Georgetown University
School of Nursing and Health Studies
3700 Reservoir Road, N.W.
Washington
DCUSA
20057
Biographical Sketch: Dr. Irene Anne Jillson is Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, teaching in the School of Nursing and Health Studies (NHS), School of Medicine and the School of Foreign Service. She teaches health research, global health ethics, medical ethics, and international health systems and politics at the graduate and undergraduate levels and conducts domestic and international education, health and social policy research. Dr. Jillson is known for her work in community-based, participatory, planning, evaluation and research in education, health and social sciences, and related fields. She is a pioneer in the use of mixed-methods—qualitative and quantitative— in health research. A focus of her US-based research and policy work has been on the use of these methods to strengthen the capacity of communities use data and information for strategic planning generally and to improve the quality of life in their communities specifically. This includes training community members to conduct research and evaluation activities, from initial design to data analysis and reporting. Another focus has been on the coordination and integration of systems and services to improve quality and efficiency, including economic development, education, health, and social services. Dr. Jillson also serves as an advisor for President DiGioia’s Initiative on HIV/AIDS, as a member of the board of the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service, and as faculty advisor/mentor for undergraduate and graduate honors and scholarly research projects and as a faculty advisor for the Princeton University Bioethics Journal (student-directed). Dr. Jillson has extensive experience in international health research; for example, she is currently Co-Investigator of an NIH-funded study of high risk behavior among youth in Egypt, and Principal Advisor for a study of Peace and Conflict Resolution Education for Early Childhood Development programs in the West Bank and Gaza.