A Qualitative Research Training Session at the Center for Reproductive Health in Kisumu, Kenya

A Qualitative Research Training Session at the Center for Reproductive Health in Kisumu, Kenya

Last week the office at the Duke Center for Reproductive Health in Kisumu held a two-day qualitative research training session led by facilitators Cyrilla Amanya and Muli Emmanuel from ACE, Africa. Attendees included the Duke Reproductive Health Center’s Kisumu staff, a DGHI master’s student, and members of the Duke Global Health Institute’s (DGHI) Student Research Training Program (SRT). The members of SRT (Andrea Chalem, Suzanna Larkin, and I) are here in Kisumu, Kenya for 8 weeks working on two different studies concerning cervical cancer awareness, screening, and prevention. Andrea is working on an mHealth study with Jacob Stocks, a master’s student at DGHI, and Suzanna and I are working on a stigma study. We used the In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) created for the stigma project as a jumping off point for discussion and role play during the qualitative training session. On day one, we learned helpful tips on how to make interviews conversational and comfortable for the participant. These included using the...
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Re-building Rwanda’s Access to Ob/Gyn Services

Re-building Rwanda’s Access to Ob/Gyn Services

"In 2011 the Rwandan government embarked on a novel medical education program to improve their health care system.  Human Resources for Health (HRH) Rwanda, a partnership between the government of Rwanda and a consortium of 22 U.S. academic institutions, was designed as a 7-year training program to produce qualified medical personnel with the aim of increasing quality and access to health care for Rwandans."  As one of the earliest ob/gyn specialists to work in Rwanda with HRH, Duke's Dr. Maria Small led an evaluation of the first five years of the program with the aims of 1) examining the number of trained ob/gyn specialists who graduated from the University of Rwanda as beneficiaries of the HRH program, and 2) conducting a geospatial analysis of pregnant women’s access to Rwandan public hospitals with trained Obstetrics and Gynecology providers using a WorldPop data set. Study Results: "In 2011, there were only 14 ob/gyns in the country.  By the end of HRH year 5,...
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Important New Study Regarding Injectable Contraceptives

Important New Study Regarding Injectable Contraceptives

There is an unmet need affecting 47% of women in Africa who want modern contraception in order to prevent pregnancy. During the last few years, there has been an increase in the use of injectable contraceptives, such as Depo-Provera, across the continent specifically in Mali, Sierra Leone, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Many African women rely on these types of shots because they are more easily concealable compared to other forms of contraception such as a daily birth control pill. Also, in some health clinics, these shots are the only method of contraception offered. Many women need secret protection due to men refusing condoms and the women wanting to avoid any social, physical, and mental consequences they may endure if they are found trying to keep away from pregnancy. A specialist in HIV at Britain’s Medical Research Council, Dr. Sheena McCormack, stated that African women’s, “husbands or partners, and their families, often want them to have children.” Along with the...
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Stakeholders Meeting on Palliative Care and Treatment of Cervical Cancer

Stakeholders Meeting on Palliative Care and Treatment of Cervical Cancer

By: Jacob B. Stocks & Sandra Yvonne Oketch - June 18th, 2019 On May 23rd, 2019, a stakeholders meeting on palliative care and treatment of cervical cancer for partners in Kisumu County was hosted at the KMET Complex in Kisumu. The main objectives of the meeting were 1) to share experiences on palliative care and cervical cancer services in Kisumu County and 2) to identify opportunities for networking and collaboration among partners. The 7-hour meeting began with a discussion of structural barriers to effective referral and treatment of cervical cancer in Kisumu County. The presenter, Brenda Otieno, discussed barriers such as the complexity of intra-facility referrals and client tracking, the lack of centrally located data on cancer patients (i.e. lack of a county-level cancer registry), and the lack of financial protection for clients seeking treatment. Following this session, Dr. Chemtai Mungo, an OB/GYN from UCSF, presented the evidence for cervical cancer screening via HPV testing by citing multiple studies discussing the cost-effectiveness...
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Mhealth App User Training

Mhealth App User Training

In order to ensure participants had a strong understanding of mSaada and the planned pilot usability study, members of the mSaada study team hosted a two-day training, June 6th and 7th, at the Kisumu Office of the Center for Global Reproductive Health. Twelve study participants, four researchers, and two research assistants were in attendance. The first day of the training began with a general overview of research, its importance, those involved, and a lengthy discussion of informed consent. After a tea break, we proceeded with a discussion of HPV and cervical cancer, and prevention, screening, and treatment strategies. In addition to lively audience participation during a session of review questions, each study participant displayed their understanding of the steps necessary to successfully complete HPV self-collection by demonstrating how to explain the process to a female client. Finally, the first day of training concluded with a 2-hour session on mhealth strategies and details of the planned mSaada pilot usability study. Day two of...
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Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

Part 3: Mama, LLC In Part 2 of this Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, we were introduced to Dr. Laura Keyser, a physical therapist who specializes in maternal and child health. She also is the co-founder of Mama, LLC. Dr. Keyser was able to share some aspects of her work at Mama, LLC and to inform us of some projects the firm is working on. Mama, LLC is a physical therapy and public health consulting firm that specializes in domestic and international women’s and girl’s health. Mama, LLC partners with humanitarian organizations, professional organizations, educational institutions, and for-profit groups to meet maternal and women’s health needs around the world. The firm’s work includes but is not limited to education efforts, promotion and advocacy, research, and rehabilitation capacity building. When asked about her work at Mama, LLC, Dr. Keyser reports: “We see the health concerns of women and girls around the world as experiences on the same continuum. While women in low income, low resource settings...
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International Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

International Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

Part 2: How Physical Therapists Are Helping Women’s Health on the Global Stage In January, I attended a presentation by Dr. Laura Keyser, a prominent figure in world of pelvic and global health. Keyser has been a physical therapist for 12 years and has developed public health expertise in maternal and child health. She also is the co-founder of Mama, LLC, which is a physical therapy and public health consulting firm that specializes in women’s and girl’s health. I had the wonderful opportunity to pick Dr. Keyser’s brain about global women’s health issues and how she sees physical therapy helping solve those problems. For the past ten years, Dr. Keyser has acted as a consultant to local and international organizations such as Global Strategies, EngenderHealth, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Panzi Hospital and Foundations and HEAL Africa DRC. Through this role she has developed rehabilitation programs and community outreach initiatives in many parts of Africa and south Asia. When asked about her first...
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Summer SRT team joins Kisumu office

This summer the Center office in Kisumu will be hosting three students through a Student Research Training (SRT) summer program. They will be joined by a Masters in Global Health student, an ob/gyn resident and a post-doctoral fellow, all researching various aspects of cervical cancer prevention and health systems strengthening for reproductive health.  They've just arrived in Kenya, and I've asked them to share some of their plans and expectations for the summer.  Follow this page to see updates on their projects and reflections throughout the summer. Emma Mehlhop, T'21 Since this summer will be my first experience in field work of any kind, I have much to anticipate. First, I am looking forward to reflecting on not just why I am passionate about Global Health, but what I am personally able to contribute to the field. During the Global Health Ethics course, we spent time reflecting on the work of Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan photojournalist, who asks Global Health workers and...
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OMEGA FOUNDATION MEETING WITH HARUN KODIAGA – HEAD OF PROGRAMS

OMEGA FOUNDATION MEETING WITH HARUN KODIAGA – HEAD OF PROGRAMS

I had the opportunity to meet with Harun, the Head of Programs at the Omega Foundation (OF) at the Kisumu Office. The OF mission is, “to strengthen the capacity of communities to live meaningful lives through integrated health and innovative livelihood solutions” across 12 counties in Kenya: Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay, Busia, Bungoma, Nandi, Uasin-Gishu, Kakamega, Vihiga, and Bomet. OF undertakes various projects including Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Delivery and Advocacy projects funded by Planned Parenthood Global. The projects are being implemented in Kisumu, Siaya, and Homa Bay counties respectively with an objective to increase awareness of, access to, and use of quality family planning (FP) and Post Abortion Care (PAC) services. Twenty facilities in Kisumu are supported in delivery of the services and focus on strengthening the capacity of partners to provide facility-based FP and PAC services and advocate for expansion of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) rights and services. To achieve their goals, the OF supports provision of...
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