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Faculty Highlights: Eva Jarawan, Ph.D. (Dept. of Global Health)

Background:

Professor Eva Jarawan is an associate professor in the Department of Global Health at Georgetown. She received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health and a master of Public Health from the American University of Beirut, a PhD in Health Administration from Georgia State University, and an MBA from Georgia State University. She started her career in the academic field as an Assistant professor at the American University of Beirut and as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor at the University of Michigan. She later joined the World Bank where she worked for most of her career as a Lead Health Specialist. She came full circle to the academic field when she joined Georgetown after retiring from the World Bank.

Involvement in Research

Dr. Jarawan’s main focus is on strengthening health systems and implementation science. One of her recent projects was about strengthening provider accountability in health systems. She is also working on a joint project about the economic costs of maternal deaths in Jordan, and on hospital financing interventions in low and lower middle income countries.

Inspiration

She first garnered interest in this research from her work in advising for health system strengthening at the World Bank. Coming from working with bigger organizations, such as the World Bank, she felt that joining Georgetown University and doing the research behind these larger initiatives would be a good continuation to her career interests. 

Reflection

When she initially started working, she saw herself more as an educator. But over time, she recognized the interconnectedness between education and research. She states, “I've gained more confidence in research and doing more of this work has led me to appreciate more the importance of research in policy making.”

Advice for Students

“Just do it” Professor Jarawan says. She has had students approach her about their interest in doing research relating to policy or the Middle East, and she has helped pair them with relevant projects. She appreciates that students possess strengths that some professors may not have, such as using the latest tools for data management and literature review. This was especially helpful to her as she does not come from a research background.