Kjersti Schmitz

Kjersti Schmitz, MPH, is a Palliative Care Advisor with experience in psychosocial programming, community engagement, care partnerships, and quality improvement.  In this role, Kjersti has worked with teams in Rwanda and Kenya to pilot Standards of Care, and supports Adherence and Psychosocial Working Group initiatives.

Kjersti has divided her career between field-based implementation of health programs in Africa, and clinical research, education and technical support in New York City.  Before joining ICAP, Kjersti coordinated an HIV prevention program in South Sudan (BCC/VCT/PMTCT) and provided technical assistance in the areas of organization capacity assessment, project planning, and policy development based in Kenya.  At Harlem Hospital, she developed a pilot Peer Training Institute and managed a Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Study site while contributing to related education and training products.  Kjersti also coordinated a community health program for refugees in Guinea and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire.

Kjersti holds a master's of public health degree from Columbia University and a bachelor of arts in psychology from University of California, Santa Barbara.