A Career in Global Health Leads to Continued Equity Research for Van Pelt

November 2025

FACULTY PROFILE

Read the Q&A below

Amelia Van Pelt, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences and the Institute for Public Health & Medicine (IPHAM) Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science. She serves as the associate director of the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health and the director of the Northwestern Certificate in Implementation Science and MPH Concentration in Implementation Science.

How did you first get involved in global health? 

In high school, I backpacked through the rainforest in Costa Rica. During this trip, my friend found herself in a situation all too familiar to the local village. She required urgent medical care for an infection, but accessible healthcare did not exist. I worried about the life-threatening delays in seeking medical care for my friend and recognized the potential consequences of healthcare inequity for all individuals in the community. This trip introduced me to the issues of access to health services in resource-limited settings, which informed every step of my training and my career. I completed my undergraduate degree in Spanish and Global Health, Culture, and Society at Emory University. In addition to the global health didactic courses, these studies led me to many international opportunities early in my training, such as working for the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nicaragua and Rotary International in Ecuador. To equip myself with the necessary skillsets to make a more effective impact on the community, I pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Health from Emory and worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All of the research from my undergraduate studies to my current faculty research portfolio has primarily focused on global health.

What interests and motivates you about global health? 

Throughout my career, my guiding principle has been that healthcare is a human right – all individuals deserve equitable access to health services. I am an implementation science methodologist, so I work across disease areas and contexts. My passion, however, lies in global infectious diseases and pediatrics.  

What is the goal of your research? 

My career goal is to conduct research that will directly contribute to improving the health of marginalized populations in resource-limited settings. Specifically, I combine expertise in global health, implementation science, and epidemiology to increase the uptake of evidence-based practices, primarily in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

What countries/regions is your work focused on? 

I have collaborated on work in countries in Latin America (e.g., Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic) and countries in Africa (e.g., Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi, Liberia). In addition, I have collaborated on global reviews, such as WHO/CDC’s pneumococcal conjugate vaccine guidance report for Gavi. 

What types of collaborations are you engaged in across campus (and beyond)? 

At Northwestern, I collaborate on research projects with multidisciplinary scholars in the Havey Institute for Global Health, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Third Coast Center for AIDS Research and Implementation Science Coordination Initiative. I also engage in educational activities, such as leading the intramural global health case competition, teaching the graduate-level course “Applied Implementation Science” and directing the Certificate in Implementation Science and MPH Concentration in Implementation Science. 

Beyond Northwestern, I have the good fortune of working with passionate colleagues in the community in Chicago (e.g., Chicago Department of Public Health) and around the world at both academic and not-for-profit organizations.  

How did you become interested in this area of research?  

After completing my MPH, I recognized that expertise in a methods-based discipline would allow me to contribute more by applying skills to a variety of content areas and research, so I pursued a PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania focused on global infectious diseases. My dissertation work highlighted the need for systematic design of implementation strategies to facilitate uptake of evidence-based practices. With the goal of developing the skills to systematically overcome the research-to-practice gap, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Implementation Science at the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. Topically, I am most interested in working to improve uptake among pediatric populations, because children often experience the greatest burden of disease in resource-limited settings.  

Where have you recently published your work?  

I have published in journals that reach different audiences, such as experts in implementation science, global health, HIV, infectious disease and pediatrics. 

Who inspires you? 

My partners and colleagues in LMICs who passionately work to improve health outcomes inspire me. I also love the enthusiasm, energy, and intellectual curiosity of trainees.

Learn more about the Ryan Family Center for Global Primary Care by visiting their website.  

For details on events, news and funding opportunities, sign up for the Havey Institute for Global Health newsletter.