Dear IHD Colleagues,

Below is our monthly IHD update outlining recent happenings in the Division. We look forward to receiving any feedback you may wish to share with us.

Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Expands Role of Nurses and Midwives

In Tanzania, nurses and midwives provide the bulk of direct patient care at all levels of health service delivery. Working closely with the Tanzanian Nursing and Midwifery Council, the SHOPS project helped facilitate development of a new scope of practice that delineates the legal boundaries of nursing and midwifery practice in Tanzania, and outlines the full range of roles, responsibilities, activities, and functions that nurses and midwives may perform. The Council and Tanzania’s nursing community feels that these strengthened roles will be instrumental in addressing the nation’s health challenges in reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality, fighting HIV and AIDS and infectious diseases, and promoting the availability of essential health services. Contact: COP emmanuel_malangalila@shopsproject.com or james_white@abtassoc.com.

SHOPS India Showcases Innovations for Afghan Delegation

On November 21, USAID India showcased 10 leading innovators in India who through their products / services / partnerships have engaged the private sector in the provision of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health services and tuberculosis control for a delegation from the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan. Among the innovators were SHOPS India’s Ashish Sinha and Suma Pathy, who presented on the project’s novel approaches in rural markets by highlighting two initiatives: eChoupal Rural Health, which leverages the sales and/or distribution network of ITC (an agro-procurement business) to improve access to health products,  and PharmaSynth Rural Extension (a pharmaceutical company), which addresses last mile distribution of ORS and zinc. SHOPS shared tips with the Afghan delegation on developing business plans, building sales force capacity in communicating with informal providers, designing incentives for the supply chain, and conducting research. The Afghanis were encouraged to see how public health and commercial outcomes can be successfully balanced. Contact: COP george_oommen@abtassoc.com or mike_dalious@abtassoc.com.

IHD Contributes to Ebola Response

IHD’s Lisa Nichols, Ted Hammett, Stephen Musau, and Kate Greene contributed to the Frontline Health Workers Coalition’s (FHWC) policy recommendations for the US government on the Ebola response. The recommendations call for “increased support for frontline health workers and the systems that support them in the region and around the world” to address the Ebola crisis and future epidemics. The FHWC distributed the recommendations to members of Congress, key agencies, and journalists. They were also used by FHWC members for testimony during Congressional hearings on Ebola in November. Contact: kate_greene@abtassoc.com.

Spotlight on Zambian Integrated Systems Strengthening Program (ZISSP)

Highlighting the success of the Abt-led ZISSP (2009-2014), together with two other USAID-funded flagship Zambian projects, USAID/Zambia Mission Director Dr. Susan Berms said, “I am honored to join you today to celebrate the accomplishments of these three health projects. Their success would not have been possible without our collaborative and productive partnership with the government and people of Zambia.”  ZISSP successfully supported the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health to strengthen priority health services across the country, boosting efficiency and coordination through improved planning processes, updated clinical guidelines and training manuals, and strengthened human resource management. Dr. Charlotte Harland Scott, wife of the Zambian Acting President, was guest of honor at the November 20 event. Contact: COP kathleen_poer@abtassoc.com.

PATHS2 MCH Trainings Institutionalized at Local Colleges

Part of PATHS2’s work in Nigeria focuses on building the capacity of local training institutions to host maternal and child health trainings developed and initiated by the project. Advocating to ensure that local resources are expended on training local health personnel at local training institutions, the Kaduna State Local Government Service Commission budgeted and then released funds in early December to three local health training institutes (College of Midwifery Kafanchan, College of Midwifery Tudun Wada, and College of Health Technology Makarfi) to begin in-service training for state health personnel on post-abortion care, family planning, and integrated management of childhood illness respectively. Thirty health workers will be trained by the three institutions this quarter. Contact: COP Mike Egboh at m.egboh@paths2.org and gafar_alawode@abtassoc.com.

HPR Builds on Almost 20 Years of Health Systems Strengthening Success in Peru

In November in Lima, Peru, Peruvian health officials, USAID, and Abt’s Health Policy Reform (HPR) team celebrated the imminent closing of the five-year (2010-2014) project.  HPR provides comprehensive health systems support to the Ministry of Health and several of the country’s regional governments.  The project follows nearly 20 years of Abt-led health systems strengthening projects in Peru, beginning with the Partnerships for Health Reform project in 1997. Assistance to four regional governments to improve financial management, human resource allocation and performance, and management information systems have led to better health among the country’s citizens. In the San Martin Region, where the project has provided long-term assistance to regional health managers, the rate of chronic childhood malnutrition, among the highest in Peru, has achieved the largest decline in the country – 12% (between 2010 and 2013).  USAID has announced the continuation of HPR work through a one-year buy-in to Abt’s global Health Finance and Governance Project. Contact: COP alfredo_sobrevilla@abtassoc.com or elizabeth_macgregor-skinner@abtassoc.com.

Leading Burundi’s HIV/AIDS Response

Burundi’s National HIV/AIDS Program, Programme de la Lutte Contre le SIDA et les Infections Sexuellement Transmissibles (PNLS) was created in 2011 when the Ministries of Public Health and HIV/AIDS were combined. A relatively new organization, PNLS is tasked with leading the long-term implementation of the Ministry of Health’s HIV/AIDS programs. But PNLS lacks strong management and organizational capacity, which has resulted in weaker HIV/AIDS program outcomes. The HFG project and PNLS, however, have teamed up to change that. Through HFG, USAID is implementing a multi-year program to enhance PNLS’ management skills and support their growth as the national organization to lead Burundi’s progress towards achieving an AIDS-free generation. Contact: karishmah_bhuwanee@abtassoc.com.

Nigeria Workshop: Scaling up Universal Health Coverage

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, USAID, and the HFG Project are delivering a Healthcare Financing Capacity-Building Workshop for health officials from around Nigeria in early December. The impetus was a Presidential Summit held in Abuja in March 2014 that issued a ‘Declaration on Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.’ The declaration recognized that universal health coverage (UHC) “… holds the key to unlocking the door for equitable, qualitative, and universally accessible healthcare for all Nigerians without suffering financial hardship.” Contact: andrew_won@abtassoc.com.

Find Out More about IHD Work Near and Far

IHD produces a wide variety of internal and external newsletters as listed below.  Please reach out to the contact person listed if you’d like to be added to a distribution list. If you are producing a newsletter not included on the list below, please notify liz_nugent@abtassoc.com.

Abt’s Institutional Review Board Welcomes New IHD Representative

Congratulations to Francis Okello as IHD’s second representative on the IRB, joining Laurel Hatt.  Their primary role is to prospectively review and approve human subject research protocols.  Katie Speanburg, IRB Administrator, and Teresa Doksum, IRB Chair, are your main points of contact for questions.  Laurel and Francis are additional resources. If you are at all unsure of whether your study should be reviewed by the IRB, contact Katie or Teresa via irb@abtassoc.com.

Record Number of IHD Submissions to Mini-U 2015

IHD submitted a record 16 proposals for next spring’s 2015 Mini-University. The Mini-U is an annual learning forum for global health professionals and students. It offers a variety of sessions highlighting evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information. The event will take place Monday, March 2, 2015, 8:00 to 4:30 at the Cloyd Heck Marvin Center, George Washington University, 800 21st Street NW, Washington, DC.  The 2015 theme “Maintaining Momentum as We Move Forward” will recognize the end of the Millennium Development Goals and moving forward toward sustainable global health outcomes. All sessions will be 50-minutes long. Registration will open in January. Attendance is free.

IHD Hits a High Note at APHA

Centered on the theme “Healthography: How Where You Live Affects Your Health and Well-Being,” the 142nd Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association brought together 12,560 public health experts, leaders, professionals, and advocates November 16-19 in New Orleans. The meeting marks the first return of the APHA meeting to New Orleans since having to cancel in 2005 in the wake of Katrina. IHD sent 10 attendees from Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Bethesda and had six oral presentations and two poster sessions.  Abt had a strong social media presence at the meeting and was among the top influencers of #APHA14 based on tweet mentions. And Abt won first place for best booth for commercial company, island spaces. Contact: liz_nugent@abtassoc.com.

Abt Hosts New Perspectives on Building Resilience Webinar Series

Abt Associates’ Risk and Resilience Center is hosting a webinar series that examines how a risk and resilience framework can help governments and implementing partners effectively target resources to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable by reducing risk and increasing resilience at the individual, household, and community levels.  IHD’s Thierry van Bastelaer hosted the first session, providing a unifying conceptual framework for the series and explored why an increasing number of international donor agencies, in particular USAID, have chosen to use the concept of resilience to guide program development. The second session focused on climate change. Upcoming sessions all held at 12:30pm EST include:

·         January 22 –  Boosting Financial Resilience by Helping Households Build Assets and Strengthen their Balance Sheets

·         February 26 – Mental Health and Well-Being: From Risk to Resilience

·         April 21 – Strengthening Communities through Risk Avoidance, Mitigation, and Response

Contact: thierry_van_bastelaer@abtassoc.com.

And Speaking of Resilience

Read Thierry van Bastelaer’s recently published white paper, “Empowering Vulnerable Populations to Build Resilience: Concept Note and Project-Based Applications.”

Looking for Resources to Support Your Project and Professional Development Needs?

The Abt Library is available through AGI to support your research.  With access to over 20,000 journals, as well as a collection of both print and electronic books, the library is a great place to start your research on a new topic. Abt Librarian Sarah Curran is available to answer any questions, and support your research requests.  The library is always accepting suggestions for new books or journals, so if there are any titles or subject areas you’d like to see in the library, please let Sarah know.  You can access the Abt Library on AGI via Tools and Resources à Libraries à Abt Library. Contact Sarah Curran at library@abtassoc.com.

Upcoming Conferences: Abstract Due Dates, Notification Dates, and Acceptances

If you plan to submit an abstract or have an abstract accepted, please notify Liz Nugent.

14^th World Congress on Public Health (February 11-15, 2015, Kolkata, India) – 2 abstracts and 1 symposium accepted

Global Health Mini-University (March 2, 2015, Washington, DC) – 16 abstracts submitted

Population Association of America (April 30-May 2, 2015, San Diego, CA) – 2 abstracts accepted

International Health Economics Association (July 12-15, 2015, Milan, Italy) – abstracts due January 10

International AIDS Society Conference (July 19-22, 2015, Vancouver, Canada) – abstracts due January 27 

American Public Health Association (October 31-November 4, 2015, Chicago, IL) – call for abstracts opens December 15

Welcomes, Goodbyes – A Sampling

Welcome: Brad Longman (transferring to AIRS from Subcontracts as a Sr. Analyst/Technical Coordinator)

Looking to Hire

The below positions are currently available in the U.S. All IHD openings can be found at: www.abtassociates.com/careers.

• Senior Analyst / Technical Coordinator, HFG, Req 16041 – Posted 12/5/14
• Associate Analyst, SHOPS, Req 15961 – Posted 12/5/14
• Principal Associate / Portfolio Manager, Req 15321 – Posted 11/25/14
• Senior Analyst / M&E Specialist, PMI AIRS, Req 15341 – Posted 11/21/2014
• Finance & Contract Analyst, Req 15021 – Posted 11/14/2014
• Senior Technical Writer / Editor, Req 13424 – Posted 10/17/14

SAVE THE DATE!

December 17 – IHD Global Staff Meeting (9:00am EST)

FROM DIANA’S DESK

Highlighting Abt’s Contribution to Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

On Friday, December 12, 2014, a global coalition will launch the first-ever Universal Health Coverage Day and call for UHC as a cornerstone of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda and a priority for all nations. Over five hundred organizations, including Abt, have joined the call. With this declaration of support, we stand with others to mark the passing of the landmark UN resolution urging all countries to ensure universal access to quality health care without financial hardship.  #HealthforAll.

When you hear people discussing UHC, please remind them of Abt’s contribution to achieving UHC globally.  We engage stakeholders from all sectors, implementing strategies from the community to the national level. We help countries make the linkages between efficient and equitable health financing, and high-quality accessible services offered by both public and private providers, to achieve the greatest possible health impact. In all of our health systems strengthening work, we maintain particular focus on access for poor and disadvantaged populations.

Happy Holidays

As we come to the end of 2014, I want to recognize your hard work which resulted in a banner year in terms of new projects and excellent execution throughout global portfolios. This success has been translated across the world to healthier families and improved well-being of people and the communities we serve. My heartfelt appreciation and thanks for your dedication. May we continue our efforts and focus on excellence in 2015. My warmest wishes for the holiday season and may the new year bring joy, good health, and peace to you and yours!

Sent to ALL IHD US & Field