Heather Elisabeth Lanthorn

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT HEATHER ELISABETH LANTHORN

I help organizations-public, private, and philanthropic-leverage behavioral and political science to improve the public\'s health. I am an experienced researcher, research advisor, and manager of programs designed to improve wellbeing and reduce inequities around the world. As an applied social scientist, I am passionate about working with teams to generate and use evidence to solve real-world challenges in effective, efficient, and dignity-affirming ways, with a particular focus on health systems. In this pursuit, I am an idealistic and mild curmudgeon. I am happiest at the practical intersection of evidence, policy design, and policy implementation. As a leader and team member, I value creativity, critical thinking, kindness, and keeping an eye on the big picture while not losing sight of the nitty gritty details. To date, my work has focused on Ghana, India, and the United States, countries where I have lived. I’ve also worked closely with teams and clients in Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda. I am currently Co-Director of the Mercury Project at the Social Science Research Council, focused on driving rigorous, solutions-oriented research to build vaccine demand around the world. To promote vaccinations, I also serve on the Steering Committee of Boost Blue Ridge (the Buncombe Country immunization coalition) and the Advisory Board of the Clarity Foundation. As a board member at Feedback Labs and an advisory board member and consultant at IDinsight, I help improve non-profits\' processes and imacpt. Before SSRC, I worked with IDinsight, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). I have a Doctorate of Science (ScD) in Global Health and Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a focus on the political economy of health systems. My thesis focused on the adoption and implementation of a large market-shaping initiative for malaria medication. I received my Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Behavior & Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, with concentrations in chronic disease management and health communication. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Wake Forest University, focused on medical anthropology. I enjoy history podcasts, snowboarding, scuba diving, and endless pots of tea. My last name, Lanthorn, is an Old English word for ‘lantern.’ That’s why I collect lanterns.