Test and Learn Series, Session 1
16 February 2021 at 8AM EST
The Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition launches the “Test and Learn” series with a research team from the University of Ottawa and Bruyere Research Institute (Canada), University of Medical Sciences (Nigeria), and University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana). The team will enhance our understanding of campaign co-delivery and collaboration opportunities by sharing findings from interviews with 28 health campaign managers across immunization, polio, malaria, Vitamin A, and NTD programs from Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
Moderated by David Gittelman of the Alliance for Malaria Prevention, the 25-minute conversation with the research team will be followed by a “Learning Salon” where webinar participants may submit questions to the panel and discuss potential recommendations and their implications with the research team.
The Test and Learn Series is held in English, French, and Spanish to advance learning, collaboration and communication in critical health campaign issues across different health campaign domains, country leaders, global actors, donors and implementing groups. Hosted by the Health Campaign Effectiveness Program of the Task Force for Global Health this new series will highlight different innovative campaign approaches and delivery models in the coming months.
Speakers:
- ALISON KRENTEL: Current Post: Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa. Scientist, Bruyère Research Institute; Training: Applied public health research, programme management Expertise: Global disease elimination programmes, community engagement, social mobilization, lymphatic filariasis, mixed methods research. Alison Krentel, PhD has been a researcher and consultant in public health for over twenty years, working in over 14 countries. Her research interests include facilitating community engagement, the use of implementation research to support health systems and the translation of research results into programmatic action. She is an assistant professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa and a scientist with the Bruyère Research Institute. She holds an honorary fellowship with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). She received both her Masters of Science in Public Health (1999) and her PhD (2008) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK). She has worked as a consultant for the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, UNICEF and the Task Force for Global Health. She is one of the co-founders and the current chair of the Canadian Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- MARGARET GYAPONG: With a background in Medical Anthropology and Epidemiology, Margaret Gyapong is interested in research impact on health systems. She has worked at the intersection between health research and practice building research capacity Nationally and Internationally and leading the authorship of 3 modules in the WHO Implementation Research Toolkit. Her research interests are in Implementation Research, Health systems, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Malaria, Maternal and Child Health. Margaret serves on a number of National and International task forces, steering committees and working groups. She holds Adjunct professorial and senior lecturer positions in
Georgetown University and Brunel University and is a reviewer and associate editor for international peer reviewed journals.
Having worked in the Research Division of the Ministry of Health in Ghana from 1990, to 2016, she joined the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana where she is currently the Director of the Institute for Health Research. In 2017 was one of 12 women Honored by women in global health to receive the first ever heroines of health award for her work in drawing attention to the needs of women suffering from the consequences of Neglected tropical Disease. She is a member of the HCE Advisory Committee - OLUMIDE A.T. OGUNDAHUNSI: Dr Ogundahunsi’s career spans more than 3 decades in public health and research. From a background in the chemical and biological sciences, he obtained a doctorate degree in Pharmacology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. After a period of 14 years in academic research, he worked for 20 years in international public health / infectious disease. During this period (2000 to 2020), he was a scientist with the Special Porgramme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. He supported institutions and health programmes in over 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas (North and South) and South East Asia. He led efforts by TDR to build implementation research capacity in low- and middle-income countries, with the development of an implementation research tool kit designed to help researchers, policymakers and programme officers, identify and address system bottlenecks and implementation barriers. He was also TDR focal person for the UNDP led Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP) which aims to strengthen country capacity for effective access and delivery of new health technologies. In July 2020 he returned to Nigeria to take up a position as Professor and Director of Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Medical Sciences Ondo City Nigeria. In his current role, he continues to promote the implementation research as an essential field for optimizing delivery and effectiveness of health interventions.
- AFZAA RAJABALI: Afzaa Rajabali joined the Bruyère Research Institute as a Research Assistant in October 2020. She received her Master of Public Health degree from Western University and her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Her research interests include neglected tropical diseases and health systems.
Register here.
