Cara Antonaccio is a researcher at the UNU Institute in Macau.
Cara joined the UNU Macau in November 2022. Her research is focused on health and development in conflict-affected communities using epidemiological and geospatial analysis methods to investigate the dynamics of complex humanitarian crises. She is currently working on a programme that examines the conflict-related and contextual drivers of attacks against humanitarian assistance, as well as the geospatial diffusion dynamics of attacks against aid workers, globally. In 2022, she earned a PhD from Boston College, where she studied mental health and psychosocial well-being in conflict-affected communities and among youth who were formerly affiliated with armed forces and groups in Sierra Leone. In 2018, she earned a Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, where she conducted research evaluating the implementation of mental health and psychosocial support services for new mothers in conflict-affected regions of Uganda. Since joining the UNU Institute in Macau, Cara is increasingly motivated to conduct applied interdisciplinary research and to design data-driven tools to support health in humanitarian crises and communities affected by conflict.
Research Interests
- Epidemiology and biostatistics
- Geospatial analysis
- Humanitarian emergencies
- Maternal and child health
- Mental health and psychosocial support