Carmen Sant Fruchtman

Carmen Sant, MSc is a gender and health systems researcher specializing in applying intersectional systems thinking to address the complexities of multisectoral systems and improve health for all. She is a senior researcher at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and a PhD candidate at the Instituto René Rachou - Fiocruz Minas, Brazil, focusing on preventing missed opportunities in health systems’ responses to gender-based violence.

Carmen has extensive experience with the Data for Health Initiative, providing technical support to strengthen Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems in countries including South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, and Uganda. She has also partnered with Botswana, Pakistan, and Timor Leste to adapt systems thinking for district health systems.

She co-chairs the Swiss Chapter of Women in Global Health, advocating for gender equity in global health, and co-founded the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Network at Swiss TPH to foster institutional inclusivity. Carmen is also part of the core team of SYSTAC Europe, promoting systems thinking for health.

Committed to equity-driven change, Carmen leverages data and evidence-based policies to promote equitable healthcare access. Her work is guided by an intersectional, feminist lens, driving sustainable transformation in health systems.

Sant Fruchtman C, Bilal Khalid M, Keakabetse T, Bonito A, Saulnier D.D, Mupara L.M, Iqbal S, de Almeida A, da Silva H, de Jesus D, Prytherch H, Mokalake E, Cobos Muñoz D, Zafar S. Digital communities of practice: one step towards decolonising global health partnerships. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(2):e008174. DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008174

Sant Fruchtman C, Fischer F.B, Monzón Llamas L, Tavakkoli M, Cobos Muñoz D, Antillón M. Did COVID-19 policies have the same effect on COVID-19 incidence among women and men? Evidence from Spain and Switzerland. Int J Public Health. 2022;67:1604994. DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604994

Zafar S, Sant Fruchtman C, Bilal Khalid M, Zia Z, Khalid Khan F, Iqbal S, Cobos Muñoz D. Lessons learnt of the COVID-19 contact tracing strategy in Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan using systems thinking processes. Front Public Health. 2022;10:909931. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.909931

Sant Fruchtman C, Mbuyita S, Mwanyika-Sando M, Braun M, de Savigny D, Cobos Muñoz D. The complexity of scaling up an mHealth intervention: the case of SMS for Life in Tanzania from a health systems integration perspective. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021;21:343. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06285-8