Alumnus Spotlight: Seth Zissette ’15 Takes on Behavioral Research in Africa

Seth_at_Training_in_Botswana

Recently Seth Zissette (second from left) conducted training on GIS (geographic information systems) software at the FHI 360 country office in Gaborone, Botswana.

Published October 25, 2016 under Alumni Stories

“Some master’s programs brush aside coursework, but at DGHI, they dove right in to teaching necessary and valuable global health skills,” said Seth Zissette, a 2015 Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) alumnus from Barnwell, South Carolina. “After graduating, I came into my current job feeling very well-prepared and knew exactly what to do on day one. Not a lot of people feel that way.” 

Zissette, who majored in anthropology and African studies at the University of North Carolina, was drawn to the MSc-GH program’s emphasis on hands-on teaching through a required research project and thesis. After spending a semester studying masculinity and health in Durban, South Africa, in 2013, Zissette was also looking for a way to expand his study of sub-Saharan Africa and engage further with behavioral health. 

Zissette’s Global Health Career Has Undergrad Roots in South Africa 

While at UNC, Zissette focused on medical anthropology; he studied how people understand health and how that understanding influences their health and health-seeking behaviors. In the spring of his junior year, he traveled to Durban, South Africa, with the School for International Training to study community health and social policies. 

That semester, Zissette completed a qualitative research project that explored masculinity and health attitudes among a group of young urban Zulu men. He talked to local men and asked how perceptions of masculinity influenced their health-seeking behaviors. It was this project that initially piqued his interest in qualitative public health research.

Zissette Found his Quantitative Stride at Duke

When Zissette arrived at Duke, he realized he needed to build a strong foundation of quantitative research abilities to complement his qualitative skills. The MSc-GH coursework provided him with the needed training to develop a balance of skills that has benefited him in the long run. He decided to complete a quantitative research project for his thesis.

“Having the experience of the thesis at Duke helped me really develop a strong skillset in both areas,” said Zissette. “At my current job, I’ve been able to easily transition between different types of health research projects because of that sound base.” 

Durban Calls Again

Zissette wanted to continue his work on behavioral health in Durban for his master’s thesis. Under the mentorship of DGHI assistant professor Melissa Watt, he returned to Durban to research—through interviews, focus groups and observations—what keeps men engaged in HIV care.  

Again, his work looked through the lens of masculinity, trying to pinpoint what about being a man either helps or hinders utilization of health services in HIV-infected men.  

“It was great returning to Durban and knowing my way around, understanding the context and seeing old friends,” said Zissette. “That continuity of my undergraduate research setting allowed me to explore public health at a much deeper level the second time around.” 

Last January, Zissette and his collaborators published an article based on his master’s thesis in Psychology of Men & Masculinity titled, “’If You Don’t Take a Stand for Your Life, Who Will Help You?’: Men’s Engagement in HIV Care in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.” Zissette attributes his project’s huge success to Duke’s support in making his research project ideas a reality. 

Program Prepared Zissette Well for His Post-Grad Role

Since graduating from the MSc-GH program, Zissette has worked at FHI 360, a non-profit organization centered on human development. As a research associate in the Social and Behavioral Health Sciences division, he manages technical aspects of socio-behavioral health research, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. 

“I sit right in the middle of being quantitative and qualitative in my day-to-day work, and nothing could have prepared me better for that then Duke’s MSc-GH program,” said Zissette. 

Much of his work focuses on HIV adherence in clinical trials for new products in South Africa. Because so many social and behavioral considerations factor into adherence, Zissette is finding that his current role is an excellent opportunity to extend and further explore the work he did with DGHI. 

DGHI Connects You to Larger Conversations, Says Zissette

Zissette encourages other students to take advantages of the many opportunities the MSc-GH program offers to engage with the broader world of global health. 

“Duke really made sure that we as students were connected to the larger conversations that were going on at the time,” he said. “The professors and faculty always invited me to opportunities to learn and participate in real-world conversations, and those experiences are unique to DGHI.”

I sit right in the middle of being quantitative and qualitative in my day-to-day work, and nothing could have prepared me better for that then Duke’s MSc-GH program.

Seth Zissette, 2015 MSc-GH graduate

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