GHP 547: Field Experience in Maternal Health

Transcription

1 GHP 547: Field Experience in Maternal Health WINTER SESSION 2017 PROFESSOR: DR. ANA LANGER

2 Maternal health: a global public health priority Maternal morbidity and mortality affect the most vulnerable young women, newborns, children, families and communities Complications are often unpredictable Big equity gaps in terms of timely access to quality maternal health care Ending preventable maternal mortality: Focus of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals 2

3 Dean s Flagship Initiative on Women and Health Established in July 2010 The W&HI focuses on two areas: 1) Women s health needs throughout the life cycle 2) Women s roles as caregivers in the health care system, homes and communities..and the links between these two components.

4 Maternal Health Task Force Program that brings together global and country-level organizations to improve maternal health in low resource settings through: Knowledge management Scientific exchange and consensus building activities Mentoring and training of young professionals; Implementation research on quality of maternal health care, integration, and other priority issues Global policy advocacy on maternal health

5 GHP 547 GHP 547: Field Experience in Maternal Health will provide students with an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to maternal health issues in low resource settings through direct experiences with Maternal Health Task Force partner organizations. Each student s experience is individually designed to meet the needs of both the student and the host organization

6 Course Objectives Describe, analyze and discuss the status of maternal health globally and in each student s destination country 1 2 Identify creative opportunities for research, local capacity building, and translation of knowledge into practice Develop partnerships with individuals and organizations working to advance maternal health 3 4 Conceptualize and examine a research question in the field of maternal health, and identify an 5 approach to address it Communicate effectively about maternal health with relevant stakeholders in a variety of settings

7 Selected previous host organizations St. John s Research Institute (SJRI), India Icddr,b, Bangladesh Transaid, Madagascar and Nigeria Management and Development for Health, Tanzania Population Council, Kenya Jacaranda Health, Kenya Secretariat of Health, Mexico City, Mexico Global Financing Facility, World Bank, Washington DC UNFPA, New York

8 Past Student Projects Sarah Hodin, MPH Jacaranda Health, Kenya Created a pilot program implementing social/group components into antenatal care services Completed a detailed implementation plan, curriculum guide, and monitoring & evaluation plan Leigh Senderowicz, MPH Secretariat of Health, Mexico Conducted research both in public abortion clinics and administrative offices Post data collection wrote a paper which has been presented at several conferences and is pending publication

9 Projects (examples) Interview community health workers about experiences with mhealth tools before national scaleup Collect baseline data from hospital deliveries in order to develop training materials adapted to the local context Improve a qualitative measurement tool for use in a pay-for-performance project Coordinate the evaluation of a fistula project 9

10 SAMPLE SCHEDULE DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 Morning: Meet with the point person at host organization; general overview of the project and introduction to staff members Lunch: At the office Afternoon: Development of draft interview guide for community health workers Morning: Finalize interview guide and prepare for meetings Lunch: At the office Afternoon: Meetings with health center staff and community leaders Morning: Field visit to community health center and interviews with health workers Lunch: In the field Afternoon: Debriefing meeting with supervisor at the office; transcription of interviews

11 Pre-departure Register! Participate in a short interview with the teaching team Identify host organization and learn about their work Develop scope of work in dialogue with your host organization and MHTF staff Learn about the culture and status of maternal health in your placement country Participate in two sessions to discuss maternal health and cover course logistics Come to office hours, as needed

12 Estimated costs 25% of economy round-trip airfare (as funded by the Office for Student Services) up to a set limit, based upon the airfare between Boston and the location of travel, regardless of where the student originates the trip Students are also eligible for a contribution towards per-diem expenses, based upon the length of the trip and will be determined by available funds. In past years, the contribution has hovered around $75 to $100 per week of travel. MHTF will provide up to 10 students with $1,000 in travel support after the completion of the course.

13 Additional Funding Sources Look for J-Term Winter Session Scholarships or Grants through individual schools, such as: Committee for African Studies Center for Asia David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies All deadlines and criteria for application can be found on their individual websites 14

14 Wrapping Up Interested students must submit the common application by 11:59pm on Wed, September 14, 2016 indicating that GHP547 is his/her fist choice on the winter session common application Students will be selected based on their interest in maternal health as well as relevant experiences in the field Up to 10 students in good standing at Harvard Chan will be admitted with notifications going out by Mon, October 3, 2016

15 PHOTO CREDITS 2006 AJ Fanthome, Courtesy of Photoshare 2008 Arturo Sanabria, Courtesy of Photoshare 2006 Jacob Simkin, Courtesy of Photoshare 2009 Micah Albert, Courtesy of Photoshare 2007 Paul Jeffrey/ACT-Caritas, Courtesy of Photoshare 2007 Peter Verbiscar-Brown, Courtesy of Photoshare 2009 Rajal Thaker, Courtesy of Photoshare 2007 Nathaniel Segaren, Courtesy of Photoshare