Malia Skjefte

Malia Skjefte is a DPhil candidate in Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford, where her research focuses on evaluating vector-borne disease control and elimination interventions, with a particular emphasis on the use of routine surveillance data. Her DPhil work employs a mixed-methods approach to examine how routine surveillance data can be more effectively leveraged to strengthen vector-borne disease prevention, control, and elimination programs in low-resource settings.

Malia holds a Master of Science in Global Health and Population, with a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Professionally, Malia is a global health researcher and epidemiologist with interests in infectious diseases, health information systems, implementation research, and health systems strengthening. She has held technical advisory and research roles with organizations including Population Services International (PSI) and ISGlobal, and most recently served as a Fulbright Scholar in Bolivia and Paraguay. Her academic and consulting work has included evaluations of community health programs, vector control interventions, and disease surveillance systems across low- and middle-income countries, with a particular focus on strengthening the use of data for evidence-based public health action.

Malia is passionate about leveraging data-driven insights to inform policy and improve the equity and effectiveness of infectious disease programs, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to complex public health challenges.