Joshua Mendelsohn MSc

Research Degree Student

I design and produce policy-relevant, operational research in public health.

I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. I joined LSHTM in January 2008 after beginning my PhD at UCL's School of Public Policy. I am a member of the Public Health in Humanitarian Crises Group and currently serving as an Associate Managing Editor for the journal Emerging Themes in Epidemiology. Prior to beginning the PhD, I worked as a researcher for Demos' Science Policy Team on the project "Atlas of Ideas: the new geography of science" and as a consultant for Goss Gilroy where I contributed to a variety of environmental and health sector projects. I hold an MSc in Environmental Change and Management (Oxford) and a BSc (Hon) in Zoology & Psychology (Toronto).

Affiliation

Teaching

I teach on Statistics for Epidemiology and Population Health, Basic Epidemiology, and Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases (Distance Learning) modules. Previously, I was a seminar leader for Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (School of Public Policy, UCL) and a postgraduate Writing Mentor.

Research

My main research interests include HIV treatment and care with a focus on fragile settings (conflict, post-conflict, and/or forced migration). Other interests include conflict epidemiology, global health policy, biosecurity, and the health impacts of environmental change.

My doctoral work investigates adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in conflict-affected and displaced populations. The primary aim of this work is to compare levels of adherence to HAART and virologic outcomes in refugees and local host communities. Second, we aim to investigate factors associated with any differences in adherence and viral outcomes between these groups. Overall, I am interested in the mechanisms linking structural factors and patient factors to uptake of treatment in forcibly displaced persons in order to inform appropriate interventions. I have just completed data collection in Malaysia and Kenya with assistance from 30 locally based staff speaking 12 different first languages. This work is supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, UNHCR, the University of London Central Research Fund, and the Parkes Foundation.

Research areas

  • Conflict
  • Environment
  • Global Health
  • Health inequalities
  • Health policy
  • Mixed methods
  • Social and structural determinants of health

Disciplines

  • Epidemiology
  • Operational research
  • Policy analysis

Disease and Health Conditions

  • HIV/AIDS
  • Infectious disease

Regions

  • East Asia & Pacific (all income levels)
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)

Countries

  • Kenya
  • Malaysia

Other interests

  • Adherence
  • Displacement
  • Environmental Change
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