Katherine Lofgren

What attracted you to the health metrics field?

As an undergraduate, I sought out opportunities in population dynamics and bioinformatics but always felt that the motivating force, the human element, was missing. Health metrics is a great field if you want to be involved in research that stays connected with the individual while maintaining a quantitative focus. In health metrics, the people behind the data are always part of the discussion. The Post-Bachelor Fellowship at IHME is the perfect opportunity to pursue my academic interest in applied statistics and start building toward my long-term goal: to actively participate in the improvement of individual lives through more informed and efficient public health systems.

What work are you doing at IHME?

I work within the Demographics: Population and Mortality research team. We supply the country- and sex-specific mortality estimates for the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. My part in the project is ensuring that the most current data sources are included so the estimates reflect our best understanding of the global mortality landscape. The team is constantly working toward improved methods in mortality and population estimates.

How do you think your experience at IHME will contribute to your future work?

I hope to continue in a career in quantitative public health research. I came to IHME with the goal of moving beyond the perfect datasets we so often see in undergraduate coursework to develop a critical understanding of what real, imperfect data look like and how I can use those data to answer meaningful research questions. Ideally, I would like to continue to stay involved with the global health community with a specific focus on rural settings. I spent a semester traveling in Patagonia, Chile, after college, and I would like to return to a similar setting to work toward improved preventive care initiatives.

Published Works