I am a freelance multi-skilled global health researcher working at the intersection of participatory Theory of Change development, co-design and co-creation, evaluation of complex interventions, health services research, monitoring and evaluation, and implementation science.
My work brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience, to understand how health and social care interventions, programmes and policies can be developed, implemented and evaluated to create meaningful impact. Much of this work has focused on mental health service development in low-resource settings.
A particular area of expertise is the use of Theory of Change to support stakeholders to identify, develop and evaluate health and social care interventions. This includes co-leading the use of Theory of Change in the Programme for Improving Mental Healthcare across five low- and middle-income countries and the STRiDE: Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries project across seven middle-income countries.
More recently, I have led Theory of Change development for the PROMISE project in Malawi, which aims to strengthen services for people living with psychosis, and the CHIME project, which focuses on developing culturally appropriate, music-based approaches to maternal mental health in South Africa, Lesotho and The Gambia.
Across my career, I have facilitated workshops, or provided training and support to develop and use participatory Theories of Change across more than 20 countries including Brazil, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States.
This work has covered areas including mental health, dementia, prisoner health, long-term care, maternal health and child development. It has also involved leading work packages across multiple research projects and providing consultancy and training to universities, non-government organisations, research organisations and international organisations globally.
Consultancy clients and collaborators have included the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Cape Town, the University of Hong Kong, King’s College London, the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, the University of Newcastle, Australia and the Well Being Trust in the United States.
My broader public health experience includes complex interventions, mental health, health services research, co-design, quantitative data analysis, systematic reviews, programme management, and research and evaluation design.
I hold a PhD from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology. I am an Extraordinary Associate Professor at the Institute for Life Course Health Research in South Africa and an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Australia. I am also a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Fondation d’Harcourt, which supports initiatives addressing mental health and psychosocial wellbeing internationally. My work has been published in leading academic journals.
Erica Breuer 