Dr. Ishtar Govia holds a doctorate in Personality and Social Contexts Psychology (University of Michigan) and is a Senior Lecturer with the Jamaica-based Epidemiology Research Unit of the Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies.

Her methodological areas of expertise include: qualitative; mixed methods; equitable co-production; design, development, evaluation of complex interventions. Her substantive areas include: social determinants of health; shared risk and protective factors; context-, lifespan-, and gender-sensitive holistic and integrated approaches for prevention and management of NCDs, especially mental and neurological conditions, dementia, and cardiovascular disease.

Certified in Advanced Clinical Practice in Dementia Care, she assists persons living with dementia and their care network with care management and coordination. Central to Dr. Govia’s work is the cultivation of partnerships and capacity building for health and social care research in the Caribbean, small island developing states, LMICs, and resource-constrained contexts in HICs. She is passionate about connecting the arts and sciences, using trans/interdisciplinary approaches, and making the world a better place for women and children.