MRC Epidemiology UnitSenior Research Associate
Public Health Modelling
Background and Experience
Belen holds a PhD in Public Health (2017) and a Master of Development Economics (2013) from the University of Queensland, Australia, along with a Bachelor of Commerce from Universidad Blas Pascal, Argentina. Her PhD research focused on examining the health and economic impacts of built environment scenarios in Australian cities.
In July 2024, Belen joined the MRC Epidemiology Unit as a Senior Research Associate in the Public Health Modelling Group. Prior to this, she held a Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at RMIT University (2019-2024), served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Griffith University (2018), and was an Endeavour Postdoctoral Fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Unit from 2017-2018.
Current Work and Interests
Belen co-leads the Joining Impact Models of Transport with Spatial Measures of the Built Environment (JIBE) project, funded by the UK Medical Research Council (UKRI) and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The JIBE project integrates research on the built environment, transport, and health behaviours to develop computer models that inform urban and transport planning policies in both Australia and the UK.
She also led the development of the Transport and Health Assessment Tools (THAT) models (https://auo.org.au/that-melbourne/; https://github.com/healthy-liveable-cities/Transport-Health-Assessment-Tool), building on her PhD work and her time as an Endeavour Fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Unit. Additionally, Belen leads a project funded by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, aimed at creating tools to effectively communicate the results of complex transport and health models.
Her primary research interests include developing models that assess the health impacts of transport and urban planning policies, focusing on improving population-level physical activity, reducing exposure to environmental risk factors, and minimizing the risk of injuries.