields of global health security, universal health coverage, equitable access to medicines (especially vaccines), and support for the development of international health legal and policy instruments such as the new pandemic agreement. CTHL seeks one or more student fellows to work on these projects which involve expanding universal health coverage in the Africa region, developing a pathogen genomic data-sharing network, and supporting countries plan for vaccine rollouts, including as part of maternal, child, and infant health.

Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Non-Communicable Diseases

Faculty Mentor: Eva Jarawan, Associate Professor, Department of Global Health

Project Description: The student will be part of a team that will work on a large project focused on developing a regional monitoring and evaluation framework tailored specifically for non-communicable diseases within the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar). The project involves a thorough situational analysis of current practices, a review of global best practices, and stakeholder engagement. The resulting framework, tailored to GCC countries, will aim to enhance national data harmonization and informed decision-making.

Qualitative Research on Long COVID in Kenya

Faculty Mentor: Emily Mendenhall, Professor, School of Foreign Service

Project Description: This project will involve the first qualitative research on long COVID in Kenya. Professor Emily Mendenhall works with medical anthropologist Edna Bosire at Aga Khan University in Nairobi. We have already conducted the research and written two manuscripts. However, this exploratory research has opened up new questions and opportunities for exploration. We invite a fellow to join us to write additional papers and possibly engage in a field visit in Nairobi (if funds allow). We hope to conduct a deep dive scoping review into how post-viral conditions have been portrayed in Kenyan medicine and society through time, which will be written for a medical audience. In addition, we would like to write a historical analysis of how and why post-viral conditions for some conditions are recognized and others are not, with a focus on Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa more broadly.

The United States and China's Global Health Footprints

Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Bouey, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Global Health

Project Description: Dr. Jennifer Bouey is working on a project with a team at a think tank to understand the United States and China's global health footprints in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. We will use a database linking U.S. and Chinese overseas development projects to recipient countries' health system indices and find overlaps, gaps, and recommendations to policymakers in the United States, recipient countries, and China. The student fellow’s work will encompass a literature review, quantitative analysis, and qualitative analysis. The research work will produce multiple publications that will acknowledge the student fellow's contributions.

--
Communications for the Initiative for Global Mental Health and Well-being

Faculty Mentor: Shabab Wahid, Assistant Professor, Global Health

Project Description: The School of Health's new Initiative for Global Mental Health and Well-being is seeking a student fellow to assist the advisory board in implementing key activities of the initiative, including: (1) Communications: Website updates, writing blogs, interviewing key internal and external stakeholders, communication material development (e.g. flyers, posters, etc.), event reports, email correspondence, etc.; (2) Assist in facilitation of initiative events which include “Global Mental Health Dialogues @ Georgetown” lectures hosting international and national leaders in global mental health and well-being at Georgetown University, art events, and advisory board meetings. This will include logistics, event management, Zoom/livestream management, etc.; and (3) Literature review: The initiative has active global mental health projects around the world; in discussion with the mentor, the fellow has the opportunity to select a project and contribute to one or more scientific publications as a co-author.

Consideration of Cyber Risks in Biosecurity and Broader Laboratory Capacity-Strengthening Programs

Faculty Mentor: Claire Standley, Associate Research Professor, Center for Global Health Science and Security

Project Description: The student fellow would be responsible for implementing a scoping review of initiatives to integrate consideration of cyber risks into biosecurity and broader laboratory capacity-strengthening programs, which includes analysis of current implementation efforts. This review would potentially extend to include equity and participation in designing the systems and processes that should govern cyber-biosecurity. The center will provide support and guidance to assist the student fellow in refining their approach to the scoping review while allowing the flexibility to pursue areas of interest within the project. We anticipate the project's final output will be the submission of a publication to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Indian Health Service: Disaster Medicine Law and Policy

Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Katz, Director, Center for Global Health Science and Security

Project Description: The fellow will be working on a project related to disaster medicine law and policy within the Indian Health Service. COVID-19 has brought attention to many jurisdictional and policy questions that arise when considering disaster medicine in the Indian Health Service. Issues of tribal sovereignty come into play in ways that they do not in other settings. The student fellow will be helping the center map out existing policies with an aim to better understand how disaster medicine can be provided in a way that respects tribal sovereignty.

Increased Integration of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Faculty Mentor: Margaret Baker, Associate Professor, Department of Global Health

Project Description: Increased integration of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is one of the main concepts promoted by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) roadmap on eliminating NTDs by 2030. WHO proposes that future disease control efforts need to be more closely aligned with health systems and other development sectors like education, water and sanitation, and agriculture, taking a more holistic patient-centered approach. The student fellow will join Dr. Baker’s INclusion Lab (INnovating for more INclusive INfectious disease INterventions) and work in collaboration her and with Dr. Eva Jarawan and other students on a literature review. The literature review is designed to identify and analyze published results of research on the integration of infectious disease programs into routine health systems. Responsibilities will include reviewing abstracts and published papers, systematically extracting information from papers included, and writing summaries of findings.

Advanced Introduction to the Right to Health

Faculty Mentor: Andres Constantin, Scholar, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

Project Description: Dr. Constantin is developing a book that will introduce readers to the basic aspects and foundational discussions around the right to health. The book features numerous chapters on topics that range from reproductive rights to infectious diseases and noncommunicable diseases, among others. Dr. Constantin is collaborating with two other authors on this book (Prof. Lawrence Gostin [Georgetown University] and Prof. Lisa Forman [University of Toronto]). The fellow would provide research support and may have an opportunity to directly contribute to drafting material for the book.

Advancing Global Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Faculty Mentor: Weijun Yu, Senior Research Officer, Center for Global Health Practice and Impact

Project Description: This research project explores critical areas of global health, including the integration of HIV services, network analysis for infectious diseases, and spatial epidemiology in low and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The goal is to conduct comprehensive review articles paired with meta-analyses to provide in-depth insights and evidence-based conclusions. This project offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to significant advancements in global health research while honing analytical and research skills. It promises to be a highly impactful endeavor with the potential to influence global health strategies and policies in these regions worldwide.

Data Visualizations for Global Health Impact

Faculty Mentor: Katherine Robsky, Assistant Professor, Center for Global Health Practice and Impact

Project Description: This project aims to increase the utility and impact of programmatic health data through state-of-the-art data visualizations. The fellow will work with Dr. Katherine Robsky and the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI) data team to create dashboards for high-impact use, using the Toucan Toco data visualization platform; the fellow will receive training on this platform and experience is not required. Potential projects include a 5-year program summary for a President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funded Translating Data and Evidence into Impact (TIDE) HIV care and treatment program in Haiti and an annual report on the Support Eswatini to Achieve and Sustain Epidemic Control (SEASEC) HIV care and treatment program. The fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with CGHPI faculty and country teams and will gain insight into programmatic operations for global health programs.

Global Oncology

Faculty Mentor: Christopher Loffredo, Professor, Department of Oncology

Project Description: Efforts are underway to strategically link global oncology with the Global Health Institute at Georgetown (GUGHI), particularly on such issues as refugee health and the early detection of cancers in different populations around the world. Doing this will require immediate efforts to identify and list activities intrinsic to the Lombardi Cancer Center, prioritize where to focus future efforts (e.g. specific countries, collaborators in countries), and on which cancer-related topics (e.g. cervical cancer screening in high-risk women living with HIV). The student fellow applying for this opportunity will help to form a working group and set up regular meetings, help to identify and catalog current work in global oncology across the university, perform literature searches and summarize and compile articles, and create and maintain documents, charts, and calendars related to these activities. Therefore, this fellowship will provide an opportunity to help start an exciting new effort around global engagement in cancer prevention and control.

Global Maternal and Child Health Collaborative

Faculty Mentor: Phyllis R. Magrab, Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Project Description: The newly formed Global Maternal and Child Health Collaborative, a cross-campus initiative of the Global Health Institute, is designed to foster interdisciplinary partnerships and innovative research with the goal of improving health outcomes for mothers and children, promoting sustainable health care practices, and influencing policy development. Members are engaged in a broad array of projects across the continents including enhancing newborn care, early childhood mental health, supporting HIV programs, expanding midwifery models, studying the impact of incentives on health behaviors, and improvements in vaccination. The student fellow will join the implementation team of the collaborative to assist with literature reviews, mapping exercises, convening of members, review of current initiatives of members, and engagement in strategic planning. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the development of a significant global health initiative from its inception.

Violence, Displacement, and Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Faculty Mentor: John Quattrochi, Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Master of Science in Global Health, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Project Description: Two related projects seek to better understand violence, displacement, and health in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One, using data from a randomized controlled trial, will estimate spillover effects of cash-like assistance on the mental and physical health of displaced families that share a dwelling with native families. Two, a project using longitudinal secondary data will test for predictors of violent conflict across Congolese territories (analogous to U.S. counties) over a 30-year period. Student fellows can be involved in any aspect of manuscript preparation that is of interest, although data curation and analysis will be most useful.

Mental Health Care for People Living With HIV (PLWH) and tuberculosis (TB) in Eswatini

Faculty Mentor: Samson Haumba, Assistant Professor, Center for Global Health Practice and Impact

Project Description: People with HIV have a higher chance of developing mood, anxiety, and cognitive disorders. Mental health could have adverse effects on adherence and HIV/TB treatment outcomes. For example, depression is one of the most common mental health conditions faced by people with HIV. Mental disorders are treatable and people who have a mental disorder can recover. This project will assess and pilot innovative models for improving access and quality of mental health care for people living with HIV (PLWH) and tuberculosis (TB) in Eswatini, integrating human-centered design (HCD) principles and leveraging technology where appropriate. The aim is to ensure that mental health care services are patient-centered, culturally sensitive, and effectively integrated with existing HIV/TB care services.

A Population Health Systems Perspective of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Faculty Mentor: Michael Stoto, Professor Emeritus, Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Health

Project Description: Although the media often focus on failures, many other countries as well as areas of the United States have successfully implemented public health strategies to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This success depended, in large part, on the ability to focus on population health and take collective action, which requires systems operating at every level from global to local: local, national, and global surveillance systems; public health systems for testing and contract tracing; health care delivery systems; local, state, and national governance systems required to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions and assess their effectiveness; basic, clinical, and epidemiological research systems; vaccine development, distribution, and administration systems; and many others. In order to learn from this experience, Dr. Stoto is writing a book on the pandemic from a population health systems perspective, drawing in part on material he has prepared for his own writing and teaching. In addition to demonstrating the importance of a population health systems approach, the book will also identify the implications for reforming global, national, and local health systems to better deal with future public health emergencies.

Success Rate of Biotech Start-ups

Faculty Mentor: Sandeep Dahiya, Professor, McDonough School of Business

Project Description: Professor Sandeep Dahiya is interested in examining the success rate of biotech start-ups. Given the highly uncertain nature of potential scientific breakthroughs, such investments are highly likely to fail. However, the few successes can create outsize returns for the investors. The project will focus on all biotech firms that were financed in the 10-year period spanning 2001 to 2010 and document the eventual outcome for these ventures in the following 12-year period (2011-2022).

Nigeria Nursing Health Sector Leadership Training

Faculty Mentor: Debra Kosko, Associate Professor, School of Nursing

Project Description: In the effort to end HIV/AIDS, the focus is on strengthening nursing leadership across Nigeria. The School of Nursing is looking for a student with interest in health care leadership in challenging environments and workforce training. The student fellow will review baseline data collected by Nigerian leaders, review literature about workforce development in resource poor environments, and consider major themes for training curriculum.

Faith, Trust, and Global Health

Faculty Mentor: Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

Project Description: Declining trust in public health institutions is a threat to the well-being of individuals, families, and countries throughout the world. The student fellow will work on Faith, Trust, and Global Health, a project that seeks to inform strategies for engaging faith community leaders in promoting global health and well-being. The student fellow will assist with conducting background research, writing, coordination, and organizing.

Pandemic Politics

Faculty Mentor: Matthew Kavanagh, Assistant Professor and Director, Department of Global Health; Center for Global Health Policy & Politics

Project Description: Over the past 50 years, new pandemics have emerged with increasing frequency. Globally, few presidents or prime ministers in at least a generation have left office without facing an outbreak of disease spreading across borders, taking lives, and disrupting economies. The science of fighting outbreaks has never been better, but the path to using science to actually stop pandemics has proved elusive. This research is part of a book project looking at how pandemic politics played out in the United States, South Africa, India, and Brazil and how law was used in response to COVID-19 and AIDS.

Global Health Track for Georgetown University’s M.D. Program

Faculty Mentor: Oliver Johnson, Managing Director, Georgetown University Global Health Institute

Project Description: The Global Health Institute is working in collaboration with medical students and a diverse range of faculty to develop a global health track of Georgetown’s M.D. program. The track provides an opportunity to prepare and support future generations of physicians from Georgetown for impactful careers reducing health inequalities, working with marginalized communities, and contributing to solving complex health challenges around the world. We are looking to work with a student fellow to support the development of the track over the coming year through a range of projects including a review of existing global health tracks across the United States and internationally, surveys and engagement with current students and faculty, and input into the design and planning of the curriculum and business case for the program.

Global Health Law

Faculty Mentor: Lawrence Gostin, O'Neill Chair in Global Health Law, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law/Georgetown Law

Project Description: Professor Gostin is finalizing a second edition of Global Health Law, a book first published in 2014 that defined the field of global health law and has served as the leading reference on the subject. We expect to submit the complete manuscript for this second edition, a major revision that includes numerous new chapters, by the end of 2024, with additional updates and revisions in spring 2025 based on feedback from the publisher. The student fellow's main project will be providing research support, and likely contributing directly to drafting material for the book, as we finalize the manuscript and later incorporate the publisher's feedback. In addition, the student fellow will have opportunities to provide research and writing support for Prof. Gostin's articles for a variety of publications on pressing matters of national and global health law and policy.

Intersection of Sustainable Investing and the Health Sector

Faculty Mentor: Jun Han, Adjunct Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy

Project Description: This project focuses on exploring the intersection of sustainable investing and the health sector through an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) lens. The student fellow will collaborate on investigating how principles of sustainability or ESG are applied and integrated into investments within the broader health industry. The research will examine various aspects of sustainability, including environmental impact, social responsibility, and corporate governance practices across different health-related sectors, including hospitals, insurance companies, and foundations focusing on health. By analyzing current state, trends, challenges, and opportunities in sustainable investing in health, the project aims to provide insights into the evolving landscape of ESG in the health care sector. The outcome of this collaboration will be a research report or academic article that synthesizes findings and potentially offers recommendations for investors, health care organizations, and policymakers. This work will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable finance and its applications in promoting better health outcomes and more responsible business practices in the health sector.

Structural Elements of Health Systems in Latin America

Faculty Mentor: Oscar Cabrera, Director, Health and Human Rights Initiative at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law

Project Description: Against the backdrop of proposed health system reforms across the world (notably in Latin America — e.g., Colombia, Chile, Mexico, etc.), this project seeks to assess the structural elements of health systems that can make them more or less conducive to the realization of human rights. First, the project will consist of a literature review to establish the state-of-the-art in health systems discussions, systematizing the approaches taken by different schools of thought (including but not limited to the main premises, arguments, critiques, etc.), as well as to identify and analyze key health systems building blocks. Second, the project will include a review of the international human rights standards developed within the United Nations and Inter-American Human Rights Systems which explicitly or implicitly touch upon health systems considerations. Finally, the project will benchmark the health systems building blocks against these international human rights standards, arriving at preliminary conclusions that will inform further work of the Health and Human Rights Initiative (housed by O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law) in this area.

Evaluating and Describing Health Facility Factors Contributing to Patient Satisfaction in Haiti

Faculty Mentor: Babatunji Oni, Assistant Professor, Center for Global Health Practice and Impact

Project Description: A Georgetown University project in Haiti supports patients living with HIV/AIDS to stay active on care and treatment, and it supports health care facilities to provide patient-centered services that are conducive and welcoming to patients. The student fellow will work with a team on evaluating and describing health facility factors that contribute to patient satisfaction with services received. The fellow will work with teams based in Washington, DC, and in Haiti. Travel to Haiti will not be required.

Personalized Health Information, Education, and Support

Faculty Mentor: Ibrahim Bola Gobir, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Center for Global Health Practice and Impact

Project Description: Jara Wellness Assistance (JWA) offers personalized health information, education, and support through a user-friendly, interactive platform. Key features include symptom tracking and personalized health recommendations, medication reminders, appointment scheduling, anonymized interactions with health providers for mass campaigns or surveys, multilingual support, and AI-aware voice chat. JWA is deployed via WhatsApp, requiring no additional apps or devices, and is adaptable to low connectivity and power availability scenarios. The artificial intelligence component of JWA (Chat Bot and Chat GPT) enables it to analyze user data and provide tailored health advice, improving the relevance and impact of the information delivered. The AI-driven chat function also allows for real-time, responsive interactions, enhancing user engagement and support. The fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with each country to create detailed documentation of the platform rollout and conduct a needs assessment through literature searches and potential interviews, facilitating the platform's scale-up to additional countries.