Team - Youth Well-Being Project

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Social scientist specializing in health inequalities and public policy.
Expert in the impact evaluation of social programs.
Leads the project’s scientific and methodological approach.

Mauricio Avendaño is a Professor at the University of Lausanne, Co-Director of the Health Economics and Policy Unit, and Co-Founder of the Lausanne Center for Health Economics, Policy and Behavior at Unisanté. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Harvard University and a Visiting Professor at King’s College London. He is an elected Fellow of the Academia Británica.

He is a quantitative social scientist whose research focuses on how social changes and public policies influence health and health inequalities within and across countries. His interdisciplinary work uses longitudinal data, natural experiments, and randomized controlled trials to analyze the impact of education, pensions, long-term care, health insurance, poverty, employment, and urban planning on health.

Before joining Lausanne, he was Professor of Public Policy and Global Health at King’s College London, a Research Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, an Adjunct Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University.

He has authored more than 140 scientific publications and has received funding from organizations such as the Fundación Nacional Suiza para la Ciencia, the European Research Council, the National Institutes of Health, and the Wellcome Trust. His work has been recognized with several academic awards, including an European Research Council Starting Grant.

In the BienEstar Joven project, he leads the methodological design, the impact evaluation, and the overall scientific rigor of the study, with the goal of generating robust evidence to strengthen public policies for young people and reduce mental health inequalities.

Psychologist specialized in mental health project management.
Expert in digital interventions and youth engagement.
Coordinates the overall implementation of the project.

Andrea Carolina Bello-Tocancipá is a psychologist from the Universidad de los Andes, where she graduated Cum Laude, with more than six years of experience in project coordination, academic research, and the management of projects with social impact. She specializes in Project Management and in the development of mental health interventions.

She has worked on Research and Development (R&D) projects focused on the mental health of children and adolescents, as well as on sociopolitical violence and transitional justice. In these projects, she has contributed to the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital mental health interventions. Her experience also includes working with victims of the armed conflict in Colombia and using participatory methodologies.

As General Coordinator of the project, she oversees the progress of all study phases, coordinates interdisciplinary and international teams, and leads the implementation of the mental health intervention.

Her motivation focuses on reducing gaps in access to mental health services through accessible, sustainable, and scalable solutions, with a particular emphasis on the well-being and life trajectories of young people.

Economist specializing in health economics.
Expert in experimental research and public policy.
Supports the project’s analysis and impact evaluation.

Armando Meier is a Professor of Economics at the University of Basel. He earned his PhD in Economics from the same university, receiving the faculty award for the best dissertation, after research stays at Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Stanford University.

He later served as a Principal Investigator at the University of Chicago and as a Senior Researcher at the University of Lausanne before returning to Basel. He is currently also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

His research and teaching focus on health economics, with strong connections to behavioral, public, and labor economics. His work has been published in leading scientific journals such as Nature and Science.

In the BienEstar Joven project, he contributes to the analytical design and to the interpretation of the impact evaluation results, bringing a rigorous perspective on the effectiveness of the intervention.

Psychiatrist with experience in population health.
Leads the design of the mental health intervention.
Supports the administrative implementation of the project.

Martha Escobar Lux es directora de Salud Poblacional de la Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá y psiquiatra del Departamento de Salud Mental del Hospital Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. Es profesora clínica de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de los Andes.

Dentro del proyecto, forma parte del equipo de investigación colombiano y se enfoca principalmente en el desarrollo de la intervención en salud mental y en el acompañamiento a la ejecución administrativa del proyecto.

Su motivación es integrar la salud mental en programas sociales de gran escala, con énfasis en poblaciones juveniles vulnerables.

Psychologist focusing on mental health and armed conflict.
Expert in studies with displaced populations.
Provides the project’s epidemiological perspective.

Fabio Idrobo dirige proyectos de investigación financiados orientados a documentar necesidades en salud mental de poblaciones que viven en contextos de conflicto armado y violencia prolongada.

Ha liderado estudios longitudinales a nivel nacional con poblaciones desplazadas, incluidos migrantes venezolanos, y trabaja en la evaluación de la prevalencia de trastornos mentales comunes como depresión, ansiedad y estrés postraumático.

Ha sido asesor académico del Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social y es investigador asociado del Departamento de Salud Poblacional de la Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. También es profesor adjunto en la Universidad de los Andes y en la Universidad de Boston.

En el proyecto, aporta su experiencia en investigación aplicada y evaluación de programas psicosociales en contextos de alta vulnerabilidad.

Social worker with extensive experience in social policy.
Leads youth well-being strategies.
Provides the institutional perspective of Renta Joven.

Omar Vargas es trabajador social de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia y especialista en Gerencia Social. Cuenta con más de 24 años de experiencia en el sector público.

Actualmente se desempeña como profesional especializado del Departamento Administrativo para la Prosperidad Social en el Programa Renta Joven, donde lidera estrategias de promoción social y bienestar integral.

Su experiencia incluye la coordinación de programas sociales y comunitarios orientados a mejorar las condiciones de vida de poblaciones vulnerables en Colombia.

Economist specializing in impact evaluation.
Expert in survey design and data analysis.
Contributes to the measurement of project outcomes..

Nathalie Monnet is an economist with a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. She is a researcher at the Lausanne University Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté) and the Lausanne Center for Health Economics and Policy (LCHE-UNIL).

Her work focuses on applied research using data to rigorously evaluate the causal effects of policies and programs, spanning both health interventions and conflict-related contexts.

Within the Youth Well-Being project, she serves as lead postdoctoral researcher, overseeing survey development, data collection, and advanced analysis to assess the impact of interventions on young people’s mental health and human capital.

Her driving motivation is to produce robust, evidence-based evaluations that directly inform and strengthen social programs, ensuring they are effective, equitable, and impactful for vulnerable youth.

Economist specializing in mental health and education.
Expert in randomized controlled trials.
Supports the project’s impact evaluation.

Clémence Kieny is an economist with a PhD from the University of Lausanne. She currently works as a researcher at the Lausanne University Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté).

Her research lies at the intersection of educational policies, cognitive health, aging, and mental health, with a methodological focus on randomized controlled trials.

As part of the Swiss research team, she contributes to the impact evaluation of the Youth Well-Being project, supporting the analysis of the intervention’s effects on the mental health and well-being of young people.

Her interest is in generating evidence that strengthens data-driven public policies.

Clinical psychologist with experience in community and institutional mental health.
Implements guidelines, care pathways, and evidence-based strategies.
Supports the project’s Latin American network.

Luisa Fernanda Martínez Villa is a psychologist, graduated Cum Laude, and a specialist in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology from Universidad de La Sabana. She has extensive experience in psychosocial care, risk assessment, and evidence-based mental health interventions, with advanced training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

She has collaborated with the Bogotá District Health Secretariat on care pathways for suicidal behavior, violence, and substance use, and holds certifications in Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention and Psychological First Aid.

Currently, she leads project coordination from Prosperidad Social, co-directs Work Package 4 focused on a Latin American research network, and is particularly interested in adverse childhood experiences and protective factors in vulnerable youth.

Social worker with experience in public administration.
Oversees the project agreement at Prosperidad Social.
Contributes to youth well-being and mental health.

Nidia Yisela Morales Pineda is a social worker from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a specialist in Government and Public Management. Her professional experience has focused on the public sector, particularly in the management and monitoring of social programs for vulnerable populations.

She has collaborated with the Bogotá District on the design, support, and monitoring of interventions for victims of domestic and sexual violence, strengthening institutional coordination and social support processes.

She currently works at the Departamento Administrativo para la Prosperidad Social, supervising the project agreement under the Renta Joven program. In this role, she oversees program enrollment and contributes to Social Promotion and Comprehensive Well-Being, supporting the implementation of youth mental health strategies.

Psychiatrist with experience in community mental health.
Leads clinical care and peer training.
Designs care pathways for at-risk youth.

Gustavo Perdomo is a physician from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a specialist in Psychiatry from the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Research through a joint program between Harvard University and University of Dresden, as well as a Master’s in Bioethics and Research Ethics en Universidad de los Andes, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

He works as a psychiatrist at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá and is a faculty member en Universidad de los Andes, participating in public health research, including studies on e-cigarette use.

Within the project, he supervises clinical psychologists working with high-risk youth, supports peer mentors, and leads the design of care pathways and the peer training program, strengthening community mental health support.

He is a founding member of the Colombian Network of Trans Health Professionals and actively contributes to the hospital’s Gender Clinic, advocating for health rights and inclusion.

Clinical psychologist and international academic.
Expert in anxiety and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Advises on the project’s clinical approach.

Naomi Koerner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University and an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes. She is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

For over 15 years, she has researched anxiety, related disorders, and psychological responses to uncertainty, actively promoting psychological science to address global challenges.

She has served on the boards of the Interamerican Society of Psychology and the International Council of Psychologists, and maintains strong ties with Latin America, where she has taught and delivered clinical training in Spanish.

She previously collaborated with the team in designing a cognitive-behavioral well-being program for youth, which served as a direct precursor to the BienEstar Joven project.

International expert in global mental health.
Specialist in accessible and scalable interventions.
Advises on the sustainability of the project model.

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All photos feature participants from the Renta Joven program, provided courtesy of Prosperidad Social.