Karen Andes

Assistant Professor, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health

Jointly Appointed, Behavioral/Social/Health Education

Biography

KarenAndes-headshot.jpgI have definitely taken the “scenic route” on my path to a career in Global Health. While studying French and Spanish language/literature as an undergrad, I had opportunities to live and study in France, Belgium, and Mexico. My doctoral studies in Political Science (Comparative Politics and Political Economy of Development) and post-doctoral work in International / Anthropological Demography took me to Tunisia where I examined fertility decline and family planning use in the agricultural sector using both qualitative and quantitative methods. What seemed to some like “detours” in the road - directing a Community Health Program serving African-American and Latina/ Caribbean immigrant women in Chicago, and managing participatory reproductive health programs in Bolivia and among refugee youth in Clarkston, GA – kept my feet on the ground by giving me invaluable opportunities to see applied public health in action. I have been working on women’s reproductive health with global populations in the US and internationally for almost two decades; the only thing that seems to change is that as I get older, my focus has shifted toward younger populations. Today, most of my focus in reproductive health is on adolescents and young adults. Most of my work is in the US and Latin America these days; I've had on-going projects in Paraguay since 2005.