262: Transforming Public Health Through Qualitative Research & Community Engagement with Lydia Babcock, MA, MPH, PMP

Interview with Lydia Babcock, MA, MPH, PMP

Listen Here:

Highlights from this episode:

How qualitative research is rigorous, provides deep insights into people’s perspectives, and can influence policy change.
How Project DREAM, a research initiative aimed at evaluating how Medicaid-covered doula services can reduce racial inequities in maternal health
Why co-designing research and using participatory action models with impacted communities leads to better outcomes.
How medical anthropology provides a critical lens into public health work
Why surveillance methods in public health can have unintended consequences

Episode 262 of Public Health Careers

Lydia Babcock, MA, MPH, PMP is a Senior Research Associate at AcademyHealth and an Independent Research Consultant at Collaborative Action Consulting.

Lydia uses participatory action research, ethnography, and mixed methods to help organizations identify root causes, close gaps, and design solutions that actually work for communities. Her work sits at the intersection of public health, medical anthropology, policy research, and community engagement, with experience spanning both domestic and global health settings – including serving as a Peace Corps Community Health Specialist in Malawi.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Human Development, & Sociomedical Sciences from SUNY Geneseo, followed by both a Master of Arts in Applied Medical Anthropology and a Master of Public Health from the University of Memphis.

Lydia currently works as Senior Research Associate at AcademyHealth and an Independent Research Consultant at Collaborative Action Consulting.