Ane Fisker is a medical doctor and Professor at the Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark (SDU). She leads the Measure Effects team at the Bandim Health Project, and divides time between Denmark and Guinea-Bissau. Her research focuses on improving how health and survival are measured in low-income countries and on generating evidence to strengthen maternal and child health programmes in Guinea-Bissau.
In Guinea-Bissau, she leads the two the Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems of the Bandim Health Project; a nationally representative system following women and children in 222 village clusters across the country and an urban system that monitors approximately 100,000 people living in six suburban areas of the capital Bissau. Through regular household visits, pregnancies, births, deaths, migrations, and health interventions are registered prospectively, creating unique population-based datasets that make it possible to follow individuals from before birth throughout life.
Using these surveillance systems as a platform, Professor Fisker conducts research on the real-world implementation and impact of health interventions. A particular focus of her work is understanding how health and survival are measured when routine health information systems are limited. Retrospective household surveys are commonly used to monitor progress in global health; Yet, as such data collection is implemented to fill measurement gaps, opportunities to assess the quality of the information they capture have been limited. By comparing retrospectively collected survey information with prospectively collected population-based data, her research aims to identify strengths and limitations of current measurement approaches and improve the evidence that informs health policies and programmes.
Professor Fisker's research primarily relies on quantitative methods, including longitudinal cohort studies, population surveillance systems, and randomised trials. She also incorporates qualitative approaches when they can help provide deeper insights into implementation processes and the realities experienced by local communities. She is particularly interested in the intersection between epidemiology, data quality, and health programme evaluation.
Her journey into global health began during medical school when she spent a research year in Guinea-Bissau. The experience shaped her career and consolidated a commitment to addressing health inequalities. Since graduating as a medical doctor, she has worked extensively within global health research and has maintained a strong connection to field-based research. For Ane, spending time in the communities where data are collected is essential for understanding local realities, challenging assumptions, and ensuring that collected data and implemented research addresses issues that matter to the populations involved.
Professor Fisker's work contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Through her focus on measuring health outcomes, strengthening population-based data systems, and evaluating health interventions, her research also supports progress towards Universal Health Coverage and improved health equity.
Looking ahead, Professor Fisker sees great opportunities in strengthening interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration across global health research. She is particularly enthusiastic about involving students and early-career researchers in field-based research and developing innovative approaches that combine community-based data, new technologies, and epidemiological methods to improve health monitoring and decision-making in resource-limited settings.
In Guinea-Bissau, she leads the two the Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems of the Bandim Health Project; a nationally representative system following women and children in 222 village clusters across the country and an urban system that monitors approximately 100,000 people living in six suburban areas of the capital Bissau. Through regular household visits, pregnancies, births, deaths, migrations, and health interventions are registered prospectively, creating unique population-based datasets that make it possible to follow individuals from before birth throughout life.
Using these surveillance systems as a platform, Professor Fisker conducts research on the real-world implementation and impact of health interventions. A particular focus of her work is understanding how health and survival are measured when routine health information systems are limited. Retrospective household surveys are commonly used to monitor progress in global health; Yet, as such data collection is implemented to fill measurement gaps, opportunities to assess the quality of the information they capture have been limited. By comparing retrospectively collected survey information with prospectively collected population-based data, her research aims to identify strengths and limitations of current measurement approaches and improve the evidence that informs health policies and programmes.
Professor Fisker's research primarily relies on quantitative methods, including longitudinal cohort studies, population surveillance systems, and randomised trials. She also incorporates qualitative approaches when they can help provide deeper insights into implementation processes and the realities experienced by local communities. She is particularly interested in the intersection between epidemiology, data quality, and health programme evaluation.
Her journey into global health began during medical school when she spent a research year in Guinea-Bissau. The experience shaped her career and consolidated a commitment to addressing health inequalities. Since graduating as a medical doctor, she has worked extensively within global health research and has maintained a strong connection to field-based research. For Ane, spending time in the communities where data are collected is essential for understanding local realities, challenging assumptions, and ensuring that collected data and implemented research addresses issues that matter to the populations involved.
Professor Fisker's work contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Through her focus on measuring health outcomes, strengthening population-based data systems, and evaluating health interventions, her research also supports progress towards Universal Health Coverage and improved health equity.
Looking ahead, Professor Fisker sees great opportunities in strengthening interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration across global health research. She is particularly enthusiastic about involving students and early-career researchers in field-based research and developing innovative approaches that combine community-based data, new technologies, and epidemiological methods to improve health monitoring and decision-making in resource-limited settings.
