For five years, Martha Silva, PhD has served as Assistant Professor based in Washington, DC while serving in a key position in the core technical team for USAID’s flagship social and behavior change research and evaluation project, Breakthrough RESEARCH, in which Tulane is a consortium member. The project ends in June, so Dr. Silva recently moved back to New Orleans to pursue more opportunities for teaching and research. As a two-time graduate of Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, receiving her MPH in 2002 and her PhD in International Health and Development in 2005, she has come full circle.
Today, her office on the 22nd floor is lined with books, photos of her children, and works of art from around the world—a reflection of her warm, patient energy and a refuge from the sweeping panorama of bustling downtown New Orleans seen through the window. As a mom of two teens, Dr. Silva balances full-time work with an active family life—one shaped by the passions of not one, but two academics: Her husband, born in Guatemala, is an economist and political scientist. Dinnertime conversation often revolves around global events or social injustices— interests clearly contributing to the worldviews of their children. Their 19-year-old son graduated from a boarding school in India and is currently working on a documentary on the refugee crisis in Europe.
“I’m drawing tremendous inspiration from his work and efforts, how fearless he is in calling out social injustice and pursuing a project that would seem daunting enough to any adult,” Dr. Silva says. “I feel the same way with many of my students here at Tulane. I draw energy from the fact that younger generations coming through our school are more willing and able to call us out (faculty, the school, the field as a whole) than I feel we were as students coming through here 20 years ago.” She enjoys mentoring students and holds kindness as a core value. “It almost feels like I’m a mom... and I am a mom… Being able to talk to students about whatever it is that needs support for them to grow I think is important.”
Dr. Silva's teaching style draws from her real-world experiences in the field. "The more that I can provide examples from my own professional experience, the more real it gets for students,” she says.
Her research is impactful: Her work on abortion access allowed a community in New Zealand to advocate for opening a clinic in an underserved district.
Her abortion research was also used to advocate for decriminalizing the practice in Cameroon. “That’s like the golden ticket,” she says. “What else can you ask for in life?”
When she’s not conducting research or fighting for social justice, Dr. Silva enjoys activities that get her “out of her head.” She dabbles in djembe (West African drumming) and is participating in a group fitness program. She also hopes she and her 13-year-old son will take glassblowing lessons together.
And—it almost goes without saying—she's looking forward to New Orleans’ dining options. “I feel like New Orleans doesn't tolerate mediocrity [in food] as much as other US cities... If the place is not good, it will not survive, so you get good food wherever you go,” she says.
Welcome back, Dr. Silva.
--By Kelly Murray, first year PhD student
