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Astha
Ramaiya
,
DrPH

Assistant Scientist

Astha Ramaiya, DrPH, is a scientist who studies the role of gender norms on violence trajectories among adolescents in LMICs.

Contact Info

Research Interests

adolescent health; maternal child health; mixed methods; reproductive health; menstrual hygiene and health management; monitoring and evaluation
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
DrPH
Drexel University
2018
MSPH
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
2011
BS
University of Waterloo
2007
Overview
Astha Ramaiya has a Dr.PH from the Department of Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University and a Masters of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has a background in maternal and child health and focuses on adolescent health and M&E. She is particularly interested in understanding how culture, agency and gender norms affect health outcomes and behaviors among adolescents using mixed methods.

Before joining the Global Early Adolescent Study, Astha worked for nine years in Canada, Tanzania, Nepal, United States and India in the field of infectious diseases and maternal/child health. Her dissertation focused on evaluating the GARIMA program in Uttar Pradesh and its association with Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management behavior. She speaks six languages, including Kutchi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kiswahili and Nepali.
Honors & Awards
2018 Beta Omega chapter of Delta Omega
2011 Young Alumni Award, University of Waterloo
Select Publications
Most recent publications
  • Mmari K, Gayles J, Lundgren R, Barker K, Austrian K, Levtov R, Kato-Wallace J, van Reeuwijk M, Richardson L, Kagesten A, Ramaiya A. Implementing Interventions to Address Gender and Power Inequalities in Early Adolescence: Utilizing a Theory of Change to Assess Conditions for Success. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Forthcoming.
  • Ramaiya, A., Chandra-Mouli, V., Both, R., Gottert, A., Guglielmi, S., Beckwith, S., ... & Blum, R. W.(2023). Assessing the health, social, educational and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents in low-and middle-income countries: a rapid review of the literature. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 31(1), 2187170.
  • Ramaiya, A., Choiriyyah I, Heise L, Pulerwitz J, Blum R, Levtov R, Lundgren R, Richardson L, Moreau C. “Understanding the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Peer-violence Perpetration and Gender Norms among Very Young Adolescents in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.025
  • Ramaiya, A., Zimmerman, L., Mafuta, E., Lulebo, A., Chipeta, E., Stones, W., & Moreau, C. (2021). Assessing the relationship between agency and peer violence among adolescents aged 10 to 14 years in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Blantyre, Malawi: A cross-sectional study. PLoS medicine, 18(12), e1003552.
  • Ramaiya A, Malhotra A, Cronin C, Stevens S, Kostizak K, Sharma A, Nagar S, Sood S, “How does a social and behavioral change communication intervention predict menstrual health and hygiene management: A cross-sectional study”, BMC Public Health, 2019, 19:1039. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7359-z
Projects
Adolescent Health in the time of COVID