Kalifa W
- Research Program Mentor
MD candidate at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Expertise
Projects that approach medicine from a public health perspective; Understanding the global implications of health policy; Using quantitative and qualitative analysis
Bio
Kalifa is a medical student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and aspires to combine her love for medicine with her expertise in public health. She earned her MPH degree at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in Health Policy and Management and Global Health. Prior, she completed her bachelor's degree at Duke University where she studied psychology and global health. Kalifa has led and published research analyzing healthcare access, health equity, and reproductive health and justice in the United States and internationally. She has worked closely with academics, policymakers, health professionals, and community leaders. In addition to her career interests, Kalifa loves to learn about new cultures and has worked, lived, or visited 17 different countries to date. She also enjoys being active and spends her free time taking dance classes at her local studio, running or biking in her neighborhood. Most importantly, Kalifa loves to give back to her community and looks forward to sharing her passions for art and health with her mentee, while learning from their unique experiences as well!Project ideas
Community Perceptions of Health Care Access
This project focuses on using qualitative and/or quantitative analysis to assess difficulties accessing health care in different geographic locations. Various factors influence a patient's ability to access health care services, including but not limited to, the ability to pay for care, perceived urgency for care, previous interactions with health care workers, and/or availability of health facilities. Qualitative and quantitative data can be used to identify the motivations behind patients' care-seeking behavior and highlight which populations may be most vulnerable to gaps in health care.
Re-envisioning Maternal Health
Maternal mortality is an ongoing concern for the United States, particularly for Black and Latinx populations who have disproportionately higher rates of mortality. Through interviews with different stakeholders (i.e., physicians, doulas and midwives, and patients), students will share a narrative of the current state of maternal mortality and describe possible solutions from different perspectives.