Laura Arntson, PhD, MPH
Biography
Laura's research interests included community- and household-level resiliency, and the role of social capital and social networks in antiretroviral treatment adherence in an era of task-shifting in low-resource rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa.
Her dissertation and post-doc field research in West Africa focused on musical and verbal performance and narrative representations of history, social and kin relations, and situated identity.
Laura also holds a PhD in Folklore/Ethnomusicology (Indiana University), an MPH in International Health & Development (Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine), and a Certificate in Field Epidemiology (University of North Carolina).
Spotlight
Laura Arntson's work in international health, development, and relief has included 9 years with USAID, and field-based work assignments in Mali, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Sudan, with short-term assignments in Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Malawi, Kenya, Angola, South Africa, Georgia, Montenegro, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, East Timor, Vietnam, Haiti, Jamaica, Eastern Caribbean, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Colombia, and Peru.
The focus of her work has been in program monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and has included M&E plan development and implementation, training, data quality assessments, indicator development and reporting, formative research, needs assessments, cross-sectional knowledge-attitude-practice surveys, baseline and endline surveys, and evaluations using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Sectors covered include: psychosocial and protection programming (disaster response and displacement, civil strife, youth sex trafficking, child survival, food security and nutrition, HIV/AIDS, environmental compliance, the power sector, and general technical support and strategic planning.
Selected Publications
Arntson, L. (2008). Locating Sankaran, Locating the Conde. Mande Mansa; Essays in Honor of David C. Conrad. Berlin: Lit Verlag.
Arntson, L. (1998). Praise-Song Performance in Northern Sierra Leone: Definition of a West African Performance Genre. In R. Stone (Ed.), Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Africa. New York: Garland Publishing.
Arntson, L. & Knudsen, C. (2004). Psychosocial Module of the Care & Protection of Children in Emergencies Field Guide. Washington, DC: Save the Children Federation, Inc.