Susan Beth Rifkin

Professor, Dept. of Health and Social Administration, London School of Economics and Visiting Fellow at the LSHTM.

Susan Rifkin graduated in Chinese area studies and became interested in health in developing countries through her research into health care in China. After studying Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, she worked for the Government of Zambia for two years as a Health Education Officer. Returning to Hong Kong in 1975, she spent nine years working with indigenous Asian non governmental organisation. She helped found the Asian Community Health Action Network (ACHAN) and served as its first coordinator. During this period she received a Ph. D from the University of Hong Kong. Her thesis was on " Planners Approaches to Community Participation in Community Health Programmes : Case Studies in South East Asia". She went back to England in 1984 and has pursued work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in community participation and in developing training materials for health care workers. She had a joint appointment from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the School of Public Health, Boston University to undertake research into primary health care among the urban poor in the developing world. She served the Center for Human Nutrition at LSHTM as a Visiting Senior Lecturer and Honorary Senior Research Fellow. She has helped to establish a Masters degree course at the University of Heidelberg and Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development in Kisumu, Kenya and was Professor and Co-Director in the same Institute. She has been a consultant to many organisations like WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, British - ODA, European Commission etc. Prof. Rifkin has published a wide range of books and articles in the areas of community participation in health care delivery and primary health care. Prof. Rifkin is currently at the Dept. of Health and Social Administration, London School of Economics and Visiting Fellow at the LSHTM. Prof. Rifkin speaks English, Mandarin Chinese and French. But do not be surprised if she greets you in Hindi or Telugu!

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