Staff
Basic Health International – United States Main Office
Miriam Cremer MD, MPH
Dr. Miriam Cremer is the President and Founder of Basic Health International. In 1997, while still a medical student, Miriam completed a clinical rotation in rural El Salvador where she noticed the high prevalence of cervical cancer among rural women. This prompted her to develop outreach health campaigns over the following years, and to establish Basic Health International in 2003. Miriam has provided outstanding guidance and leadership to the organization, and has solidified Basic Health as a leading voice in the fight to eradicate cervical cancer in El Salvador. Dr. Cremer serves as the chief medical adviser to the team and oversees all aspects of patient care. In addition to her dedication to Basic Health, Miriam is the Assistant Director of Family Planning in the Department of OB/GYN at NYU Medical Center. She is a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist who completed her fellowship in family planning at the University of Southern California in 2005. She has received multiple grants and awards for public health projects both nationally and internationally, including First Prize for Original Research from the Federation of Latin American Obstetrics and Gynecology (FLASOG) in 1999, and Woman of the Year from the Western Center for Law and Poverty in 2005. Her specific research interests include cervical cancer screening, adolescent comprehension of emergency contraception and improving contraceptive services worldwide. Miriam received her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College, her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, and her Master of Public Health from John Hopkins University. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor to her Alma Matta, Hampshire College, where she teaches an annual course on international women's public health to undergraduates.
Lauren Ditzian BS, MS
Lauren Ditzian is the Program Manager for Basic Health International. In this capacity, she provides administrative, research, and technical support to BHI's initiatives, staff and volunteer network. Lauren earned a master's of science degree in neuropsychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, while simultaneously volunteering as a peer health educator for multiple public health organizations. Prior to joining BHI, Lauren worked for The Association for the Protection of the Family in Santiago, Chile, the Chilean affiliate member of The International Planned Parenthood Federation. During this time she gained program management, research and policy analysis skills in the field of women's health and development, and solidified her continued dedication to global public health, with a focus on Latin America.
Basic Health International – El Salvador Branch
Mauricio Maza MD, MPH
Dr Mauricio Maza is the Medical Director for Basic Health in El Salvador. Dr Maza started to collaborate with Basic Health as a volunteer by helping with some of the logistics of the medical delegations Basic Health had running at that time. Dr Maza early in his medical career had interest in women´s health, working on projects that focused on women´s cancer. For his doctorate thesis, Dr Maza worked on the research project “Clinical, Imaging and Histopathologic Correlation in Breast Cancer Detection”, which was chosen for presentation at his University’s annual medical conference. Mauricio received his Doctor of Medicine from the Universidad Dr Jose Matías Delgado in El Salvador, and his Master of Public Health from Harvard University with a concentration on Health Care Management and Policy. Dr Maza believes in the need to advocate for more clinical research and evidence based policies in the region. Currently Dr. Maza, is responsible for the administrative component in El Salvador´s BHI office, as well as overseeing the BHI programs in El Salvador, including: clinical services, technical trainings, educational workshops and research projects.