Helen de Pinho

Helen de Pinho is an Assistant Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where she also serves as Associate Dean of Educational Programs. Her research focuses on task-shifting and human resources in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce maternal deaths, with expertise in systems thinking applications for complex public health challenges.

Education: BS from University of KwaZulu-Natal (1980), MBBCH from University of the Witwatersrand (1989), FCCH from Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (1999), and MBA from University of Cape Town (2002).

Research Focus: Dr. de Pinho specializes in Global Human Resources for Health, Innovation in Public Health Education, Maternal Health, and Systems Thinking. She developed WHO-endorsed systems thinking training modules and applied these tools to analyze resilience in conflict-affected health systems. At Columbia, she leads the Integrated Science and Practice (ISP) course for MPH/DrPH students, directing a 24-member instructional team.

Publication Trends: Her recent work (2015-2022) demonstrates consistent application of systems thinking to maternal health and workforce strengthening in Africa. Key themes include group model building for participatory analysis, health system resilience in conflict zones, and HIV/NCD service integration through task-shifting, often involving WHO and CDC collaborations.

Scientific Awards:

• Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia University (2025)
• Excellence in ISP and Leadership Teaching Award, Mailman School of Public Health (2024)
• Provost Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar, Columbia University (2022-2023)
• Excellence in ISP and Leadership Teaching Award, Mailman School of Public Health (2018)
• Excellence in ISP and Leadership Teaching Award, Mailman School of Public Health (2017)

Advising and Grants: She leads Columbia's ISP instructional team while managing major international grants including the Health Systems Strengthening for Equity (HSSE) project across Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, and Translating Research into Action (TRAction) in Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on mid-level provider roles in maternal health.

Labs and Teams: Dr. de Pinho co-developed systems thinking tools with ICAP for WHO leadership training and collaborated with CDC/USAID on implementation science. Her current work integrates academic instruction with field applications through Columbia's Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program.