United States
•Speaks English, Spanish
Health Economics | Epidemiology | Decision Science | English, Spanish | United States | Ph.D.
Derek Willis works with the private sector in the United States to improve public health policies through the development of decision tools using his expertise in malaria elimination policies, impact evaluation, economic development, economics, epidemiology, entomology, and decision science.
Derek has more than 21 years of experience working with various organizations and received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Affairs from Princeton University.
He worked with IVCC (Innovative Vector Control) as a Health Economist that Led the development of a research initiative to analyze the potential impact of eradicating malaria on agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to his current work as International Development Lead at OnFrontiers, Derek was the Senior Public Health Specialist at The World Bank.
Derek has more than 21 years of experience working with various organizations and received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Affairs from Princeton University.
He worked with IVCC (Innovative Vector Control) as a Health Economist that Led the development of a research initiative to analyze the potential impact of eradicating malaria on agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to his current work as International Development Lead at OnFrontiers, Derek was the Senior Public Health Specialist at The World Bank.
Questions I can answer:
How to evaluate anti-malaria programs?
How to identifying the optimal anti-malaria program for a community?
How to evaluate the economic impact of malaria?
How to evaluate a dengue control program?
How to communicate risk related to the coronavirus pandemic?
Keywords
Other
Experience
OnFrontiers • United States (U.S)
International Development Lead
2020 - Present (4 years, 3 months)
Developed OnFrontiers' COVID-19 Expert Helpdesk in 2020 to accelerate learning about strategies to combat COVID-19 and minimize its impact on society. Led the development of the Ukraine SME Knowledge Network - a USAID-funded initiative that supported dozens of Ukrainian small and medium enterprises (before and during the war) by providing them micro-consultations with experts around the world. Experts were selected based on the specific needs of each SME and project was implemented in collaboration with the Ukrainian government and the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine.
Columbia University - Center for Research on Environmental Decisions • United States (U.S)
Research Affiliate
2014 - Present (10 years, 4 months)
For more than 250 years, Columbia has been a leader in higher education in the nation and around the world. At the core of our wide range of academic inquiry is the commitment to attract and engage the best minds in pursuit of greater human understanding, pioneering new discoveries and service to society.
Goodbye Malaria • United States (U.S)
Health Economist
2021 - 2022 (1 year, 1 month)
Evaluated impact of Goodbye Malaria's gender empowerment policies on their anti-malaria activities in Mozambique. Analysis funded by IVCC.
Malaria No More • United States (U.S)
Health Economist
2021 - 2021 (6 months)
Analysis that was included in Malaria No More's "Achieving a Double Dividend: Case for Investing in a Gendered Approach to the Fight Against Malaria" report.
World Bank • United States (U.S)
Senior Public Health Specialist
2019 - 2020 (6 months)
Evaluated vector control activities and surveillance systems for a World Bank project in the Caribbean. Developed recommendations for incorporating vector control into the clearance of debris created by Hurricane Irma.
IVCC (Innovative Vector Control) • United States (U.S)
Consultant
2017 - 2020 (2 years, 8 months)
Conducting a study of the economic impact of malaria on smallholder agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa
University of California, San Francisco • United States (U.S)
Consultant
2017 - 2017 (5 months)
Developed a tool for examining the cost of collecting entomological data to inform evidence-based vector control policy decisions
USAID • United States (U.S)
Member of Expert Scientific Advisory Committee - USAID Grand Challenge: Combating Zika
2017 - 2019 (2 years, 7 months)
Member of IVCC Expert Scientific Advisory Committee for USAID Grand Challenge - Combating Zika and Future Threats. Reviewed work of research groups developing new larvicide, adulticide and surveillance tools for mosquitoes that transmit Zika. Worked with research groups to analyze the cost-effectiveness of these tools and potential business models for distribution to the public and private sector.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University • United States (U.S)
Research Fellow
2010 - 2013 (2 years, 9 months)
Worked with both the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Work with CRED was focused on the development of a web-based tool for visualizing policy-relevant malaria data.
World Health Organization • United States (U.S)
Participant and Trainer in International Course on Malaria and Planning its Control
2002 - 2002 (4 months)
Participant and trainer in WHO course on designing and implementing anti-malaria programs. Course designed primarily for officials from national malaria control programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Coursework included epidemiology, entomology, parasitology, economics and case management
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Science, Technology and Environmental Policy
Princeton University
2003 - 2010
Dissertation developed an algorithm for identifying the most appropriate evidenced-based vector control strategy to implement in a community based on the community's ecology and available resources
Master in Public Administration in International Development
Harvard University
2000 - 2002
Coursework included PhD-level courses courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics as well as courses focused on history of economic development (taught by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs), management, governance and program evaluation. During the second year of the program, I took courses at the Harvard School of Public Health on the following topics: malariology, entomology, environmental health and economic evaluation methods for public health interventions. His Masters Thesis was titled 'Maximizing the Health Benefit of Public Funds for Malaria Control in Tanzania' and my thesis adivsor was Prof. Andrew Spielman (Harvard School of Public Health)
Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business
University of Georgia
1993 - 1997