Jean Amanda Junior

Jean Amanda Junior

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University
Chapter Member: Chicagoland SSN

About Jean

Junior’s research focuses on tax policy and child health. Overarching themes in Junior’s writings include how tax policy can be designed to maximize children’s longevity and well-being in the United States and globally. Junior serves as a pediatrician with Lurie Children’s Hospital and Doctors Without Borders, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Contributions

In the News

Opinion: "Making Diapers More Affordable Is a Big Deal," Jean Amanda Junior, The Sacramento Bee, June 30, 2016.

Publications

"Association of State-Level Tax Policy and Infant Mortality in the United States, 1996-2019" (with Lois K. Lee, Eric W. Fleegler, Michael C. Monuteaux, Michelle L. Niescierenko, and Amanda M. Stewart). JAMA Network Open 6, no. 4 (2023).

Examines whether state-level tax policy is associated with infant mortality in the United States. Findings show that increased tax revenue and increased tax progressivity (ie, higher taxes for wealthier individuals) are both associated with decreased infant mortality.

"Learner Milestones to Guide Decolonial Global Health Education" (with Leah Ratner, Shela Sridhar, Samantha L. Rosman, Lydia Gyan-Kesse, Jeffrey Edwards, and Christiana M. Russ). Annals of Global Health 88, no. 1 (2022): 99.

Proposes the creation of a model to assess the progress of learners in the field of global health toward understanding, and taking action to support, the decolonization of global health endeavors. Presents four levels of learner engagement with decolonization, ranging from pre-contemplative learners to transformative action learners.

"The Perspectives of Young Women in Rural Western Kenya on Unconditional Cash Transfers" (with Arlene M. Katz and Roy Ahn). Poverty & Public Policy 8, no. 1 (2016): 72-94.

Examines how receipt of unconditional cash transfers (ie, funds provided to individuals no strings attached) affected the lives of young, impoverished women in rural western Kenya. Findings show that unconditional cash transfers were positively viewed by interviewees, and had nuanced and varied effects on their aspirations, money management, relationships, and subjective well-being.

"Preventive Zinc Supplementation for Children, and the Effect of Additional Iron: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" (with Evan Mayo-Wilson, Aamer Imdad, Sohni Dean, and Zulfiqar A Bhutta). BMJ Open 4, no. 6 (2014).

Examines whether preventive supplementation reduces mortality and morbidity for children aged 6 months to 12 years globally. Findings show that the benefits of preventive zinc supplementation may outweigh any potentially adverse effects in areas where risk of zinc deficiency is high.