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Joelle Mak

PhD, FHEA

Assistant Professor
Mobile Populations, Labour Exploitation and Human Trafficking

Room
327

LSHTM
15-17 Tavistock Place
London
WC1H 9SH
United Kingdom

I am a mixed-methods public health researcher specialising in evaluation of complex interventions across Asia and Africa. I study migration, labour exploitation, human trafficking, sexual health and HIV. In addition to traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods, I am experienced in a range of literature review methods including systematic reviews and realist reviews. I am expanding my methodological portfolio through incorporation of computational social science methods such as Agent-Based Modelling, as well as creative approaches to data generation and analysis.

I have a strong interest in research ethics and am a member of both LSHTM’s ethics committee and the UK National Health Service’s Health Research Authority’s Research Ethics Committee. I am also an affliated member of the UNESCO Chair in ICT4D on research and intervention of digital technologies for development.


Affiliations

Faculty of Public Health and Policy
Department of Global Health and Development
Department of Population Health

Centres

Centre for Evaluation
Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH)

Teaching

I currently supervise two doctoral students working on violence and wellbeing among Rohingya adolescents; and young women's experiences of HIV prevention PrEP in Zambia. I welcome potential supervision of PhD students studying topics of my research interest and methodologies.

I am Deputy Module Organiser for Research Design and Methods for the Analysis of Global Health Policy. I also teach the Migration session for Population Studies.

I was previously Module Organiser for Principles of Social Research and taught on Research Design and Analysis, Sexual Health, Conflict & Health.

I am a tutor on MSc Public Health and MSc Reproductive & Sexual Health Research (RSHR) and am a member of the MSc RSHR Course Committee.

I am Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Research

I am the survey lead for the UKRI GCRF South-South Migration, Inequality and Development (MIDEQ) Hub's multi-country surveys. MIDEQ surveys work with distinct migration corridors of origin and destination countries, examining migration decision-making and recruitment alongside gender, childhood-related issues, resource flow, organising, access to justice, digital technologies, cultural arts, among others.

I am seconded part-time to the Staying Alive Foundation (SAF) supporting evaluations on the role of edutainment in shifting individual behaviour and social norms to improve young people's SRH and wellbeing. I work across SAF campaigns in India, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.

 

Past projects:

-NIHR Global Health Research Group working on a mental health package of care for survivors of violence in South Asia. My work focused on survivors of human trafficking.

-I designed a multi-country qualitative study examining survivor-centred approaches for men and LGBTI+ populations that have experienced conflict-related sexual violence in Central African Republic and Colombia.

-DfID-funded SWiFT Evaluation on ILO's Work in Freedom an anti-trafficking intervention in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. I led the multi-methods five-year study in Nepal.

-BMGF-funded Integra initiative, an evaluation on different models for delivering integrated HIV and sexual and reproductive health services in Kenya, Swaziland and Malawi.

-Camfed funded evaluation on the Seed Money Scheme's impact on girls' education and economic empowerment in Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

-The Global Burden of Diseases project. I worked on the interpersonal violence risk factors to mental ill-health 

Research Area
Child health
Complex interventions
Conflict
Health policy
Health promotion
Health services research
Occupational health
Sexual health
Statistical methods
Systematic reviews
Adolescent health
Behaviour change
Ethics
Evaluation
Gender
Global Health
Impact evaluation
Migration
Mixed methods
Qualitative methods
Reproductive health
Violence
Discipline
Sociology
Social Sciences
Social Policy
Disease and Health Conditions
HIV/AIDS
Mental health
Sexually transmitted infection
Country
Burkina Faso
Brazil
Central African Republic
China
Cote d'Ivoire
Ethiopia
Ghana
Haiti
India
Kenya
Namibia
Nigeria
Nepal
Sierra Leone
Swaziland
Tanzania
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Region
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

Mechanisms for the prevention of adolescent intimate partner violence: A realist review of interventions in low- and middle-income countries.
Lowe H; Dobbin J; Kiss L; Mak J; Mannell J; Watson D; Devakumar D
2022
PLoS global public health
The use of Bayesian networks for realist evaluation of complex interventions: evidence for prevention of human trafficking
Kiss L; Fotheringhame D; Mak J; McAlpine A; Zimmerman C
2020
Journal of Computational Social Science
Stigma and empowerment: A qualitative study on Nepalese women and labour migration
Shrestha N; Mak J; Zimmerman C
2020
Migration Research Series
See more Publications