Dr. Paula Tavrow is an Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She also currently serves as the Director of the UCLA Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health. Dr. Tavrow received her M.s.c. and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor School of Public Health. Her research focuses on reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa and community-based approaches to improving the health of women and their children in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Tavrow once served as the Deputy Research Director for the USAID-funded global Quality Assurance Project. Her duties as the Research Director included discovering ways on how to increase the quality of life for rural residents residing in countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

What led you to pursue a career in global health?

 While in college, I became very interested in famine and how to prevent it or mitigate its deleterious effects. So I decided to pursue a Master’s in International Food and Agricultural Policy and International Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, which gave me the knowledge and skills to apply for famine-related work in sub-Saharan Africa. My first overseas position was to evaluate a USAID nutrition project in the Bandundu region of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). I then worked for two years as an assistant Food for Peace officer for USAID in Somalia, where I helped manage food for Ogadeni refugees. Just as I was about to head home, USAID/Tanzania contacted me and asked me to spend three months in Dar es Salaam analyzing the nation’s health sector. I was then asked to help set up the first Tanzania National AIDS Control Program, which took nearly a year. Over the next four years in Tanzania, I worked on malaria control, family planning, maternal health and HIV/AIDS. I realized that my true calling was in global public health, not famine relief. So I decided to return to the US to get a PhD in public health, with an emphasis on reproductive health. I also became very interested in women’s empowerment and its effects on health. I now co-direct a Center of Expertise on Women’s Health and Empowerment, which is part of the University of California Global Health Institute.

What are your current research projects both domestically and internationally? 

 Domestically: I conduct research on how to increase both the quality and frequency of screening for domestic violence of women patients in primary health care facilities. Many health providers are reluctant to spend time screening for domestic violence because of time constraints and other concerns. My goal is to facilitate women suffering from domestic violence to let their health providers that they need help. I have also been looking at the specific problems faced by Asian immigrant women who are experiencing domestic violence.

Internationally: I currently have several research projects ongoing or about to launch. One is in Northern Nigeria, which is testing approaches to help girls delay marriage and obtain careers in health services. The project will set up “bridging” programs and “safe spaces” to help girls master certain subjects and receive social support to enable them to enroll in schools of nursing/midwifery. Another ongoing study is in Northern Pakistan, which is assessing the role of marginalized groups, particularly women, in the governance of health care facilities. The study is examining barriers for poor people from having a voice in how health facilities are run, and will seek to make recommendations on how this could be improved. I am also involved in a study of reintegration strategies for women who have undergone obstetric fistula repair in Western Kenya.

What classes do you currently teach?

In the Winter, I teach CHS 427: Reproductive Health in sub-Saharan Africa, which analyzes programs and policies to improve health. In the Spring, I teach CHS 246: Women’s Roles in Family Health (about 2/3rd global health, 1/3rd domestic), which examines women’s health throughout their life course and examines the socio-cultural determinants of health. I also give guest lectures in numerous courses, such as CHS 100 and CHS 200. For the past two years, I have been leading intensive summer courses in Kenya on women’s health and empowerment.

What research opportunities that you focus on are available for students and UCLA collaborators?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any opportunities at this time, but may in the future.

Do you have any advice for current UCLA MPH candidates who are interested in pursuing a career in global health?

• Try to get as much international experience as possible, including summer internships and travel abroad. Consider immersive work experiences after you graduate, such as Peace Corps, World Teach, etc.
• Aim to master a second language. Languages most useful in Africa are: French, Portuguese, Swahili and Arabic.
• Attend as many lectures, films, and classes in global health or on global topics as you can.
• Try to get to know an immigrant family or two in the LA area (or wherever you reside).
• Keep up in world news, particularly from the region that most interests you. You might even want to read regularly an online newspaper from a country where you would like to work.