Over the course of her career in international public health, Burnett-Zieman has supported disease eradication, malaria prevention, health-system strengthening, and private-sector focused projects.
After graduating from Indiana University, Burnett-Zieman got her start in the international development world as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana. There, she taught high school science, led a club for middle-school age girls, and worked with the regional Ministry of Health on HIV/AIDS. Upon completing her Peace Corps service, Burnett-Zieman attended the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where she specialized in health and health policy, and interned at the United Nations.
After graduate school, Burnett-Zieman worked in South Sudan on The Cater Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program. Due to the successes of this program, Guinea worm disease — a parasitic infection that once afflicted millions — is set to become the second disease eradicated in human history, and the only disease eradicated without a vaccine. This program also brought together Burnett-Zieman and her husband, Brady.
Following her work in South Sudan, Burnett-Zieman moved to Washington, D.C., where she has supported USAID-funded projects and focused her career on monitoring and evaluation. She has specialized in designing data quality assurance systems for global projects, and is passionate about developing frameworks that support project learning and adaptive management. This past fall, Burnett-Zieman was featured in The College Magazine's inaugural "20 Under 40" list.
Burnett-Zieman has collaborated with foreign Ministries of Health to establish cultures and systems that facilitate data-driven decisions. She believes that smart use of data leads to more efficient and effective development interventions, and ultimately better health outcomes for beneficiaries.