Jonathan Wakefield
Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Bayesian Space Time Modeling for Global Health
Dr. Jonathan Wakefield is an internationally recognized statistician whose work is advancing the pursuit of equitable access to health and resources.
His methodological innovations and global health applications have transformed how countries and multilateral agencies, such as the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO), estimate mortality, disease burden and health and demographic indicators, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
What is the main challenge your Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada program is addressing, and how are you approaching it?
Estimating maternal and child health outcomes across different countries is critical for identifying global health disparities, informing evidence-based policies, and assessing progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In low- and middle-income countries (in which disparities are often the most severe), estimating these outcomes is hampered by limited data. My research aims to develop new methods, in close collaboration with local researchers and government officials, to produce reliable annual estimates at the finest geographic scale that the data allows.
The novel Bayesian approach I adopt provides statistical rigour by employing context-specific sampling models and exploits spatial and temporal dependencies and known demographic relationships. Models are implemented via accurate and efficient computational strategies. Continued close collaboration with the UN and the WHO will facilitate and enhance current connections with local researchers, and the hosting of in-person workshops will ensure that the methods are widely and effectively adopted and continually improved through ongoing feedback.
What is the main thing you would like to achieve as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada, and what are the potential impacts of your work?
Given the fragile state of global aid funding, establishing a Canadian focus for statistical and demographic work in global health is critically important. This project will serve as a catalyst for quantitative health research both in Canada and around the world, fostering a collaborative and innovative research environment.
An important deliverable will be knowledge transfer via user-friendly software (developed in partnership with health ministries, national statistical offices and aid agencies to ensure that the data nuances are respected and actionable summaries are produced) so that resources can be effectively allocated. The routine use of the software in low and middle-income countries will be the ultimate test of the program’s success.
What is your primary motivation behind the research you do? What drew you to this work?
Professionally, I focused my research on spatial statistics and survey sampling in low- and middle-income countries after starting a project that concerned estimating geographical inequalities in child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. I thought this research would be a worthwhile endeavour and a good use of my expertise. Personally, I find the disparities in health outcomes across and between countries to be deeply upsetting. For example, there is 40-fold variation in death within the first month of life across countries. The low mortality in some countries shows that the vast majority of these deaths are preventable. I believe that high-income countries have a moral responsibility to help characterize and understand the reasons behind these disparities in order to address them.
What drew you to UBC to do this work, and what are you most looking forward to about coming here?
I am very excited to teach and carry out research in the UBC Department of Statistics, which I have admired from afar for many decades and have seen as a department whose statistical vision aligns very closely with my own. I am really looking forward to engaging with students and faculty in the department and across campus, and broadly engaging with the research community in Canada.
What does it mean to you to have been appointed as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada, and how is it going to help you advance your already internationally recognized research?
The appointment as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada is the most exciting development in my career. To know that the Canadian government believes in global health research — and is willing to support this work to such a large extent — is extremely gratifying. The support I am receiving will allow me to greatly expand my research agenda by engaging and providing support to researchers and government officials in low- and middle-income countries.
