Ada Kwan, PhD, MHS
Postdoctoral Scholar
Medicine
School of Medicine

Methodologically, I utilize randomization, quasi-experiments, and complex surveys, such as simulated standardized patients, to assess the effects and implications of scaling up related health programs. By measuring healthcare as a good with attributes that remain unobservable to patients and program implementers even after delivery, this research can help inform policy, intervention, and program design.

I have 13+ years of experience conducting at-scale or multi-site economic, impact, and quality of healthcare evaluations in roles at institutions such as the Mexico National Institute of Public Health (CIEE) and the World Bank (DECRG). My research spans examining: private provider networks and public sector service delivery in India, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda, and China; social protection programs in Zimbabwe; COVID-19 response measures in U.S. state prisons; and equity-focused interventions in California. In previous roles, I have advised on integrating digital technologies to improve population health, domestically and internationally. This work has been sponsored by the United Nations Foundation, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sesame Workshop, and other agencies.

• Deception and informed consent in studies with incognito simulated standardized patients: empirical experiences and a case study from South Africa
  Research Ethics 2023 Daniels, Benjamin, Jody Boffa, Ada Kwan, and Sizulu Moyo
• Do private providers initiate anti-tuberculosis therapy on the basis of chest radiographs? A standardised patient study in urban India
  Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia 2023 Anita Svadzian, Benjamin Daniels, Giorgia Sulis, Jishnu Das, Amrita Daftary, Ada Kwan, Veena Das, Ranendra Das, Madhukar Pai
• Infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and reinfections during the Omicron wave.
  Nature medicine 2023 Tan ST, Kwan AT, Rodríguez-Barraquer I, Singer BJ, Park HJ, Lewnard JA, Sears D, Lo NC
• Infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and reinfections during the Omicron wave.
  medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2022 Tan ST, Kwan AT, Rodríguez-Barraquer I, Singer BJ, Park HJ, Lewnard JA, Sears D, Lo NC
• Tuberculosis diagnosis and management in the public versus private sector: a standardised patients study in Mumbai, India.
  BMJ global health 2022 Daniels B, Shah D, Kwan AT, Das R, Das V, Puri V, Tipre P, Waghmare U, Gomare M, Keskar P, Das J, Pai M
• The Impact Of COVID-19 On The Health Of Incarcerated Older Adults In California State Prisons.
  Health affairs (Project Hope) 2022 Kwan A, Garcia-Grossman I, Sears D, Bertozzi SM, Williams BA
• Modeling scenarios for mitigating outbreaks in congregate settings.
  PLoS computational biology 2022 Blumberg S, Lu P, Kwan AT, Hoover CM, Lloyd-Smith JO, Sears D, Bertozzi SM, Worden L
• Respiratory pandemic preparedness learnings from the June 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin California State Prison.
  International journal of prisoner health 2022 Kwan A, Sklar R, Cameron DB, Schell RC, Bertozzi SM, McCoy SI, Williams B, Sears DA
• COVID-19 outbreak in a state prison: a case study on the implementation of key public health recommendations for containment and prevention.
  BMC public health 2022 Duarte C, Cameron DB, Kwan AT, Bertozzi SM, Williams BA, McCoy SI
• Implementing Quality of Care Measures: Lessons from a Standardized Patient Study in Seven Provinces of China.
  American journal of public health 2022 Kwan A
• Do private providers give patients what they demand, even if it is inappropriate? A randomised study using unannounced standardised patients in Kenya.
  BMJ open 2022 Kwan A, Boone CE, Sulis G, Gertler PJ
• Tuberculosis care quality in urban Nigeria: A cross-sectional study of adherence to screening and treatment initiation guidelines in multi-cadre networks of private health service providers
  PLOS Global Public Health 2022 Lauren A. Rosapep, Sophie Faye, Benjamin Johns, Bolanle Olusola-Faleye, Elaine M. Baruwa, Micah K. Sorum, Flora Nwagagbo, Abdu A. Adamu, Ada Kwan, Christopher Obanubi, Akinyemi Olumuyiwa Atobatele
• Prescribing practices for presumptive TB among private general practitioners in South Africa: a cross-sectional, standardised patient study.
  BMJ global health 2022 Salomon A, Boffa J, Moyo S, Chikovore J, Sulis G, Daniels B, Kwan A, Mkhombo T, Wu S, Pai M, Daftary A
• Simulated patients and their reality: An inquiry into theory and method.
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2021 Das V, Daniels B, Kwan A, Saria V, Das R, Pai M, Das J
• Mitigating outbreaks in congregate settings by decreasing the size of the susceptible population.
  medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2021 Blumberg S, Lu P, Hoover CM, Lloyd-Smith JO, Kwan AT, Sears D, Bertozzi SM, Worden L
• Quality of care for tuberculosis and HIV in the private health sector: a cross-sectional, standardised patient study in South Africa.
  BMJ global health 2021 Boffa J, Moyo S, Chikovore J, Salomon A, Daniels B, Kwan AT, Pai M, Daftary A
• Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons.
  American journal of public health 2021 Barnert E, Kwan A, Williams B
• Antibiotic overuse in the primary health care setting: a secondary data analysis of standardised patient studies from India, China and Kenya.
  BMJ global health 2020 Sulis G, Daniels B, Kwan A, Gandra S, Daftary A, Das J, Pai M
• How to do (or not to do) … using the standardized patient method to measure clinical quality of care in LMIC health facilities.
  Health policy and planning 2019 King JJC, Das J, Kwan A, Daniels B, Powell-Jackson T, Makungu C, Goodman C
• Use of standardised patients for healthcare quality research in low- and middle-income countries.
  BMJ global health 2019 Kwan A, Daniels B, Bergkvist S, Das V, Pai M, Das J
• Lessons on the quality of tuberculosis diagnosis from standardized patients in China, India, Kenya, and South Africa.
  Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases 2019 Daniels B, Kwan A, Pai M, Das J
• Use of standardised patients to assess gender differences in quality of tuberculosis care in urban India: a two-city, cross-sectional study.
  The Lancet. Global health 2019 Daniels B, Kwan A, Satyanarayana S, Subbaraman R, Das RK, Das V, Das J, Pai M
• Variations in the quality of tuberculosis care in urban India: A cross-sectional, standardized patient study in two cities.
  PLoS medicine 2018 Kwan A, Daniels B, Saria V, Satyanarayana S, Subbaraman R, McDowell A, Bergkvist S, Das RK, Das V, Das J, Pai M
• Influence of supply-side factors on voluntary medical male circumcision costs in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia.
  PloS one 2018 Bautista-Arredondo S, Sosa-Rubi SG, Opuni M, Contreras-Loya D, La Hera-Fuentes G, Kwan A, Chaumont C, Chompolola A, Condo J, Dzekedzeke K, Galarraga O, Martinson N, Masiye F, Nsanzimana S, Wamai R, …
• Efficiency of HIV services in Nigeria: Determinants of unit cost variation of HIV counseling and testing and prevention of mother-to-child transmission interventions.
  PloS one 2018 Bautista-Arredondo S, La Hera-Fuentes G, Contreras-Loya D, Kwan A, Van Buren SJ, Amanze OO, Atobatele A, Adeyemi A, Abatta E, Ogungbemi KM, Sosa-Rubí SG
• Costs along the service cascades for HIV testing and counselling and prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
  AIDS (London, England) 2016 Bautista-Arredondo S, Sosa-Rubí SG, Opuni M, Contreras-Loya D, Kwan A, Chaumont C, Chompolola A, Condo J, Galárraga O, Martinson N, Masiye F, Nsanzimana S, Ochoa-Moreno I, Wamai R, Wang'ombe J, ORPHEA…
• Use of standardised patients to assess antibiotic dispensing for tuberculosis by pharmacies in urban India: a cross-sectional study.
  The Lancet. Infectious diseases 2016 Satyanarayana S, Kwan A, Daniels B, Subbaraman R, McDowell A, Bergkvist S, Das RK, Das V, Das J, Pai M
• Use of standardised patients to assess quality of tuberculosis care: a pilot, cross-sectional study.
  The Lancet. Infectious diseases 2015 Das J, Kwan A, Daniels B, Satyanarayana S, Subbaraman R, Bergkvist S, Das RK, Das V, Pai M
• Using provider performance incentives to increase HIV testing and counseling services in Rwanda.
  Journal of health economics 2014 de Walque D, Gertler PJ, Bautista-Arredondo S, Kwan A, Vermeersch C, de Dieu Bizimana J, Binagwaho A, Condo J
• Assessing cost and technical efficiency of HIV prevention interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: the ORPHEA study design and methods.
  BMC health services research 2014 Bautista-Arredondo S, Sosa-Rubí SG, Opuni M, Kwan A, Chaumont C, Coetzee J, Condo J, Dzekedzeke K, Galárraga O, Martinson N, Masiye F, Nsanzimana S, Wamai R, Wang'ombe J, ORPHEA study team
• Acceptability and willingness to receive short message service regarding HIV healthcare information in a HIV adult population in Mexico City
  Journal of the International Aids Society 2014 Brenda Crabtree-Ramírez, Yanink Caro-Vega, Sandra Sosa-Rubi, Ada Kwan, Juan Sierra-Madero, Raul Ortega-Pérez, Alondra López-Martínez, Sergio Bautista-Arredondo
• In: M. Rosenmöller, D. Whitehouse & P. Wilson (Eds.) Managing eHealth: From Vision to Reality
  Reshaping Health in a World of Mobile Phones 2014 Patricia Mechael, Ada Kwan, Avrille Hanzel, Chelsea Hedquist
• mHealth opportunities for non-communicable diseases among the elderly. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation
  mHealth opportunities for non-communicable diseases among the elderly. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation. 2014 Ada Kwan
• mHealth solutions for improving mental health and illnesses in the aging process. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation
  mHealth solutions for improving mental health and illnesses in the aging process. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation. 2014 Ada Kwan
• mHealth transferring the burden of caregivers to mobile technology. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation
  2014 Ada Kwan
• Getting healthier around the world: Information and communication technologies for child health and development. Policy white paper commissioned by Sesame Workshop & mHealth Alliance at the United Nations Foundation
  Getting healthier around the world: Information and communication technologies for child health and development. Policy white paper commissioned by Sesame Workshop & mHealth Alliance at the United Nations Foundation 2013 Ada Kwan
• In: P. A. Bruck & M. Rao (Eds.), Global Mobile: Applications and innovations for the Worldwide Mobile Ecosystem
  Global Mobile 2013 Patricia Mechael, Ada Kwan, Dayle Kern
• Using mobile technologies for healthier aging. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation
  Using mobile technologies for healthier aging. Policy white paper commissioned by Pfizer, Inc. & the United Nations Foundation 2013 Ada Kwan
• Using mobile phones on the job
  BMJ 2012 Mechael P, Kwan A, Struble S
• In: J. Donner & P. Mechael (Eds.), mHealth in Practice: Mobile technology for health promotion in the developing world
  State of Behavior Change Initiatives and How Mobile Phones are Transforming It 2012 Ada Kwan, Patricia Mechael, Nadi Kaonga
• Barriers and gaps affecting mHealth in low- and middle-income countries: Policy White Paper. Center for Global Health and Economic Development, The Earth Institute at Columbia University
  Barriers and gaps affecting mHealth in low- and middle-income countries: Policy White Paper. Center for Global Health and Economic Development, The Earth Institute at Columbia University. 2010 Patricia Mechael, Hima Batavia, Nadi Kaonga, Sarah Searle, Ada Kwan, Adina Goldberger, Lin Fu, James Ossman
• Tissue fractionation by hydrostatic pressure cycling technology: the unified sample preparation technique for systems biology studies.
  Journal of biomolecular techniques : JBT 2008 Gross V, Carlson G, Kwan AT, Smejkal G, Freeman E, Ivanov AR, Lazarev A