Steven Sweet is a Research Projects Manager for Dr. Goldie and manages several projects that span areas ranging from assessment of new technology to modeling analyses of infectious and chronic disease interventions. He also serves as the administrative leader for the Center for Health Decision Science and through these positions, blends research and administration as he manages the day-to-day operations of the Center. He is responsible for assisting with short- and long-term strategic planning, financing and overall operations for the Center. Prior to joining Harvard, he was involved in the launch of the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program in 2002. The program was the culmination of several years holding various positions in the insurance industry related to long-term care, which included pre- and post-sale marketing, legal and regulatory functions, as well as data analysis to determine successes and failures in group underwriting practices, based on predictive properties of screening questionnaires.
Meredith O'Shea serves as a project manager for the Global HPV Vaccine Policy Model project. She received her undergraduate degree in Russian and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire, where her interest in international public health was fostered by her experience as a volunteer in Russian orphanages. She assisted caretakers, observed orphanage conditions, and documented physical measurements of the children, reporting her findings to international adoption groups. Mrs. O'Shea then earned an MA in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, where her thesis addressed attachment relations between parents and children. Her interest in applying research to policy was heightened by her work at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, serving as a Presidential Management Intern and conducting program analyses in the Office of Public Housing. Her research interests include looking at broad social issues such as how societies care for unaccompanied children, designing sustainable and cost-effective strategies to improve the health of women living in low- and middle-income countries, and translating scientific results to various target audiences to facilitate the real-world application of research to policy.
Research Staff
Jesse Ortendahl is a research assistant investigating and modeling sexually
transmitted diseases including HPV and HIV. During the past few years he has worked on analyzing strategies to reduce cervical cancer in China, India, Peru, South Africa, Kenya, Thailand, Haiti, and the United States. His specific area of interest involves analyzing statistical data and presenting those data in visual forms. Mr. Ortendahl received his bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Statistics, and is currently working towards his master's in Health Policy and Management.
Gail Robinson
Gail Robinson is a research assistant for Dr. Thomas A. Gaziano. Her work includes various projects and support related to the awareness, prevention and intervention of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. Her focuses are currently in gaining knowledge of the literature available, in addition to assisting with presentations and reports aimed at increasing awareness and project development. Gail has interests in public health policy and social marketing, to increase awareness and prevent unnecessary health crises. She received her B.S. degree in 2007 in Interdisciplinary Studies, with concentrations in Health Sciences and Business and a minor in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. She interned at FloridaHospital’s Center for Health Futures and the Central Florida Partnership on Health Disparities, and worked at Children’s Hospital Boston’s Center on Media and Child Health, where she gained her focus, along with research and marketing skills. Gail hopes to use her research experience to continue graduate school, expand her talents, and contribute to developing an effective and efficient health intervention program.
Stephen Sy
Stephen Sy is a programmer working on various computer and statistical models
that simulate the progression of cervical cancer in a population. Previous to joining Harvard, he was a computer programmer doing defense-related work at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He has a BS degree in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina, as well as some graduate math and statistics coursework at MIT and Harvard.