Leah Schrubbe, PhD, MSc
Epidemiologist and Global Public Health Consultant
Rigorous epidemiological research methods and technical consultation applied to global health challenges in HIV and other infectious diseases, maternal and child health, reproductive and sexual health, and violence against women.
14
Publications
460+
Citations
15+
Years of Experience
100+
Countries of Research
About
Leah Schrubbe, PhD, MSc
Dr. Leah Schrubbe is an epidemiologist and global public health consultant with expertise in maternal and child health, HIV prevention and treatment, reproductive and sexual health, and violence against women. With a PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health and an MSc in Reproductive & Sexual Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she applies rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods to improve health outcomes for women and families worldwide. Her doctoral research examined the role of violence against women in antiretroviral therapy adherence among pregnant and breastfeeding women in sub-Saharan Africa, and the downstream effects on prevention of vertical transmission of HIV.
Over the past 15+ years, she has worked on global health research projects in multiple countries, including collaborations in Namibia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and other low- and middle-income settings, as well as in the United States. Dr. Schrubbe has contributed to national and regional surveys, research program evaluations, qualitative studies, and randomized controlled trials across sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. Her expertise spans study design, statistical analysis of quantitative data including population-based datasets, analysis of qualitative interview data, and the design and implementation of research studies including randomized controlled trials, cross-sectional surveys, cohort studies, qualitative research, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Dr. Schrubbe partners with international organizations, academic institutions, and research institutes to conduct research and translate rigorous epidemiological evidence into actionable global health policy and programs. Current and past clients include the World Health Organization and leading public health academic institutions.
Areas of Expertise
Maternal & Child Health
Maternal and perinatal health; maternal morbidity and mortality; antenatal care; breastfeeding; prevention of vertical transmission; neonatal health; mental health; postpartum care.
Reproductive & Sexual Health
Contraception and family planning; sexually transmitted infections; abortion care; sexual rights and reproductive justice; infertility.
Violence Against Women / Gender-Based Violence
Intimate partner violence; non-partner sexual violence; reproductive violence; other under-reported forms of violence (financial, psychological, and more); violence during pregnancy and postpartum; mental health.
HIV Prevention & Treatment
Biomedical interventions such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART); viral load and ART adherence monitoring; HIV testing; prevention of vertical transmission of HIV; mental health; stigma; partner disclosure.
Other Infectious Diseases
Vector-borne diseases such as malaria; malaria elimination; prevention and treatment; rapid diagnostic testing.
Services Provided
Study Design, Implementation, Analysis & Dissemination
- Lead research studies across the full research lifecycle, or support any step of the research process — study design, planning, implementation and data collection, data management, analysis, write-up and dissemination.
- Conduct cross-sectional surveys, cohort studies, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and qualitative research.
- Perform statistical analysis in R or Stata.
- Translate research findings into peer-reviewed manuscripts published in leading academic journals.
Cross-Sectional Survey Methods & Analysis
- Lead design, implementation, and analysis of cross-sectional surveys, with expertise in nationally representative population-based survey data and pooled multi-country analyses.
- Undertake analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) data, and other datasets.
- Implement prevalence surveys in high- or low-resource settings.
Systematic Reviews
- Lead or support any portion of systematic reviews and meta-analyses — design, planning, implementation, data management, analysis, write-up and dissemination.
- Conduct global or smaller scale systematic reviews, literature reviews, or scoping reviews.
Qualitative Research
- Lead qualitative studies from conception through dissemination, or support any individual portion of the study.
- Perform design, implementation, and analysis of in-depth and semi-structured interview data.
- Conduct qualitative data analysis in Dedoose or NVivo.
- Oversee qualitative studies in high- or low-resource settings.
Selected Projects
Consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO)
Leading a systematic review and meta-analysis on the global prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy for the World Health Organization.
Multi-Country Population-Based Analysis from 10 countries
Peer-reviewed manuscript published in AIDS on the prevalence and risk factors of unsuppressed viral load among pregnant and breastfeeding women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Principal Investigator on Qualitative Study in Kenya
Principal Investigator for a qualitative study in rural Kenya. Primary results published in PLOS Global Public Health on pathways between intimate partner violence and HIV care and treatment during pregnancy and postpartum.
Selected Publications
- Schrubbe L, et al. Pathways between intimate partner violence and HIV care and treatment during pregnancy and postpartum: a qualitative study in southwestern Kenya. PLOS Global Public Health. 2025.
- Schrubbe L, et al. Perinatal HIV treatment in the context of financial and psychological intimate partner violence in urban South Africa. Psychology of Violence. 2025.
- Schrubbe L, et al. Intimate partner violence against women during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol for producing global and regional estimates. Systematic Reviews. 2023.
- Schrubbe L, et al. Sexual violence and antiretroviral adherence among women of reproductive age in African population-based surveys. Journal of the International AIDS Society. 2023.
- Schrubbe L, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of unsuppressed viral load among pregnant and breastfeeding women in sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS. 2023.
Get in Touch
Dr. Schrubbe collaborates with universities, NGOs, international organizations, and research institutes to strengthen global health research and programs. With 15+ years of experience in research, she provides technical expertise to researchers and organizations that need assistance with conducting research studies, completing data analyses, evaluating programs, translating complex data into technical guidance, and more.