Mathematica has named Deliya Banda Wesley senior director of health equity, a new position focused on promoting equity in health and health care through influential research and improved programs. She will lead development of a robust health equity practice and a diverse portfolio of government and philanthropic clients.
“Mathematica is infusing equity into all aspects of our organization—shaping both the work we do and how we do it—and Wesley has the experience to make our health equity practice an industry leader,” said Erin Taylor, senior vice president and managing director of health policy assessment at Mathematica. “Her passion for using evidence to improve health outcomes and foster health equity makes her a perfect fit to lead this work.”
Wesley, a health equity scientist, brings to her new role more than a decade of experience in research, evaluation, and project leadership. Throughout her career, she has focused on determinants of health decision making and the uptake of health information in diverse populations. She has also developed and evaluated successful health communication tools to enable and improve decision making in marginalized groups. Most recently, Wesley was the founding scientific director of the MedStar Health Research Institute’s Center for Health Equity Research. She is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
“There is a rising interest and ability in the health field to adapt health information technologies to address the needs of under-resourced communities,” said Wesley. “Mathematica has the capabilities those in the government and private sector are seeking, and I couldn’t be more excited to join its team and drive equitable approaches in health policy research and evaluation.”
In addition to establishing and building a portfolio of health equity research at MedStar, Wesley has published research in many peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Biomedical Informatics, the Oncologist, and the Journal of Urban Health. She earned a master of public health in epidemiology at the George Washington University School of Public Health and a doctor of philosophy in behavioral and community health from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. She will be based in Mathematica’s Washington, DC, office.
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