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.

Abt’s GxAlert Showcased on World TB Day in Nigeria

On World TB Day, March 24, 2015, the Minister of Health of Nigeria showcased Abt’s and SystemOne’s (US-based technology company) GxAlert Initiative on national television to demonstrate what the country is doing to improve the way it diagnoses and treats TB, TB/HIV coinfection, and multidrug resistant TB. GxAlert software, housed in a USB drive modem and loaded to TB rapid testing machines, delivers real-time results to the point of care and existing health information systems. Abt has worked closely with the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme of Nigeria to implement GxAlert nationwide to deliver immediate results. Before, such results could take weeks and sometimes months. See mention of GxAlert on the Minister’s twitter feed and more on Abt’s TB work. Contact HFG Senior TB Advisor Kehinde Agbaiyero at keninde_agbaiyero@abtassoc.com or leah_ekbladh@abtassoc.com.

Health Finance and Governance (HFG) Project Hosts Flagship Financing Course in Panama

For over 15 years, HFG partner health economist Ricardo Bitrán has trained professionals from ministries of health and ministries of finance from Latin America and the Caribbean in health economics, financing, and management of health services via the World Bank Institute’s flagship course on economics and health financing.  On March 10-13, Dr. Bitrán hosted the four-day flagship course in Panama with fellow presenters Amanda Glassman (Center for Global Development), Ursula Giedion (Inter-American Development Bank), Thomas Bossert (Harvard School of Public Health), and Kelsey Vaughan (Bitrán y Asociados). Funded by the USAID/LAC bureau and hosted by HFG, the course brought together representatives from seven countries (Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, and Peru) to share, learn, and explore key universal health care challenges and opportunities as each country worked to develop country-specific approaches. Contact: alexandra_hulme@abtassoc.com.

Improved Payment System in the Kyrgyz Republic Moves TB Hospitals out of Soviet Era

To improve treatment outcomes and efficiency, the Kyrgyz Republic is shifting to increased outpatient care, as recommended by the World Health Organization. The HFG Project is working with the Kyrgyz Republic’s Mandatory Health Insurance Fund to restructure TB hospital payment systems so that hospitals receive funding based on the specific cases they treat and not on number of beds filled (the old system creates incentives for prolonged hospitalization of patients). The new payment system is expected to create savings that will be reinvested in outpatient TB services. Contact: sara_feinstein@abtassoc.com.

Scaling Up Family Planning Programme (SUFP) in Zambia, a Straight A Project

For the second year in a row, SUFP earned an A+ rating from its funding agency, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). SUFP, which runs from 2012 to 2016, supports the government of Zambia to reach sustained delivery of high-quality family planning services in 26 underserved and vulnerable districts in Zambia. Congratulations SUFP! Contact: COP christopher_mazimba@zambiasufp.org or katherine_brouhard@abtassoc.com.

AIRS Gender Training Workshop in Rwanda Works to Ensure Equity in IRS Programs

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Indoor Residual Spraying (AIRS) Project conducted a three-day gender training in Kigali, Rwanda, March 23-25, to help participants understand how they can promote gender equity while implementing a large-scale project, such as indoor residual spraying (IRS). The percentage of women working in IRS has traditionally been small. Barriers, such as the misperception that women are not interested in or strong enough to do the work and that IRS is “men’s work,” have limited women from participating in this income-generating work. USAID’s Senior Gender Advisor Niyati Shah and PMI’s IRS Lead Allison Belemvire co-led the training, which included gender focal persons from 10 countries with PMI-supported spray operations. Each participant will share the training with their country program staff to facilitate dialogue around gender issues. Contact: elana_fiekowsky@abtassoc.com.

A Photo Tour of IRS Work in Senegal

In 2014, The PMI AIRS Project protected more than 700,000 people in Senegal using IRS, one of the most effective prevention methods for malaria. PMI has supported IRS in Senegal where the country’s entire population of 13.3 million people is at risk of the disease since 2007. See an engaging photo show depicting AIR’s work in Senegal. Contact: laura_mccarty@abtassoc.com.

AIRS Releases New Edition of IRS Guide for All PMI IRS Projects

PMI recently released the second edition of the Best Management Practices (BMP) for Indoor Residual Spraying in Vector Control Interventions, which establishes a uniform approach for the environmental assessment of IRS activities to ensure compliance with USAID and host-country environmental regulations. Revised and updated under The PMI AIRS Project, the new BMP expands upon the 2010 edition and serves as the official guide for all PMI IRS projects. The manual, the update of which was coordinated by AIRS Project’s Environmental Compliance and Safety Manager Peter Chandonait, includes best practices on the range of activities associated with pesticide use in IRS. Contact: peter_chandonait@abtassoc.com.

SHOPS Bangladesh Shows Private Sector Potential for Improving Availability of Contraceptives

Results from the SHOPS program in Bangladesh show that the private sector can make a valuable contribution to improving the availability of long-acting reversible contraceptive and permanent method services. The program aimed to integrate services for these methods into existing maternal and child health services of selected private hospitals. The SHOPS team linked these facilities to a convenient source of affordable commodities, offered training to meet the needs of private providers, and assisted with marketing and demand generation. A SHOPS-conducted assessment indicated a number of lessons learned including the importance of behavior change and engagement of facility owners to successfully integrate services into a private facility. Contact:  robin_keeley@abtassoc.com.

Research Prompts Scale-up of Contraceptive Clients in Madagascar

One challenge that community health workers (CHWs) face when providing hormonal contraceptives to new clients is ruling out pregnancy. A SHOPS randomized controlled trial in Madagascar found that offering the health workers pregnancy tests to distribute for free increases the number of new contraceptive clients. Based on the results of this research, USAID/Madagascar is expanding its use of pregnancy test kits for family planning. CHWs in Madagascar will use the kits to determine whether a woman is pregnant before providing hormonal contraceptives. This effort supports the USAID Forward agenda to identify and scale up innovative, breakthrough solutions to intractable development challenges. Contact: alison_comfort@abtassoc.com.

Invest in the Future, Defeat Malaria – World Malaria Day, April 25, 2015

In 2013, there were 198 million cases of and 584,000 deaths from malaria. Intermittent preventive treatment against malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is a highly cost-effective intervention with the potential to save many maternal and neonatal lives. However, IPTp coverage remains low in sub-Saharan Africa. As a member of the Roll Back Malaria in Pregnancy Working Group and a participant in the review of the Call to Action to Increase National Coverage of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Pregnancy, Abt encourages you to join the dialogue on April 25, World Malaria Day, as people across the globe celebrate successes and recommit to overcoming lingering challenges. Access information on the 2015 call to action, tweet: Africa fights #malaria - http://defeatmalaria.org/. Contact: lisa_nichols@abtassoc.com.

Scoping Role for Abt in the Face of Ebola

Although Sierra Leone is not yet at “zero cases,” the incidence of Ebola has decreased significantly from the peak of the outbreak several months ago. IHD's Peter Cowley and Beth Brennan traveled to Sierra Leone in March to get a better understanding of the current Ebola situation, and to see what role Abt can play in the post-Ebola environment in Sierra Leone and the West African region. Learn more about their visit on AGI . Contact: beth_brennan@abtassoc.com.

Need an Information Sheet on IHD Work?

Recently updated and/or created information sheets on the topics below are now available on the Abt external website. Information sheets on additional topics can be accessed at the same web location. Print copies are available in Bethesda in the publication stands outside Liz Nugent’s office.

·         eHealth and Technology

·         Social and Behavior Change Communication

·         Private Sector Health

·         Malaria

·         HIV/AIDS

·         Human Resources for Health (slight revision underway)

·         Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

·         Service Delivery

·         Family Planning/Reproductive Health

·         Ebola

·         Governance

Build Your Communications Skills Videos, Updated IHD Capes PowerPoint Now on AGI

Last month we told you about the production of a series of video modules that focus on ways to bring greater visibility to your project. The videos are now available on AGI and will be sent via FTP to field offices. The ten modules can be viewed all at once or one at a time. The modules range in length from three to eight minutes and will help build your capacity in developing communications plans, objectives, key messages, and new products such as brochures and success stories. Likewise, the IHD Capabilities PowerPoint Presentation has been updated and is available on AGI at the same link above. Contact: sarah_armstrong@abtassoc.com.

The Summer Interns are Coming!

Do you need some extra help this summer? If so, consider participating in Abt’s summer intern program! Abt is currently accepting applications from undergraduate and graduate students for a 10-week, full time (40 hour/week) internship that runs from June 10 – August 14. These paid positions are a great opportunity to get some short-term, high quality assistance for your project. If you are interested in learning more about the program or hiring an intern, please contact Sean Callahan by April 20 at the latest. Contact: sean_callahan@abtassoc.com.

Where in the World is…?

Ever wondered where our telecommuter colleagues are emailing us from?  Below is a list of IHD’s telecommuters and their base location.

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.

World Social Marketing Conference (April 19-20, Sydney, Australia) – 1 abstract submitted, 1 accepted + 1 special session

Population Association of America (April 30-May 2, 2015, San Diego, CA) – 7 abstracts submitted, 4 accepted

International Health Economics Association (July 12-15, 2015, Milan, Italy) – 14 abstracts submitted, 11 accepted, 3 waitlisted

International AIDS Society Conference (July 19-22, 2015, Vancouver, Canada) – 1 abstract accepted

Global Maternal Newborn Health Conference (October 18-21, Mexico City, Mexico) – abstracts due April 24

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (October 25-29, 2015, Philadelphia, PA) – 6 abstracts submitted

American Public Health Association (October 31-November 4, 2015, Chicago, IL) – 14 abstracts submitted

International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa - ICASA (November 8-13, 2015, Tunis, Tunisia) – call for abstracts and registration open

American Evaluation Association Conference - Chicago – November 9-14 – 2 abstracts submitted

International Conference on Family Planning (November 9-12, 2015, Nusa Dua, Indonesia) – abstracts due May 1

Welcomes, Goodbyes – A Sampling

Welcome: Hawa Camara (HFG), Stan Crock (IHD, Sr. Technical Writer)

Transferred: Alison Comfort (to SEP)

Goodbye: Ian Carr, Caytie Decker, Jeanette Kesselman, Reed Ramlow, Travis Snow, Sara Sulzbach

Looking to Hire

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

·         Associate Finance and Contract Analyst, Req 22641 – Posted 4/14/15

·         Associate / Scientist – Technical Project Officer, Req 22102 – Posted 4/2/15

·         Associate Finance and Contract Analyst, Req 12783 – Posted 3/27/15

·         Senior Analyst / Technical Project Officer, Req 21321 – Posted 3/17/15

·         Senior Associate / Chief of Party (AIRS2 – Mozambique), Req 21622 – Posted 3/16/15

• Technical Project Officer (Nigeria Focus), Req 17601 – Posted 2/4/15
• Business Development Manager, International Health – Req 17741 – Posted 1/12/15
• Principal Associate / Portfolio Manager, Req 15321 – Posted 11/25/14

SAVE THE DATE!

April 23 – All Staff Town Hall: FY16 Implementation Plan (9:00am EST)

April 29 – IHD Global Staff Meeting (9:00am EST)

May 20 – IHD Quarterly Report-out (US-based staff)

June 8-12 – IHD Chief of Party Conference

HR MATTERS: FROM CLARISSA PETERSON

We have asked Clarissa to contribute to our monthly e-newsletter to make sure that all IHD is informed of new HR initiatives and tools that can help us in our daily work.

Two Very Important Reminders – Welcome to the FY15 PREP season! First, please remember that the PREP process provides an opportunity to remind your manager of your many accomplishments during the performance period and to discuss your goals for the coming year. Secondly, I strongly encourage you to complete your Career Profile on Atlas. While we already have your CV or resume, this tool collects different information. It will ask about your future career aspirations, what sort of work you would like to do, if you are able to work in another country, etc. It will help us learn more about you so we can connect you with new opportunities at Abt. If you have further questions, please reach out to your manager or the HRServiceCenter@abtassoc.com.

FROM DIANA’S DESK: - FY 2015 at a Glance 

First of all, I would like to express my appreciation and thanks for an impressive year, filled with both significant achievements as well as challenges. But without a doubt, it is a year with major accomplishments that each of you should own with pride. Thank you! 

On the target side, IHD exceeded our goal of gross revenue and greatly surpassed our sales goal (by over 150%) recording one of the best IHD Sales years in history (nearly $400 million). Despite these great results, we did not achieve our profit goal – partly a result of changes in the IT rate, but also due to significant unbillables and project overruns. This is an area for improvement next year. We increased the number of publications recorded in the rep cap database by 95% over the previous year and participated in 18 conferences, aligning our participation with strategic new business opportunities. In FY15, we initiated four new projects – Jordan Communication, Advocacy and Policy (J-CAP), Kyrgyzstan TB, AIDS FREE (as a sub), and Cross-Border Health Integrated Partnership Project (CB HIPP) (sub) – and won two IDIQ contracts for supply chain strengthening (sub). We also won TASC4 and of course, our global priority bid, the follow-on to AIRS! We closed five projects in the following countries: Albania, Kenya, Jordan, Peru, and Zambia, although some of these activities moved into Abt’s global projects or were re-bid. 

HFG is going at full speed, with activities in over 24 countries, 83% of their funding in field support (above the 75% expectation), and revenue of $30 million this last fiscal year.

SHOPS is in its final year and will reach its ceiling of $95 million with core and field buy-ins. Additionally, SHOPS has achieved twice their cost share requirement of 20% by bringing in $39 million in contributions from donors and other partners. During 2015, the project also expanded to Cambodia, Nepal and Senegal.

AIRS won the 2014 Clark Abt Award for Outstanding Social Impact.

And from the Home Office, the Division successfully started or fully implemented 75% of the divisional activities under the 6 pillars in our FY15 & FY16 strategic plan. Illustrative accomplishments per strategy follow below. We will share a more detailed summary at the State of our Division global meeting.

Execute with excellence 

·         Developed a library of IHD best practices, templates and tools for project management 

·         Solicited client feedback through surveys

Invest in new business strategically 

·         Continued to diversify adding a new corporate client, Astra Zeneca 

·         Initiated country capture lead role; developed country capture plans for tiers 1 and 2  priority countries

·         Developed capture plans and investment strategies for each technical segment 

Strengthen new business development processes 

·         Implemented gate and color review process 

·         Initiated quality mentors program 

·         Opened up the bid capture and decision processes to more people—to begin to instill a culture of “business development is for everyone”

Strengthen reputational capital

·         Increased the number of thought leadership pieces between FY2014 and FY2015 from 9 peer-reviewed journal articles in 2014 to 17 in 2015; from one thought leadership piece in 2014 to four in 2015, and from three blog posts in 2014 to four in 2015.  The number of opinion pieces declined from five in 2014 to three in 2015.

·         Successfully leveraged IR&D investments by including GXAlert in the successful USAID Kyrgyzstan project and in the (still pending) USAID CAR Regional HIV bid

Refine operating model for efficiency and competitiveness

·         Registered in UK and launched Abt GB office

·         Implemented divisional process improvement teams to develop guidance for accurate forecasting and tools for project close-out, and to address retention and morale (see below)

Invest in developing human resources 

·         Improved labor planning (though further improvements to come)

·         Implemented more inclusive system to disseminate new business opportunities and job opportunities throughout the Division 

·         Developed an orientation package and program for IHD new hires or returning staff

·         Formalized a mentoring system for individuals taking on new capture and proposal development roles

·         Initiated a US-based improvement team to analyze staff engagement, morale and retention, and initiated “low hanging fruit” responses. The group will continue into FY16 addressing longer term solutions, that may require actions outside the Division

We will continue to implement this strategy in FY16, but also contribute to the development of Abt’s (and IHD’s) new 5-year strategy. Stay tuned for more information of how you can participate. 

Sent to ALL IHD US & Field, MAG