Dr Ian Neethling obtained his PhD in Public Health, which focused on how to use burden of disease information for health sector decision making. He has expertise in avoidable mortality and health state valuations and is currently a co-PI on the National Burden of Disease and SMS telephonic Verbal Autopsy Studies. Ian's earlier experience includes mortality surveillance, through his work on the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System and the Western Cape Local Mortality Surveillance project.