Owner  •  AZIMUTH SOCIAL RESEARCH

Azimuth Social Research, LLC is a private consulting firm offering customized research solutions for organizations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. It draws on the expertise and training of social scientists, project managers and evaluation experts with expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods.

January 2020 - Present

Volunteer Evaluator  •  LIFE FOR A CHILD

Life for a Child is a medical non-profit based in Sydney, Australia. It acts on the conviction that no child should die of diabetes. The organization supplies insulin, blood glucose testing equipment, and other critical medical supplies to over 22, 000 children with Type 1 diabetes in under-resourced countries.

- Traveled to India, Mexico, Morocco, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to assess the medical needs of children with Type 1 Diabetes, verify the integrity of existing programs, evaluate impacts on health outcomes, and recommend programmatic changes. Interviewed and collaborated with dozens of physicians, government officials, civil society activists, and patients.
- In Mexico, assessed the needs of low-income children with Type 1 diabetes in response to requests for international assistance from the Mexican Diabetes Association Developed a new insulin and blood glucose test delivery program for 500 children in partnership with the Eli Lilly Foundation Mexico and the Mexican Diabetes Association. Patient health outcomes improved as a result of this new program.

- In India, as project co-leader, helped design, oversee and evaluate a low-cost medical intervention for 200 children. Based on this data, the team recommended a more cost-effective system for adjusting insulin doses in resource-poor contexts. This new system was disseminated to other health providers in resource-poor contexts.

- In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, verified the integrity and appropriateness of Life for Child programs; improved local data collection systems; and made recommendations for future program development. Recommendations included developing relationships with Russian blood glucose test manufactures and devising an evidence-based needs assessment tool to better prioritize deliveries of insulin and blood glucose testing supplies.

January 2010 - Present

Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs, Stassen Chair of International Affairs  •  UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Twin Cities

- Designed and executed representative surveys (n=6, 100) in India, Nigeria Mexico, and Morocco to
learn about public attitudes towards human rights principles, policies, and organizations. Published a book and numerous scholarly and popular articles and presented findings to major human rights organizations and philanthropies, helping shape policies and tactics.

- Designed and executed two representative surveys (n=2, 000) of the adult population in Mexico City and Bogota to learn whether citizens would contribute funds to civil society organizations. Results prompted at least one major philanthropic group to initiate a new program aimed at helping the organizations' grantees fundraise locally.
- Created, raised funds for, and edited OpenGlobalRights.org, a website for short, evidence-driven articles on international human rights topics in 22 languages. OGR has become one of the field's key international thought leadership platforms.

January 2011 - July 2020

Advisory and Research Consultant  •  HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Human Rights Watch is the second-largest global non-profit documenting violations of international human rights and the laws of war.

- Documented human rights abuses in Chechnya, Kosovo, Israel/Palestine, Nigeria, Turkey, Uzbekistan. 

--Wrote three book-length reports on violations of the laws of war in Israel/Palestine and Turkey.  

- Conducted a nationally representative poll of US adults and early Trump supporters to determine human rights attitudes. 

- Led groups of graduate students that conducted evaluations, reviewed research methodologies, and worked closely with Human Rights Watch senior staff. 

January 1992 - December 2020

Post-doctoral Research Fellow  •  BROWN UNIVERSITY

Led qualitative consulting project for CARE, a US-based humanitarian aid organization, to analyze human rights implications of aid programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This report contributed to revamping of CARE's do no harm policies and fed into their emerging rights-based approach.

January 1998 - December 1999

Doctoral Research Fellow  •  THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

Completed PhD dissertation on political violence in Serbia and Israel

January 1997 - December 1999