Student profile: Providing practical solutions to local healthcare

Martina Kirchberger had already seen a fair bit of the world before she came to Oxford. Born in Austria, and speaking fluent German, French, Italian and English – as well as the basics of Spanish and Arabic – she was awarded a BSc in Economics and Management from the Free University of Bolzano, Italy, and an MA in International Relations at the Graduate Institute of Studies in Geneva, with work experience that included assignments in the health sector for the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Mali.

What drew Martina to Oxford in 2007 was the MSc in Economics for Development. ‘It’s an excellent programme for economists who want to work in developing countries, and the University’s Centre for the Study of African Economies is one of the best places in the world to be working on issues related to development economics’, she says. ‘The mix of students is very international and unique; almost everybody is extremely well travelled and has gained work experience in a variety of countries; also the teaching faculty are heavily involved in policy work in developing countries and share valuable insights into real-life issues. And I chose St Antony's because it is the most international of the graduate colleges, and has a very active and lively student life.’

With the MSc under her belt, Martina is now studying for a DPhil under the supervision of Professor Stefan Dercon. Her research is exploring how links between weather patterns and medical needs can help us develop better financing models for health facilities in the tropics, especially sub-Saharan Africa.

‘Climate change impacts mankind and our relationship with the environment both through climate-sensitive diseases and consequences such as the loss of harvests and livelihoods,’ Martina explains. ‘The poor, in particular, have few options to protect themselves and when catastrophe strikes, administrative processes, public information systems and leakage of funds can delay healthcare provision. I’m trying to build on established links between weather variability and the incidence and intensity of particular diseases to provide financial instruments that can establish and maintain high-quality local healthcare.’

Martina’s DPhil is being funded by the AXA Research Fund. She was one of just 16 students from across Europe selected in the first round of doctoral grant allocations by the Fund, which seeks to ‘uphold the emergence of the world’s scientific leaders from the very beginning of their careers’. She is also currently enjoying giving tutorials to undergraduates in public economics and working as a teaching assistant for a graduate-level econometrics course.

And in her spare time? ‘Running, yoga, photography, swimming, sailing, playing the guitar, hiking and skiing!’