Dr. Anne Paxton Appointed New Director of Global Health Track

Anne Paxton, associate professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Population and Family Health, recently assumed the role of Director of the Mailman School’s Global Health Track. With experience in evidence-based design, monitoring, and evaluation of global public health service programs and applied research in resource-poor settings, with a particular focus on Africa, Dr. Paxton’s background and expertise make her ideal for this role.

Launched in 2005, the Global Health Track is an interdepartmental program aimed at developing future global public health practitioners and leaders. Global Health students, who enroll from five of the School’s academic departments, receive a concentration of course work and practical experience in global health, while also meeting the learning objectives of their home department. The program has grown significantly during the past four years with 40 students enrolled in this fall’s new class.

Dr. Paxton has been involved with the Global Health Program since its inception playing a critical role in the program’s development. As Associate Director for the program, Dr. Paxton worked closely with the track’s founding Director, Dr. Pamela Collins, who recently stepped down from the position to take a position at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Experienced Researcher and Teacher

For more than 20 years, Dr. Paxton has dedicated herself to the use of applied research to establish and evaluate public health programs in maternal mortality prevention, nutrition in pregnancy, and blindness prevention to avert the health consequences of poverty and disenfranchisement in developing countries. She most recently provided technical oversight and management of monitoring and evaluation research for the School’s Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD).

Dr. Paxton has taught numerous courses at the School including “Epidemiologic Research Topics in Developing Countries,” a course she designed to introduce students to the methodological, practical, and ethical considerations in the conduct of health research in developing countries. With Global Health Track faculty, Dr. Paxton has taught “Introduction to Global Health” and three global health seminars, and has supervised numerous students in the track’s six-month overseas practicum.

In addition to her research and teaching, she advises and mentors students from the Departments of Epidemiology and Population and Family Health, as well as other Mailman School students interested in global health. Dr. Paxton serves on numerous committees of the Mailman School including as chair of the Master’s Committee in the Department of Epidemiology, and the Faculty Steering Committee, of which she was co-chair for the academic year 2006-2007.

Dr. Paxton received her BA in History from Princeton University. She is an alumna of the Mailman School, where she earned her DrPH and MPH. While pursuing her MPH, she was in the dual-degree program with the School of International and Public Affairs where she also earned an MIA.