Director of Communications and Public Affairs, National Center for Health Research
Washington, D.C.
Brandel France de Bravo is a poet and essayist who has been working on healthcare issues internationally and in the U.S. for nearly 30 years. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University and a Master’s in Fine Arts in creative writing from Warren Wilson College.
Brandel has provided technical assistance to contraceptive social marketing programs and conducted health research (quantitative and qualitative), evaluations, and needs assessments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She has worked in family planning and in harm reduction for intravenous drug users and in HIV/AIDS, including serving as country director for USAID’s first nationwide HIV prevention project in Africa (Zaire/Democratic Republic of Congo). Previous employers and clients include the World Health Organization; George Soros’ Open Societies Foundations; the World Bank; PSI; and Marie Stopes International.
For the past seven years, Brandel worked with the National Center for Health Research, a consumer health organization and FDA watchdog in Washington, D.C. She analyzed health studies, testified before scientific advisory committees, and worked with patients, health professionals and policy makers toward better health outcomes.
Brandel is the author of two collections of poetry (Provenance, and Mother, Loose), the editor of the bilingual anthology, Mexican Poetry Today: 20/20 Voices, and co-author of Trees Make the Best Mobiles: Simple Ways to Raise your Child in a Complex World. She is currently working on a collection of personal essays. You may read more about her work at www.brandelfrancedebravo.com. Married to DCI Fellow Mario Bravo, they have one daughter, Amaya Bravo-France.
Fellow: Mario Bravo