Dr Luciana Brondi is a Lecturer within the Institute of Global Health and Development Division at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Luciana is also an Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, UK.
- Overview
- Research Interests
- Teaching and Learning
Luciana Brondi is a physician and epidemiologist with specialist training in clinical infectious diseases and holds a PhD in Population Health. She has experience in epidemiological approaches to research and teaching at postgraduate level. Her main research interests are on health in Low and Middle-Income countries, including Communicable Diseases epidemiology and control, inequalities in health and health access (including gender inequalities), analysis of complex survey data and systematic reviews of the literature. Her PhD thesis focused on gender inequalities in care seeking and hospitalisations in children from South Asia and was mainly based on the analysis of two large complex survey datasets from nationally representative household surveys (DHS) in India.
Before joining QMU, she taught for several years at the Masters in Public Health programme, in the in the Usher Institute at University of Edinburgh. More recently, she has worked as an epidemiologist with Public Health Scotland supporting the NHS COVID-19 pandemic response.
Luciana has a medical degree from the University of Campinas, Brazil, a Masters in Communicable Diseases Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (Usher Institute). She is also an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy since 2016.
Research Overview:
The main focus of my research is on communicable diseases epidemiology and health inequalities in global health. Specific research interests include: communicable diseases epidemiology and control (health protection), gender and other inequalities in health status and access; Tuberculosis and other respiratory infections;
I have conducted secondary data analysis using large complex survey datasets from nationally representative household surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys). I also designed and led the implementation national surveillance and surveys for communicable diseases, to inform health protection programs, both in high and in low- and middle-income countries.
Currently, I am involved in a research project investigating mental wellbeing along the lifecourse and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using advanced time series modelling and sequence analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) dataset.
Active research interests:
- Communicable diseases epidemiology and control
- Respiratory infectious diseases (e.g., Tuberculosis, COVID-19, influenza)
- Gender and other inequalities in health status and access
- Health care seeking in Low and Middle-Income countries
Research Methods:
- Quantitative methods
- Epidemiology
- Systematic reviews of literature and meta-analysis
- Intersectionality-informed data analysis
- Analysis of large complex datasets from nationally representative household surveys
I coordinate the Sexual and Reproductive Health module and co-coordinate the Global Public and Social Policy module together with Dr. Georgina Pearson. I also contribute to different modules in IGHD on research methods (particularly quantitative methods). My teaching reflects my experience of teaching in public health and biomedical programmes and working in global health in several different settings. I bring a strong public health approach to my teaching and curriculum design. In my teaching, I emphasize the importance of understanding the different analytical techniques and methods used in global health, the ability to evaluate relevant literature and engagement with theoretical and research ideas.
