Esther Spindler

Esther Spindler is a DrPH Candidate in Population & Family Health and Director of the Structural Determinants and Social Transitions among Adolescents and Young Adults in Rakai, Uganda (SSTAR) Project. Esther's dissertation research examines the social and structural drivers of adolescent marriage declines in Uganda. Esther is passionate about bridging public health research to practice, and addressing the social and structural determinants of health behaviors. Esther previously worked as a Research Officer at Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH), where she led gender-based violence, family planning and couples counseling studies in Uganda, Jordan and Togo. Esther has also worked on HIV prevention research with Latinx migrant populations in Washington D.C, as well as gender-based violence research with Promundo in Brazil. Esther is multicultural and multilingual -- she is fluent in French, Portuguese, Spanish and English. Esther was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala (2009-2012), has a M.S. in Development Management from the School of International Service (SIS), at American University and a B.S. in Political Science from New York State University (SUNY) at Oneonta.

 

  • Awards: P.E.O. Scholars Award (2020-2021)

Research Interests

Adolescents/Youth
Adverse Childhood Experience
Contraception
Fertility
Gender
HIV Prevention
Reproductive Justice
Sexual Violence

Datasets

Rakai Community Cohort Survey