RGHI Fellow

About Me

I am a researcher dedicated to understanding the intersection of water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and health, with a particular focus on gender-specific impacts. My journey into this field began during my college years while conducting water quality research through a National Science Foundation-funded project on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma, Tanzania. Unlike my previous research in protected areas such as Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland, this project exposed me to the real-life implications of water quality on communities relying on these water sources for drinking, cooking, and washing. This experience shifted my perspective and inspired me to explore how water access and quality directly impact health outcomes, particularly for women and girls.

Over the years, my focus has continued to evolve, driven by training, research, and collaborations. While my work remains at the nexus of health and WASH, I am particularly concerned with addressing the disparities faced by under-prioritized populations in WASH initiatives. My goal is to generate evidence that informs policies and programs, ensuring that WASH systems are designed with gender-specific considerations that enhance the well-being of all individuals, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Current Work & Fellowship Updates

• On World Water Day 2024, my team and I published the “Priority Gender-Specific Indicators for WASH Monitoring under SDG Targets 6.1 and 6.2.” This document provides recommendations for national and global WASH monitoring, outlining priority indicators and survey questions to collect relevant data.
• In September 2025, I collaborated with the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) team to formally launch the priority indicators. This launch, featuring two webinars, included contributions from UN Water, UN Women, USAID, Equal Measures 2030, Athena Infonomics, the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ), and government representatives from South Africa and the Philippines.
• In partnership with Athena Infonomics, my team is conducting cognitive interviews with men and women in Bangladesh to validate survey questions that inform the gender indicators. These findings will inform revisions to the survey questions, with a large-scale data collection effort planned for April 2025.
• Enabled by my RGHI fellowship, I am currently based outside of Geneva, facilitating my ongoing work with WHO and the JMP team to strengthen gender-responsive WASH monitoring frameworks.

Key Research Interests:

• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
• Gender and Health Outcomes
• Public Health and Policy
• Global Health Monitoring and Evaluation