Chidalu Mbonu, MPH Presents on Measuring Healthcare in Low-Income Countries
Chidalu Mbonu, an alum of Dartmouth's MPH Program presented on unwarranted healthcare variation in low-income countries. Mbonu was invited to speak at the 2023 Fall Meeting of the Wennberg International Collaborative (WIC) in Pisa, Italy, by Dr. David Goodman, a professor at Dartmouth and one of the founders of WIC, who she says introduced her to the concept of unwarranted variation in health care in his course, Medical Care Epidemiology.
Unwarranted healthcare variation includes differences in care that cannot be explained by personal preference, illness, or medical need. Dr. John Wennberg, a founder of The Dartmouth Institute and The Dartmouth Atlas, first identified unwarranted variation. The WIC is a community of scholars and policymakers. Its mission includes supporting research on the causes and consequences of unwarranted healthcare variation from the regional to provider levels in various countries.
In her presentation at the WIC Fall Meeting, Mbonu applied what she learned as a student in Dr. Goodman’s class, Medical Care Epidemiology. Mbonu's presentation focused on Opportunities for Measurement of Health Care in Low-Income Countries: Nigeria as an Example. She says, “I hope that this will be the beginning of very needed studies and research on unwarranted variations in African countries and other low-resource environments towards the strengthening of our health care systems.” She looks forward to working alongside others with a shared interest in measuring healthcare, health policy, and public health.
