Who We Are: SSDS and Its Staff
Dr. Pickering has worked in international health for nearly 25 years. She has spent over ten years living in Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, and a number of developing countries in Africa. She has worked in WHO Headquarters, and done consultancies for major donors including the World Bank, DFID, and various UN agencies. She has published over 35 peer-reviewed articles on her many research interests: nutritional, social and environmental factors associated with diarrhea and growth in young children; behaviour related to Acute Respiratory Illness in children; attitudes toward malaria and their implications; crack cocaine injection and related risks; syringe sharing in prison; and numerous studies related to STDs and HIV/AIDS. Methodologies have included innovative techniques such as: the use of sexual diaries; monitoring child mortality through clinical records of child spacing; approaching/sampling difficult subjects (e.g. prostitutes and their clients on sexual contacts, drug users, etc.); molecular epidemiological analysis of HIV in sexual networks; and comparisons of private and public service delivery in the same setting.
She has a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in addition to a BA in Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies and an MA in History from Stanford University. Having recently completed an M.Sc. in Plant Diversity, Dr. Pickering is currently working on the flora of volcanic mountains in Nicaragua and regenerating an ancient garden for public education in Morocco.