Naomi Kincler (2012 - 2013)

Canada

From the slums of Mumbai to the urban ghettos of the Bronx, Naomi has led a number of significant public health initiatives over the last eight years. Through her varied experiences, she has witnessed the constant need for new and innovative data to support and justify policies, programs, advocacy and research. Time and effort is wasted daily when people repeat the work of searching and manipulating the same numbers. To address this complex challenge, Naomi is working to develop better systems for policy makers, researchers, and advocates to store and share key facts, figures, and statistics.

It was through her work with the Barbados Ministry of Health in 2004, mapping dengue fever hot spots during a field study semester at McGill University’s Bellairs Research Institute that Naomi first realized her potential for affecting change through data and information systems.

Following graduation from McGill in 2005, she worked as a health geographic information systems consultant at a maternal and newborn health organization in Dharavi, the largest slum in Mumbai. In 2006, she assumed a position as research coordinator for an international project, led by Dr. Dick Menzies at McGill University, measuring the global economic burden of Tuberculosis. Over the next two years, Naomi established and led research efforts in eight countries including Brazil, China, and Malawi.

After completing her Masters of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in 2009, concentrating in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Naomi was invited to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as part of the Epi Scholar program. Proving her ability to highlight statistics to advocate for effective program planning, Naomi was requested to stay on as Lead Epidemiologist in the Bureau of Early Intervention for babies with development delays. In March 2011, Naomi transferred to the South Bronx District Public Health Office (DPHO) in order to work more closely with community partners on programs to prevent obesity, decrease unintended teen pregnancy, and reduce health inequalities. This experience solidified her desire to develop platforms for improved collaboration and data sharing among community partners.

As the daughter of a city councilor and active community leader, Naomi has always had a keen sense of civic responsibility and has assumed leadership roles in various other capacities. As a student, she served on international volunteer missions in Uruguay, Argentina and Ukraine. In 2008, she spent four months leading student volunteer missions in Central America for the American Jewish World Service, facilitating cross-cultural experiences with farmers’ collectives in remote rural villages. At JHU, she presided over the J.B. Grant International Health Society and, most recently, she was a community leader with Pursue: Action for a Just World, a community for young social justice activists in New York City.

When not manipulating data, Naomi loves to dance, cook, and explore new cultures and landscapes. Her other interests include hiking, tennis, dance, yoga, skiing, scuba diving and music. She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Hebrew and a little bit of Romanian and Hindi, and hopes to pick up a couple more languages while living at the Sauvé House.

Mother Tongue

English, French, Spanish, Hebrew and a little bit of Romanian and Hindi

Country of origin

Canada