Mental Health Public

Last updated: April ****

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Samuel Ampaw

Northwestern University

Global Poverty Research Lab

*** ********** *****, ***** **

Evanston, IL 60208

United States

Phone: +1-224-***-****

Email: ******.*******@*****.*** Job Market Website Google Scholar X EDUCATION

Ph.D. Economics, University of Nottingham, UK 2022 Thesis Title: Three Essays on Health Insurance, Household Welfare, and Child Development Advisors: Simon Appleton, Xuyan Lou, and Oliver Morrissey M.S. Global Health, Northwestern University, US 2025 (expected) M.Phil. Economics, University of Ghana 2016

B.A. Economics and Linguistics, University of Ghana 2013 RESEARCH INTERESTS

1. Health Economics & Public Health (Primary): Healthcare financing, mental health, digital health behavior and interventions, social determinants of health

2. Development Economics (Secondary): Poverty, employment mobility, human capital accumulation RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Postdoctoral Fellow 2021-present

Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL), Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Mentor: Chris Udry

1. Led the operationalization of the fourth round of the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey (GSPS IV) in 2022—a nationwide effort involving over 19,000 individuals across 5,000 households. 2. Supported the design and implementation of two randomized controlled trials—one currently in its endline phase and the other still in the baseline phase.

3. Pursue an independent research agenda that quantifies the effect of social media usage on mental health, applying both econometric and machine learning techniques. A paper from this work (link) is currently under review at the Journal of Development Economics, offering evidence with direct implications for digital health policy and intervention design.

4. Managed one full-time research assistant and two undergraduate research assistants. 5. Supervised the research work of one undergraduate student, who earned an A grade and successfully graduated.

Consultant

United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Finland Project 1 10/2021-03/2022

1. Collaborated with Dr. Michael Danquah and the core research team led by Prof. Kunal Sen and Dr. Rachel Gisselquist to support the structural transformation component of the African Cities Research Consortium

(link).

2. Collected and integrated economic and geospatial data from censuses, firm-level databases, and household surveys to inform urban economic analysis.

3. Conducted city-level data analysis and engaged directly with research teams in Accra and Nairobi to support contextual interpretation and policy relevance.

Project 2 [Click here to access the related publication] 11/2023-05/2024 1. Analyzed occupational patterns across varying poverty levels in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, using nationally representative datasets.

2. Mapped the distribution of occupations held by individuals across diverse socioeconomic groups to uncover structural labor market patterns.

3. Investigated upward and downward mobility within the job market, highlighting key dynamics shaping economic advancement and vulnerability.

Principal Research Assistant 2018

Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana 1. Contributed to the design and implementation of the third round of the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey

(GSPS III) in 2018.

Last updated: April 2025

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2. Collaborated with a multidisciplinary research team to develop data collection protocols and survey instruments.

3. Supported the recruitment and training of field staff, ensuring effective survey administration and high- quality data collection.

4. Conducted real-time data quality assessments and presented findings and recommendations to senior researchers for timely decision-making.

Graduate Research Assistant 2016-2018

Department of Economics, University of Ghana

1. Led research projects focused on healthcare financing, public health, reproductive health, and farm–nonfarm livelihood diversification.

2. Carried out multiple research assignments under the mentorship of Dr. E. Nketiah-Amponsah and Dr. B. Senadza, contributing to empirical analysis and policy-relevant insights. TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Graduate Teaching Assistant 2019-2021

School of Economics, University of Nottingham, China Campus 1. Facilitated weekly seminar sessions for multiple undergraduate student groups, each comprising up to 20 participants.

2. Delivered instruction across a range of economics courses, including Introduction to Microeconomics, Health Economics, Introduction to Macroeconomics, Economic Integration II, Mathematical Economics, Growth and Development in Long-Run Historical Perspective, and Microeconomic Theory. 3. Achieved strong Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores, consistently ranging from 82.6% to 89.9%. 4. Committed approximately six hours per week to teaching-related responsibilities, including preparation, instruction, and student support.

Graduate Teaching Assistant 2017- 2018

Department of Economics, University of Ghana, Legon 1. Delivered weekly seminar sessions on Applied Mathematics for Economists to over 100 third-year undergraduate students.

2. Assisted with grading assignments and final examinations, providing detailed feedback to enhance students’ understanding and academic performance.

SERVICE

Academic

Editorial Board Member, BMC Public Health 2024

Journal Reviewing 2017-present

Economics/Interdisciplinary

Applied Economics; Journal of Risk Finance; Sustainable Development; Poverty and Public Policy; African Development Review; Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies. Download Peer Review Report (PDF)

Public Health

BMC Public Health; PloS One; Tropical Medicine and Health; Health Science Reports. Non-academic

Steering Committee Member, International Students Representative, University of Nottingham, China 2020 Student Volunteer, COVID-19 Prevention and Control Support Team, University of Nottingham, China 2020 National Service Personnel, Life Insurance Claims Analyst, Enterprise Life, Ghana 2013-2014 PUBLICATIONS

Economics Interdisciplinary Research

1. Ampaw S, Appleton S, Lou X. Government insurance and out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure in Ghana. Journal of Development Studies. 2023; 59(3): 398-412. 2. Ampaw S, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Agyire-Tettey F, Senadza B. Distributional analysis of rural-urban household healthcare expenditure differentials in developing countries: evidence from Ghana. International Journal of Development Issues. 2020; 19(3): 359-375. 3. Ampaw S, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Owoo SN. Gender perspective on life insurance demand in Ghana. International Journal of Social Economics. 2018; 45(12): 1631-1646. 4. Ampaw S, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Senadza B. Urban farm-nonfarm diversification, household income and food expenditure in Ghana. Studies in Business and Economics. 2017; 12(2), 6-19. Last updated: April 2025

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5. Ampaw S, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Owoo SN, Senadza B. Nonfarm enterprise participation and healthcare expenditure among farm households in rural Ghana. International Journal of Social Economics. 2019; 46(1): 18-30.

6. Senadza B, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Ampaw S. Nonfarm diversification and the well-being of rural farm households in developing countries: Evidence from Ghana using new dataset. Review of Economics, 2018; 69(3): 207–229.

Public Health

7. Oppong Asante K, Ampaw S, Gyan SE. Consistent condom use among sexually active young adults in Ghana: an analysis of prevalence and associated factors. Global Health Promotion. 2024; 31(1): 75-84. 8. Bawuah A, Ampaw S. Determinants of maternal healthcare-seeking behaviours in Ghana. International Journal of Social Economics. 2023; 50(4): 207-229. 9. Asante KO, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Andoh-Arthur J, Ampaw S. The interactive effect of gender, residence, and socioeconomic status on early sexual debut among sexually active young adults in Ghana. Journal of Public Health. 2020; 1-8.

10. Asante KO, Nketiah-Amponsah E, Andoh-Arthur J, Boafo IM, Ampaw S. Correlates of early sexual debut among sexually active youth in Ghana. International Quarterly of Community Health Education. 2018; 39(1): 9-17.

11. Bawuah A, Ampaw S. Ownership and use of insecticide treated nets under Ghana’s National Malaria Control Program: What are the correlates? Tropical Medicine & International Health. 2021; 26(12): 1593- 1608.

12. Nketiah-Amponsah, Ampaw, S., Twumasi Baffour, P. (corresponding author) Socioeconomic determinants of use and choice of modern contraceptive methods in Ghana. Tropical Medicine & Health. 2022; 50(1): 33. 13. Nketiah-Amponsah E, Afful G, Ampaw S. Determinants of cigarette consumption and smoking intensity among adult males in Ghana. BMC Public Health, 2018; 18 (1): 941. 14. Nketiah-Amponsah E, Afful G, Ampaw S, Codjoe AE. Alcohol consumption among Ghanaian women of childbearing age: what are the correlates? Gender Studies, 2017; 16(1): 134 148. 15. Nketiah-Amponsah E, Alhassan RB, Ampaw S, Abuosi A. Subscribers’ perception of quality of services provided by Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme- What are the correlates? BMC Health Services Research. 2019; 19(1): 196.

16. Nketiah-Amponsah E, Codjoe EA, Ampaw S. HIV/AIDS awareness and knowledge among Ghanaian women of reproductive age: what are the correlates? Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2018; 54(2): 267-281.

WORKING PAPER

1. Ampaw, S., Danquah, M., Natarajan, R.R., Sen, K. (2024) Is a move up the job ladder an escape from poverty? WIDER Working Paper 2024/84. Helsinki: UNU-WIDER. https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU- WIDER/2024/547-9

2. Ampaw, S., Appleton, S., Lou, X. (2020). Heterogeneous effect of health insurance on financial risk: Evidence from two successive surveys in Ghana, Discussion Papers 2020-04, University of Nottingham, CREDIT.

WORKS UNDER REVIEW

1. “Social Determinants of Mental Health: Understanding the Role of Social Media Usage” – Sole Authorship, Journal of Development Economics (Under Review, First Round) 2. “Factors Associated with Weighing a Child at Birth: Evidence from 16 Sub-Saharan African Countries” – with Alex Bawuah and Edward Nketiah-Amponsah, PLOS One (Under Review, Third Round) 3. “Rural-Urban Determinants of HIV/AIDS Testing Uptake among Ghanaian Women of Reproductive Age” – with Edward Nketiah-Amponsah and Alex Bawuah, BMC Public Health (Revise & Resubmit) WORK IN PROGRESS

1. “Transitions into and out of psychological distress in Ghana,” with Andre J. Nickow, Sailaja Bobburi, and Ananya Goel

2. “Health insurance and household savings: evidence from Ghana,” with Simon Appleton and Xuyan Lou 3. “Effects of sustained childhood health insurance participation on adolescent school enrolment and test scores,” with Simon Appleton and Xuyan Lou

4. Social media use and nonfarm entrepreneurship

Last updated: April 2025

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GRANTS

Awarded

1. Ningbo Government Scholarship for International PhD Students

• Funder: Ningbo Government, China

• Amount: ¥30,000 ($4,142.00)

• Date: 2020

Grants Contributed To

2. Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey (GSPS) IV

• Funder: GPRL

• Amount: $1,850,491.58

• Duration: 03/2022-12/2024

• Principal Investigator (PI): Chris Udry

• Contribution: Assisted with survey instrument design, fieldwork, data quality checks, and the writing of research papers based on the collected data.

• Partners: GPRL; ISSER

3. Ignitia Weather Forecasts

• Funder: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Amount: $317,926.43

• Duration: 03/2023-05/2025

• PIs: Chris Udry, Dean Karlan, Samuel Ampaw

• Contribution: Assisted with study design and implementation.

• Partners: GPRL; Ignitia; IPA

4. Scaling Agricultural Input Market Innovations: Village Input Fairs in Ghana

• Funder: Fund for Innovation in Development (FID)

• Amount: €1,267,192.00 ($1,327,193.54)

• Duration: 12/2024-12/2027

• PIs: Andrew Dillon, Nicolo Tomaselli

• Contribution: Supported proposal development and initial fieldwork

• Partners: GPRL, IPA, HOPin Academy, Opportunity International Savings and Loans, Green Gro, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Food and Agriculture AWARDS/HONOURS

1. 2025: Northwestern University Circle Scholarship—annual tuition scholarships awarded to NU staff enrolled in the School of Professional Studies

2. 2021: University of Nottingham Tri-campus Postgraduate Prize Winner. 3. 2020: Most Innovative Presenter Award, 6th Postgraduate Research (PGR) Conference. 4. 2020: Vanguard of Volunteering Service Award—awarded for contributing to COVID-19 prevention and control on campus.

5. 2019-2020: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Best PGR Student Published Paper Award. 6. 2018: Faculty Full Scholarship Award for PGR Studies 7. 2013: First Class Honors, Bachelor of Arts, University of Ghana PRESENTATIONS

1. 05/14/2025: Global Health Education Day, Northwestern University, Poster Presenter 2. 2025: Public Health Summit, Institute of Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University, Poster Presenter

3. 2022: The North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) 2022 Conference, (Panel discussant, topic: Lessons Learned on Poverty Measurement through Household Panel Surveys), Yale University, US. 4. 2022: Innovations for Poverty Action-GPRL 2022 Annual Researcher Gathering (Panel discussant, topic: Integrating RCT in Panel Data), Northwestern University, US. 5. 2020: 6th PGR Conference. University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) Campus 6. 2020: School of Economics PhD Presentation Conference, UNNC 7. 2018: Center of Health Economics Seminar, UNNC

8. 2018: 2nd International Conference: Financing Social Policy in the 21st Century, Centre for Social Policy Studies International Conference, University of Ghana, Legon. 9. 2017: College of Humanities 3rd International Research Conference, University of Ghana, Legon. Last updated: April 2025

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PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

International Health Economics Association, American Public Health Association, Global Mental Health Action Network, African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth, Health Economics Technical Working Group), American Society of Health Economist (ASHEcon) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. 2023: Preventing Harassment & Discrimination, Northwestern University, Office of Human Resources. 2. 2022: Grantsmanship for Research Professionals, Northwestern University, School of Professional Studies, Office of Professional Development.

3. 2022: Econ 425: Development Economics, Northwestern University, Tutor: Prof Chris Udry. 4. 2022: BREAD-IGC Virtual PhD Course in Development Economics, the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), in collaboration with the International Growth Centre. 5. 2021: Social Science and Behavioral Research, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) web-based course, Northwestern University 6. 2021: Responsible Conduct of Research Course for Graduate Students and Postdocs, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) web-based course, Northwestern University 7. 2018: Agricultural Market Research Methods, Collaboration between IFPRI and ISSER. 8. 2017: PhD Course in Poverty Measurement and Analysis, Office of Research, Innovation and Development, University of Ghana, Legon.

MEDIA APPEARANCE

1. Lessons Learned on Poverty Measurement through Household Panel Surveys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_6mZuNGoU0&t=922s 2. The Daily Northwestern: NU’s Global Poverty Research Lab effects policy change through poverty research. https://dailynorthwestern.com/2024/04/10/campus/nus-global-poverty-research-lab-effects-policy- change-through-poverty-research/

REFERENCES

Prof. Simon Appleton (PhD Advisor) Prof. Chris Udry (Postdoc Mentor) School of Economics Department of Economics

University of Nottingham Northwestern University

Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK Evanston, Illinois 60208, US Email: *****.********@**********.**.** Email: ***********.****@*****.*** Prof. Oliver Morrissey (PhD Advisor) Prof. E. Nketiah-Amponsah (MPhil Advisor) School of Economics Department of Economics

University of Nottingham University of Ghana

Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK P.O. Box LG 57, Legon, Ghana Email: ******.*********@**********.**.** Email: **********@**.***.**

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