Tatiana Esme
Tatiana Esme is a dedicated public and global health professional committed to advancing health equity and addressing the needs of marginalized populations. She currently serves as a Senior Project Manager at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Mass General Brigham in Boston, a role she has held since January 2024. Throughout her 17-year career, Tatiana has led and contributed to domestic and international research initiatives, including fieldwork in Ecuador and pro bono projects with the Treatment Action Campaign in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the heart of the HIV epidemic. Her work spans collaboration with prestigious institutions such as the Harvard Center for AIDS Research, the Wellcome Trust, Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
A core focus of Tatiana’s work is the study and application of social determinants of health. She developed an innovative model that reframes how these determinants intersect across communities, moving beyond traditional top-down frameworks. This model, presented at the European Congress for Global Health in 2023, informs both her current research and her planned doctoral work, which will further explore health and human rights interventions. In her role at Mass General Brigham, she oversees a $1M NIH-funded study on disparities in U.S. trauma care and manages additional research on patient-centered surgical decision-making for individuals with advanced cancer.
Tatiana’s academic foundation includes a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Vermont and a Master’s degree in Global Health from Trinity College Dublin. Beyond her professional endeavors, she actively contributes to causes that align with her humanitarian mission, such as the Ten Million Names Project, advocacy against ICE oppression, and producing a podcast on Health and Human Rights. Passionate about lifelong learning and global impact, she balances her career with travel and strategic thinking about the next phase of her professional journey.
• Trinity College Dublin - MSc
• Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance. I've never allowed any unforeseen obstacles to stagnate my career long-term. I've remained resolute with what I intend to do as far as my purpose and mission, and nothing has wavered that. Nothing could. I think my own perseverance and motivations, with the motivations being those who need to be seen and heard, it's unwavering, and I think that that is what has guided me throughout this career of almost 20 years.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would advise young women entering public health to be open to pro bono opportunities. You can gain as much learning and experience from part-time, volunteer, or pro bono work as from traditional full-time roles. It’s also critical to seek out diverse perspectives and include input from multiple stakeholders—this approach makes you a more effective and inclusive public health advocate.
Above all, never lose sight of the communities and patients you serve. It’s easy to view public health from a top-down perspective—focusing on policies and structural elements—but real impact comes from understanding the community’s needs firsthand. Any initiative or project that affects others should involve community members at every stage, from design through implementation.
Keeping the community at the center of your work ensures your efforts are meaningful and impactful. By prioritizing their voices, you can feel confident that your career contributes to positive, tangible change in public health.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in public health today is that much of the work is still approached from a top-down perspective, which can overlook the voices and lived experiences of the communities we aim to serve. However, this also presents a significant opportunity: by reframing social determinants of health and prioritizing bottom-up, community-led approaches, we can reduce stigma, improve equity, and create initiatives that are truly responsive to the needs of the people.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide both my work and personal life are social justice, empowerment of marginalized communities, and allyship. I also place a strong emphasis on accountability—to the communities I serve and to the work I undertake—ensuring that my actions consistently reflect these principles.