Harriet Okatch, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
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Harriet Okatch, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Research & Practice Interests
Lead Poisoning
Global Health
Traditional & Herbal Remedies
HIV Medication Adherence
Education
PhD, University of Botswana
MPH, University of Pennsylvania
BSc, University of Botswana
Publications
- Interest in and barriers to online ESOL instruction for adults during and beyond COVID-19: Exploring relationships with sociodemographics and English proficiency
- Climate change and its impact on health: a global collaborative learning model
- Assessing the effect of four types of direct mail messages to promote the uptake of residential lead remediation funds
- Readability levels and thematic content analysis of online and printed lead poisoning informational materials
- An insight into patient management and health outcome monitoring by traditional healers in Botswana
Teaching
Fundamentals of Environmental Health
Global Health
Biography
Dr. Okatch earned a BSc and PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Botswana, Botswana. Her research in the area of HIV/AIDS led her to pursue MPH studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research includes chemistry-only projects, applied chemistry in public health, and public health-only projects.
Her current research focuses on the prevention of childhood lead poisoning through education, residential interventions and policy. In this work, she collaborates with several organizations including healthcare facilities, organizations providing social services, and local governmental agencies. She conducts this work locally in Lancaster and globally in both Botswana and the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Okatch is a member of the Lancaster Lead Coalition and is also the co-chair of the state-wide Lead Free Promise Project.