Her research programs address common neurological disorders in sub-Saharan Africa with the goal of identifying and studying medical, social, and health services interventions that can reduce disease burden. Her research programs have been continually funded by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2003. Birbeck has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and, from 2000 to 2013, she was on faculty at Michigan State University, where she founded their International Neurologic and Psychiatric Epidemiology Program.
Birbeck holds a faculty position at Zambia’s University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) and serves as director of the Chikankata Epilepsy Care Team and as principal for the UTH Neurology Research Office. The American Academy of Neurology recently recognized her as a “Transformative Thought Leader.” In addition, she has been named as an ambassador for epilepsy by the International League against Epilepsy, for global health research by the U.S. Paul Rogers Society, and for Zambia by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (United Kingdom). She has been an advisor to the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the Gates Foundation, and her mentees include young scientists from the U.S., Zambia, and Malawi.
Birbeck is married to Michael J. Potchen, neuroradiology division chief at the University of Rochester. Mike is also her closest scientific collaborator. They have served as co-principal investigators on several NIH-funded research studies in Africa. They divide their year living six months annually in homes in Rochester, N.Y., and Lusaka, Zambia. They have two daughters (Dana and Tess) and one granddaughter (Miztli). Tess also attended IU Bloomington (B.A. ’16, Environmental Management) continuing the tradition started by Gretchen’s father, Thomas A. Dike (B.A. ’69, History).
