Simona Bignami

Background

About Simona Bignami

I am a demographer specialized in global health. Health monitoring and evaluation has been at the center of my research and consulting activities since the beginning of my career. After completing a MSc in Demography at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and a PhD in Demography at the University of Pennsylvania, I have been a professor at the University of Montréal since 2005. During this time, I have carried out research aimed at improving measurement of population health through innovative data collection and analysis in both developing and developed countries, which has had direct policy relevance. For instance, my work on the relationship between poverty and HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa has been key to orient policies and programs during the past decade. Furthermore, throughout my career I worked as consultant for several international agencies such as the United Nations and the European Commission, providing my professional expertise on adoption and implementation of the most effective strategies on HIV care and treatment. Currently, I am leading a large study in Montréal, Canada, aimed to understand how individual and community characteristics contribute to higher rates of COVID infection and severe outcomes among ethnic and visible minorities than among other population groups.