Sandrena Ruth Frischer
Research Assistant and DPhil Student
Sandrena Ruth Frischer is a Research Assistant with the Policy and Practice Research Group within PSI, where she supports Rapid Research Needs Assessments (RRNAs) for emerging pathogens of pandemic potential. Sandrena is also a DPhil Student in Population Health at Oxford, supervised by Professor Michael Parker (PSI, ETHOX Centre) and Associate Professor Goylette Chami. Her doctoral research aims to guide collaboration between research sponsors and health systems during community-based biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa by exploring practical ethical issues relating to community health workers and care continuity.
Sandrena holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley, and an MSc in Public Health for Development from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where her master's dissertation investigated Ebola vaccine trial participant experiences with contraception as a condition of trial participation in Sierra Leone. Prior to beginning her DPhil and joining PSI, Sandrena managed field and data operations for a longitudinal epidemiological study on Lassa Fever in Liberia, conducted in partnership with Phebe Hospital, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI), and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia. Previously, Sandrena worked in healthcare access for undocumented migrants in the United States, in health equity and systems strengthening in Liberia, and as a community health specialist with the United States Peace Corps in Ecuador.