Bio
Dr. Heather Harewood has been involved in the administration and delivery of the MPH, Cave Hill from 2009, initially as an Associate Lecturer prior to joining the faculty full time in 2015. Apart from academic training, her current contributions build upon previous experience as a Medical Officer of Health, Ministry of Health Barbados, with overall administrative responsibility for the delivery of Public Health and primary care services to a geographically defined catchment area.
Current memberships/appointments include:
- COVID-19 Public Health Group
- Reproductive Health Committee of the Ministry of Health and Wellness
- DrPH Specialty Board, UWI, Mona - Reviewer, American Public Health Association
- Collaborator, Global Burden of Disease, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Qualifications
- DrPH (High Commendation), UWI, 2017
- Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, UWI, 2017
- Certificate in Competence-Based Instructional Design, Facilitation and Assessment in Education and Training, Barbados Community College, 2013
- MPH, University of Birmingham, 2002
- MBBS, UWI, 1995
Research Areas
Dr. Harewood's research interests are health system-based with a focus on maternal and child health (breastfeeding, childhood obesity); environment and health and the experiences and perceptions of cancer patients in accessing health care. She also has interests in the link between food systems and health and in workplace wellness. She was featured on Mona’s postgraduate “Wall of Excellence” and an invited contributor to the annual Research and Development Publication in 2018.
1. A Qualitative Exploration of the Factors Influencing Exclusive Breastfeeding among Women in Barbados: The Implications for Policy and Practice. Partial Funding through UWI Staff Research Award. Start date: March 2019.
Role: Principal Investigator
2. Pediatric ECHORN Study. An NIH/NHLBI funded study where we will try to better understand the neighborhood level factors contributing to higher cardiovascular risk. Investigators: Peter Adams, BSc, MBBS, DM, Rohan Maharaj, BSc, MB, BS, MHSc, DM, FCCFP, Cruz Nazario-Delgado, PhD, Maxine Nunez, RN, DrPH, Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS
Role: Co-investigator
3. Improving Household Nutrition Security and Public Health in the CARICOM”. George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre-International Development Research Centre. Dates: January 2018 – Dec 2021. Principal Investigator: Prof. T. Alafia Samuels. University of the West Indies campuses (Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad); University of Technology, Jamaica; McGill University, Canada; University of Cambridge, UK
Role: Co-Investigator
Teaching Areas
Undergraduate courses
- Health Services Management Coordinator and lecturer
- Health and the Environment Lecturer
Postgraduate courses
- Environmental Health
- Coordinator and lecturer Healthcare Systems
- Coordinator and lecturer Health Economics
- Coordinator and lecturer Primary Health Care
- Lecturer Family Health
- Lecturer Supervision of MPH research projects
Publications
1. Murphy M.M, Jeyaseelan S.M, Howitt C, Greaves N, Harewood H, Quimby K.R, Sobers N, Landis R.C, Rocke K.D, Hambleton I.R.COVID-19 containment in the Caribbean: The experience of small island developing states. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100019
2. Spence D, Austin M, Argentieri MA, Greaves N, Cox K, Chin S, Munroe M, Watson G, Harewood H, Shields AE. Palliative care in the Caribbean through the lens of women with breast cancer: challenges and opportunities. Current Breast Cancer Reports. https://doi.org/10.10007/s12609-018-0280-0. Published online July 05 2018
3. Vigilance J, Harewood H, Greaves N. A qualitative exploration of the experiences and perceptions of women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer in Barbados: Financial loss. Journal of Global Oncology 2018 :4_suppl, 33s-33s doi: 10.1200/jgo.18.99700 Journal of Global Oncology, no. 4_suppl (March 1 2018) 33s-33s
4. Harewood H, Unwin N. Determinants and correlates of unintended pregnancy in polyclinic patients in Barbados: patient and provider insights and the implications for health policy, service design and delivery. UWI Mona Annual Research for Development Publication. February 2018
5. Ng, Marie et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, Volume 384, Issue 9945, 766 – 781
Additional Info