Diana Higuera-Mendieta, MD, ScM

Doctoral Research Fellow

Diana Higuera-Mendieta, MD, ScM, is a doctoral student working on the SALURBAL project. She works with Dr. Ana Diez Roux to explore the mechanisms that produce health disparities in urban settings and to assess how cities can implement strategies to reduce such fundamental causes. After completing her medical training in Bogotá, Colombia, she worked exploring the eco-bio-social determinants of Aedes aegypti productivity in urban settings, which led her to pursue a Master's in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. Soon after graduating, she enrolled in the SALURBAL team in her country, where she collaborated in the harmonization efforts to have a data platform that integrates health outcomes with physical and social environment data in 11 Latin American countries. She has participated in different interdisciplinary efforts to evaluate urban interventions and their effect on the health of urban populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she got involved in mathematical modeling efforts that informed selective lockdowns in Bogotá, dose spacing of mRNA vaccines, and antiviral purchases for Colombia. Upon graduating, Diana hopes to continue generating and communicating knowledge to aid policy formulation in urban settings.