People — Public Policy and Population Health Observatory

The Public Policy and Population Health Observatory is a research network currently made up of four faculty at McGill University studying experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation methods for health policies and programs, their research teams, and students who are working in this area.

Sam Harper

Sam Harper is an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health at McGill University. He is also a member of the McGill University Centre on Population Dynamics and McGill’s Public Policy and Population Health Observatory. He holds an endowed chair of Impact of Health and Social Policy on Health Inequalities at Erasmus University Medical Center.

His research focuses on understanding population health and its social distribution, with specific interests in impact evaluation, reproducible research, measuring health inequalities, global health, demography, causal inference, and ethical issues in public health.

Jay Kaufman

Jay S. Kaufman holds a PhD in epidemiologic science from University of Michigan (1995). He was previously a professor at UNC School of Public Health in Chapel Hill (1999-2008) and is currently Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University (2009-present). His work focuses on social epidemiology, analytic methodology, and causal inference for various health outcomes. He is an editor at Epidemiology and an associate editor at the American Journal of Epidemiology. With J. Michael Oakes he is the co-editor of the textbook “Methods in Social Epidemiology” (2nd Edition, 2017).

Arijit Nandi

Arijit Nandi holds a Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Global Health. He is an Associate Professor jointly appointed at the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health. An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Nandi is broadly interested in the impact of social and economic factors on population health. His primary research interests are: (1) assessing multilevel associations between economic characteristics and population health; (2) investigating the relation between social and economic policies and population health and health disparities in a global context; and (3) estimating causal effects of economic interventions on mental health. A former Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Harvard University, Dr. Nandi received a PhD from the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Erin Strumpf

Erin Strumpf is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University where she is a William Dawson Scholar. She received her PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University and her BA from Smith College.

Dr. Strumpf’s research in health economics focuses on evaluating the impacts of health and social policies on the health and wellbeing of individuals and populations, on inequalities across groups, and on the performance of the health care system. She uses administrative health data, large-scale surveys, and methods for causal inference - principally quasi-experimental designs - to estimate the effects of interventions and reforms in real-world settings. Dr. Strumpf and her research team actively collaborate with decision makers to generate relevant, usable knowledge to improve population health and health care system performance. She has presented her work to provincial ministries of health and of finance in Canada, and to policymakers in France and the United States.

Seungmi Yang

Seungmi Yang is an assistant professor at the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University. She is affiliated with the Institute of Health and Social Policy and the Centre on Population Dynamics at McGill and holds a chercher-boursier junior 1 award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé. Her research interests lie in lifecourse epidemiology and socioeconomic health inequalities as two important themes in population health. Dr. Yang and her research team pursue various methodological approaches in design and analysis to better understand the complex interplay between prenatal and postnatal factors and their health consequences.

STUDENTS

Melia Alcantara is a Master's student in the department of Epidemiology at McGill University and is supervised by Dr. Seungmi Yang. She completed her Bachelor of Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, where she first became interested in health disparities, perinatal health, and social epidemiology. Her thesis work is focused on decomposing the disparity in perinatal outcomes seen between native- and foreign-born women in Canada by various social factors.

Doris Durán is a Ph.D. student in Epidemiology at McGill University. She received her DDS at Finis Terrae University and her MSc in Public Health at the University of Chile. She is an adjunct researcher at the Centre of Population Health at San Sebastián University in Chile and an Oral Public Health instructor at University of Chile. Previously her work focused on health policies, specifically in cancer, from a social epidemiology framework. She is currently working on head and neck cancer mortality and evaluating the impact of the Chilean health reform on breast, stomach, colorectal, and gallbladder cancer.

Renzo Calderon-Anyosa is a PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill University. He received his MD and MSc in Biomedical Informatics in Global Health at Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru and has been working in public health since early in his … — Renzo Calderon-Anyosa is a PhD student in Epidemiology at McGill University. He received his MD and MSc in Biomedical Informatics in Global Health at Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru and has been working in public health since early in his career. His past research activities involved participating in interdisciplinary programs in global health with a focus on social epidemiology. Renzo's main interest is in understanding and evaluating public policies regarding social and gender inequality in healthcare, neglected and chronic diseases and the use of communication technologies in public health. His PhD thesis evaluates the impact of social interventions on gender-based violence in the Americas, including the identification of national data sources and an in-depth policy analysis of interventions with an interdisciplinary approach. His research will contribute to promote evidence-based policy in the region to work towards the eradication of violence.

Erin Hetherington is a CIHR postdoctoral fellow at McGill University where she studies health disparities under the guidance of Sam Harper. Erin’s research focuses on social factors that contribute to inequalities in maternal and child health. Her P… — Erin Hetherington is a CIHR postdoctoral fellow at McGill University where she studies health disparities under the guidance of Sam Harper. Erin’s research focuses on social factors that contribute to inequalities in maternal and child health. Her PhD research examined trajectories of social support in the perinatal period and their impact on postpartum depression. Her current work examines birth outcomes and service utilization among immigrants and refugees. Erin holds a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Calgary, an MSc in Public Health from Harvard and a BA in political science from McGill.

Talia Sternbach is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at McGill University, jointly supervised by Sam Harper and Jill Baumgartner. Her research interests lie in the environmental and social determinants health and impact evaluation. Her current research investigates the environmental and cardiovascular health impacts of a clean energy transition program in Northern China. Talia holds a BA in Environmental Science and MSc in Epidemiology from McGill University

Mehrunnisa Shiraz is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Public Health program. She is interested in the evaluation of social policies that promote health equity, disability justice, healthcare efficiency, and women’s health and safety. Mehrunnisa holds a BSc in Psychology from McMaster University.

Walid Al-Soneidar is a Yemeni dentist, health policy analyst, and currently a PhD candidate in epidemiology at McGill. After completing dental school in Yemen, he became a Fulbright Scholar at Washington State University where he obtained a master’s degree in health policy and administration. He is currently working on his thesis on the epidemiology of head and neck cancers under the supervision of Dr. Sam Harper and Dr. Belinda Nicolau. Walid’s research interest is at the intersection between oral, social, and cancer epidemiology.

Sherry Shu-Yeu Hou is an Epidemiology PhD candidate. She is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi and is primarily interested on health equity, mental health, and policy evaluation. Her dissertation work is focused on caregiving and mental health wellbeing among older adults in Canada and Europe. Prior to studying at McGill, she worked in mental health equity and health services research in both academic and industry settings. Sherry grew up in Taipei City and received her Master’s in Public Health and BA in International Relations from Tufts University.

Peter Socha is a PhD student in epidemiology at McGill University, supervised by Sam Harper and Jennifer Hutcheon (UBC). His thesis research focuses on the effectiveness and long-term safety of antenatal corticosteroid treatment. His interests include perinatal epidemiology, causal inference, and social determinants of health. Peter has a BSc in Biology from the University of Victoria.

Caroline Joyce is a PhD candidate in the department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. She is interested in policy evaluation, specifically in relation to maternal, sexual, and reproductive health. Her… — Caroline Joyce is a PhD candidate in the department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. She is interested in policy evaluation, specifically in relation to maternal, sexual, and reproductive health. Her thesis work is examining the impact of India’s national health policy on social inequalities in IUD uptake and interpregnancy interval among women of childbearing age. Previously, she conducted research ranging from examining the impact of state policies on childhood vaccine coverage, to novel interventions for smoking cessation among pregnant women. Caroline received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Psychology from Scripps College.

Jasleen Arneja is a PhD student in epidemiology, supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. Jasleen is interested in studying how the confluence of social, political, and economic factors drives disparities in population-level health and development. She is particularly interested in examining how social policies—such as paid sick leave—can be used to address health disparities.

Laura Davis is a PhD candidate studying Epidemiology in McGill's department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, under the supervision of Dr. Erin Strumpf. Laura received her MSc from Queen's University and has worked as a researc… — Laura Davis is a PhD candidate studying Epidemiology in McGill's department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, under the supervision of Dr. Erin Strumpf. Laura received her MSc from Queen's University and has worked as a research coordinator in cancer epidemiology using administrative databases to examine cancer outcomes. She is interested in social determinants of health, specifically the health of vulnerable populations and access to cancer treatment, consultation and primary care. She hopes to expand these interests and examine how social policies impact access to cancer care among vulnerable populations.

Foluso Ishola is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. Her research interests include policy and program evaluation, reproductive, maternal and child health, health inequ… — Foluso Ishola is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. Her research interests include policy and program evaluation, reproductive, maternal and child health, health inequalities and health assessment and surveillance. She received her medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and her MSc in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She was a Chevening Scholar and holds a Fonds de Recherche du Quebec - Santé doctoral award.

Samia Qureshi is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at McGill University. Under the supervision of Dr. Erin Strumpf, she is leading a thesis project that aims to identify components in Quebec’s healthcare system that demarcate quality and equity of care for colorectal cancer. Her interest in cancer research stems from her past epidemiological and clinical cancer research experiences. She has worked on projects evaluating the risk of ovarian cancer in relation to perineal talc exposure, the acceptability of self-sampling tools and social inequalities in cervical cancer screening in Montreal, and the impact of a colorectal cancer screening program in Ontario. She also holds expertise in pan-Canadian clinical trials on treatment of metastatic cancers (i.e. colorectal, lymphoma, and breast) through her prior research coordination work. Her previous employers include the Research Centre of the University of Montreal Hospital Centre (CRCHUM), Montreal’s regional public health department, the Quebec – Clinical Research Organization in Cancer (Q-CROC), and Merck & Co. Samia obtained an undergraduate honors degree paired with co-operative education in Biochemistry from Concordia University and a master’s degree in Public Health from McGill University.

Sarah Windle is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. Her primary research interests are policy evaluation and maternal and child health. Sarah’s previous work includes c… — Sarah Windle is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at McGill University, where she is supervised by Dr. Arijit Nandi. Her primary research interests are policy evaluation and maternal and child health. Sarah’s previous work includes clinical trials and knowledge syntheses in a variety of research areas, including smoking cessation, e-cigarettes, and cannabis legalization.