Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Economics
Bouvé College of Health Sciences
Aleksandra Jakubowski Biography
Aleksandra Jakubowski
Areas of Expertise
Health Economics
Global Health
Casual Inference
Econometrics
Health Disparities
Women’s Health
Child Health
Women’s Empowerment
About
Dr. Aleksandra Jakubowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and the Department of Economics. Dr. Jakubowski’s research lies at the intersection of health economics and public policy. She designs field experiments and uses secondary data to investigate global health inequalities, with a focus on low- and middle- income countries. She works on multidisciplinary teams and in close partnership with communities and policy makers to ensure that her research is contextualized to the local setting. Dr. Jakubowski’s work examines the complex relationship between health and socio-economic status: what is the impact of public policies on health and economic functioning of households? and what are the social and individual drivers of healthcare decisions?
The overarching goal of Dr. Jakubowski’s research is to reduce healthcare inequalities by working with disadvantaged individuals and communities to improve their health and access to high-quality services. She is interested both in the demand side of healthcare decisions (e.g., how individual preferences, economic circumstances, and social determinants affect whether and when healthcare is sought) and supply side factors (e.g., how the quality of healthcare services that are available to people affects whether care is sought). Many of her projects are set in sub-Saharan Africa, where she tackles difficult questions about equity and resource allocation under severely strained health systems that are dealing with competing priorities and multiple public health crises.
Publications – Past Five Years
Mobarak, A. M., Miguel, E., Abaluck, J., Ahuja, A., Alsan, M., Banerjee, A., Breza, E., Chandrasekhar, A. G., Duflo, E., Dzansi, J., Garrett, D., Goldsmith-Pinkham, P., Gonsalves, G. S., Hossain, M. M., Jakubowski, A., Kang, G., Kharel, A., Kremer, M., Meriggi, N., Nekesa, C., … Więcek, W. (2022). End COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries. Science (New York, N.Y.), 375(6585), 1105–1110. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo4089
Jakubowski, A., Kabami, J., Balzer, L. B., Ayieko, J., Charlebois, E. D., Owaraganise, A., Marquez, C., Clark, T. D., Black, D., Shade, S. B., Chamie, G., Cohen, C. R., Bukusi, E. A., Kamya, M. R., Petersen, M., Havlir, D. V., & Thirumurthy, H. (2022). Effect of universal HIV testing and treatment on socioeconomic wellbeing in rural Kenya and Uganda: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. Global health, 10(1), e96–e104. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00458-7
Jakubowski, A., Egger, D., Nekesa, C., Lowe, L., Walker, M., & Miguel, E. (2021). Self-reported vs Directly Observed Face Mask Use in Kenya. JAMA network open, 4(7), e2118830. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.18830
Jakubowski, A., Mai, D., Asch, S., Bendavid, E. (2019). Health Aid from the United States and Improved Public Opinions among Recipient Nations: Analysis of 258 Global Attitudes Surveys. 2002-2016. American Journal of Public Health, 109(7), 1034-1041. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305084
Jakubowski, A., Snyman, K., Kwarisiima, D., Sang, N., Burger, R., Balzer, L., Clark, T., Chamie, G., Shade, S., Cohen, C., Bukusi, E., Charlebois, E., Kamya, M., Petersen, M., Havlir, D., & Thirumurthy, H. (2018). High CD4 counts associated with better economic outcomes for HIV-positive adults and their HIV-negative household members in the SEARCH Trial. PloS one, 13(6), e0198912. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198912
Jakubowski, A., Stearns, S.C., Kruk, M.E., Angeles, G., Thirumurthy, H. (2017). The US President’s Malaria Initiative and Child Mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis. PLoS Medicine, 14(6), e1002319. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002319
Thirumurthy, H., Jakubowski, A., Camlin, C., Kabami, J., Ssemmondo, E., Elly, A., Mwai, D., Clark, T., Cohen, C., Bukusi, E., Kamya, M., Petersen, M., Havlir, D., & Charlebois, E. D. (2016). Expectations about future health and longevity in Kenyan and Ugandan communities receiving a universal test-and-treat intervention in the SEARCH trial. AIDS care, 28 Suppl 3(Suppl 3), 90–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2016.1178959
Jakubowski, A., Omanga, E., Agot, K., Thirumurthy, H. (2016). Large Price Premiums for Unprotected Sex among Female Sex Workers in Kenya: A Potential Challenge for Behavioral HIV Prevention Interventions. JAIDS, 72(2), e20-e22. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000000929