IMPACThealth is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to advancing global health through Health Impact Assessment and Evaluation (HIAE), impact evaluation, and predictive modeling. We bring together experts in epidemiology, public health, social protection, data science, economics, and global development to produce rigorous, actionable evidence for more effective public policies.
We operate collaboratively across countries and institutions, promoting integrated approaches to health and social equity that reflect the complexity of real-world systems.
Davide Rasella
Davide leads the IMPACThealth group at The Barcelona Institute of Global Health, and at the Institute of Collective Health in Brazil. His main research interests are in health impact assessment and evaluation of social policies and interventions
Daniella Cavalcanti holds a PhD in Economics and a Postdoctoral degree focused on the impact evaluation of social and health policies on health outcomes. With over 14 years of experience as a consultant and researcher, she has worked on multisectoral projects totalling more than USD 363 million in collaboration with institutions such as UNDP, UNESCO, OEI, MRC-UKRI, PAHO-WHO, the World Bank and Brazil’s Ministries of Health, Education, Human Rights, and Social Development. Her expertise includes evaluation, monitoring, databases, and econometric modelling, with a focus on the Global
Rodrigo is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Intitute of Colective Health at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (ISC/UFBA), with background in economics with PhD in Applied Economics. His research is align with the topics of health economics and forecast models, with emphasis in individual-based approaches and complex systems.
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nutrition, PhD in Medicine and Health. I conduct studies on Primary Health Care, social determinants of health, and the impact of social programs on poverty-related diseases.
Melisane holds a PhD in Public Health (University of São Paulo) and is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Collective Health at the Federal University of Bahia (ISC/UFBA), Brazil. Her work focuses on the impact evaluation of social protection policies on poverty-related diseases and health inequalities. She previously served as a Technical Consultant for the National Tuberculosis Program at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, in partnership with PAHO/WHO, where she supported evidence-based strategies to expand access to social protection and strengthen intersectoral collaboration for the tuberculosis response, reducing vulnerabilities and inequities. Grounded in a rights-based and people-centered approach, her work prioritizes strategic planning, communication, and advocacy to advance innovative solutions in collaboration with national and international partners.
Megan Naidoo is a predoctoral fellow at The Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Originally from South Africa, Megan obtained her Masters in Public Health from Columbia University, specialising in health policy, management, and infectious disease epidemiology. Megan takes an interdisciplinary approach to public health, and has worked at Pfizer, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the New York City Department of Health, and Stellenbosch University. Her current doctoral work is to incorporate social vulnerability in epidemic mathematical modelling. Megan is interested in connecting the social and quantitative sciences to ensure a holistic approach to global health. She aims to support equitable policy and programmatic responses during health emergencies.
Elisa Landin-Basterra (PhD Candidate, MSc, MPH) is a Social Epidemiologist and Global Health Researcher at ISGlobal, focusing on the impact evaluation of social protection systems in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Using big data from millions of individuals, Elisa evaluates how social protection policies have affected child and adult health outcomes over time, particularly malnutrition and mortality, including during periods of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds Master’s degrees in Public Health and Health Management from the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP) and in Epidemiology and Advanced Statistics from the french École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique (EHESP).
Caterina Monti is a seasoned aid worker with experience in public health and nutrition and with over 20 years of experience leading evaluations, operational research, and technical advisory across fragile and conflict-affected settings. Caterina holds a Master’s in Humanitarian Assistance and a Diploma in Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Medicine and Transnational Research at ISGlobal, University of Barcelona.
Health economist and Social Epidemiologist specialized in analytical research, policy impact evaluation, and health technology assessment. Focused on modeling for impact evaluation and evidence-based policy making, with a strong commitment to social determinants in LMIC´s and public health development.
Mimoza Ahmetaj is a medical doctor, diplomat and public health advocate with extensive experience in governance, international relations, and European integration. She has served as Minister for European Integration of Kosovo, Ambassador to the EU in Brussels, Slovenia, and Strasbourg, and Member of Parliament. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with international organizations such as UNICEF and WHO to advance public health initiatives and strengthen institutional capacity in post-conflict settings. Currently, she is engaged in academic and policy work focused on improving Kosovo’s health and education system and promoting evidence-based reforms aligned with EU standards. She is Dean at a private health college in Prishtina/Kosovo. Her PhD research project is dedicated to UHC at Barcelona University.
Juan Luis holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology, a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Health Economics, and a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Medicine and Translational Research at the Universitat de Barcelona under the supervision of Davide Rasella, within the Health Impact Assessment and Evaluation (HIAE) group at ISGlobal. His doctoral research focuses on evaluating the health impact of implementing triage point-of-care tests in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on spatial microsimulation modeling for large-scale health interventions. As a Predoctoral Researcher at ISGlobal, Juan Luis applies microsimulation and evaluation modeling techniques to assess public health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. He combines research, data analysis, and programming skills to generate actionable insights that support evidence-based decision-making and policy development.
JPostdoctoral research conducted at the Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Bahia, focuses on studies of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS using data from the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort.
Claudia García-Vaz is a policy analyst, epidemiologist and medical specialist in public health and preventive medicine. After doing her medical residency at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid and getting her Master’s degree in Public Health (ENS-ISCIII), she is currently working as Policy Coordinator at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Her work focuses on leveraging the latest scientific evidence to inform and transform public policy. From a Health in All Policies perspective, she addresses critical challenges such as the global health architecture, emergency preparedness, and climate change, with a justice- and equity-driven approach that integrates social determinants of health.
Daiana is a Public Health Specialist with 17 years of experience in Primary Healthcare and Humanitarian responses. Her professional experience includes strategic positions with United Nations and International Organizations in Brazil, Angola, Ethiopia and Mozambique, leading programs to reduce maternal and child mortality and improve community health.outcomes in resource-limited settings. She holds a Master in Public Health, another in Health Management and courses at Harvard Public Health School and European Educational Programme in Epidemiology. Her research interests includes Primary Health Care implementation, Health and Nutrition humanitarian responses and the impact for development assistance in Global Health. She is currently working in an INGO and collaborates with ISGlobal as a PHD candidate.
Lucas Sales is an applied statistician with a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of São Paulo and over two years of industry experience in AI and chatbot applications. Currently, he is a postdoctoral research assistant at the Federal University of Bahia, where he works on projects integrating advanced statistical methods with public health research. His primary interests include time series modeling, statistical process control, design of experiments, Monte Carlo simulations, natural language processing, and the use of micro-simulation techniques to analyze social and epidemiological data.
Felipe holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Collective Health (ISC/UFBA) and a Faculty Member in the Department of Mathematics at São Paulo State University (UNESP). His research focuses on the formulation and analysis of mathematical models for infectious disease dynamics, applying compartmental models, microsimulations, or agent-based models to investigate transmission processes and evaluate potential public health interventions. His work integrates mathematical modeling, data analysis, and computational techniques to provide quantitative insights into complex epidemiological systems.
Andréa Ferreira da Silva is an Assistant Professor at the Regional University of Cariri (URCA) in Ceará, Brazil. She holds a PhD in Applied Economics from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), an MSc in Rural Economics from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), and a BA in Economics from URCA. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Collective Health (ISC) at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), working as an impact evaluation analyst for public health policies. Her research focuses on impact evaluation of public policies, poverty, regional and urban economics, applied microeconomics—particularly the economics of education and health economics—and quantitative methods, including both traditional econometric models and machine learning algorithms.
Audrey Claire Benson is a predoctoral fellow at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and a PhD candidate in Biomedicine at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Her doctoral work, conducted within the Health Impact Assessment and Evaluation and the Climate, Air Pollution, Nature, and Urban Health groups, uses microsimulation and forecasting models to assess how climate change and social protection policies shape health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.
She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research (International Health track) from the University of Barcelona and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Audrey has contributed to global health research and fieldwork in several settings, including a mixed-methods project on refugee women’s sexual and reproductive health in Lesbos, Greece, conducted in collaboration with UNHCR. She has worked with the Center for Epidemiological Studies on STIs and AIDS of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), focusing on HIV outcomes among women, particularly migrant women. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a Fulbright Research Fellow at the Institute for Modeling and Simulation of Biomechanical Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. Audrey also has humanitarian field experience supporting refugee and migrant communities in Barcelona and Ceuta. She contributes to science communication and advocacy on global health, migration, and human rights, and her work integrates quantitative modeling with a commitment to health equity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Master in Administration from the School of Administration of the Federal University of Bahia (EAUFBA) and project manager of several projects in epidemiology by the Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia (ISC/UFBA).
Alberto Pietro SIroni
Alberto is interested in data science and information technologies in public health, with a special focus on epidemiological analysis with expertise in data science and visual analytics platforms.
Public health and policy evaluation enthusiast with a focus on health equity and social epidemiology. Holds a PhD in Global Health (University of Geneva), the Iberoamerican Master of Public Policy Evaluation (International University of Andalusia), and the European Master of Public Health (University of Granada-University of Rennes). His main interests include health equity, urban health, social innovation, and the ways global conditions shape food-related issues. He has served as a consultant for public agencies and international organizations working in these areas, including the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, and various local and national governments. Currently engaged as a postdoctoral researcher at ISGlobal, contributing to the IMPACTaid project.
Nuria Botella holds a BSc in Mathematics (2018) and an MSc in Statistics (2022) from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). After four years in the insurance sector, she moved into research to pursue more meaningful work. Since May 2022, she has been a Biostatistician at ISGlobal’s Biostatistics and Data Management Unit (UBIOESGD), where she conducts statistical analyses and oversees data management for research projects.
Epidemiologist with a background in nutrition, currently a PhD candidate at the University of Barcelona and a collaborating researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Also collaborate with the Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS) at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). His research focuses on the social determinants and the impact of public policies on child health and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries.
Ana Wieczorek Torrens is a public health specialist and epidemiologist persuing a PhD in Medicine and Translational Research at the University of Barcelona, working with ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment and Evaluation (HIAE) group. She has nearly 20 years of experience across government, humanitarian, and global health institutions, with a focus on health surveillance, TB–HIV, health information systems, mortality analysis, and impact evaluation of health and social policies. She currently serves as a Technical Advisor for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics, and Data Impact at Vital Strategies under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative. Her doctoral research focuses on the impact of social assistance on health outcomes, including infectious diseases, using longitudinal and quasi-experimental methods.
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