Heidi S. West, PhD

Heidi West is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Science at California State University, Long Beach.   She works at the intersection of migration, gender, and health, primarily in the global context, and explores links between international frameworks and health system responses to demographic change. Her work includes projects in the US, Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and cross-country comparisons using binational data and the DHS surveys.  Dr. West’s research is bolstered by over a decade of international program experience where she used evidence-based approaches to build capacity and expand research collaboration for diverse institutions. She co-founded an international NGO that uses research and capacity building to help improve decision-making and build sustainable scientific practice in low and middle countries while offering mentored research experiences to students and young professionals from around the world.  With a PhD from UCLA’s department of Health Policy and Management, a Master's in Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs from American University, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from UC Berkeley, she takes an interdisciplinary and mixed methods approach to producing innovative and timely evidence to inform interventions to improve health equity.