University of Washington Department of Global Health

The UW shines bright at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024)! Over 20 faculty, staff and students from departments across the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, including the recently featured DGH IS Program Travel Scholarship recipients, presented their groundbreaking research on topics ranging from climate change to maternal healthcare. DGH would like to give a special shout out to fourth-year Implementation Science PhD student, George Wanje, voted the winner of the Inaugural Lisa Simpson Best Poster Award by fellow conference attendees, and Dr. Jeremy Hess, Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE), who delivered this year’s opening keynote speech. Congratulations to all on a job well done.

Dr. Zahra Zeinali MD MPH, a doctoral student in the Global Health Leadership and Practice (DrGH) program at the University of Washington, received the Health Systems Global-Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research Societal Award in the category of Young Professional Award at the 8th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research on November 20, 2024. Dr. Zeinali was honored for her dedication to improving equity within health systems, and her contributions to gender mainstreaming and intersectionality in health systems’ leadership, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. "Neither health nor health systems and policies are gender neutral, so it is imperative that we all take a moment to reflect on the steps that we can take to integrate gender considerations in our work, and in doing so amplify its impact." You can listen to Dr. Zeinali's full remarks here: https://bit.ly/HSGAward

A new study conducted by Global Health Promise, a nonprofit based in Oregon, found that suicide accounted for 1 in 10 deaths among female sex workers in eight low- and middle-income countries. Adjunct Professor Ian Bennett of the University of Washington Department of Global Health says that in order to reduce suicide risk among female sex workers, there would need to be early address, intervention and treatment of their depression. “Funding and action are needed quickly to prevent these deaths and the impact on their children.” https://lnkd.in/gkCN_Quq

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024) in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet Barbara Burke, MPH, an Implementation Science PhD student in DGH. Barbara’s academic interests include social determinants of health and evaluation. At D&I 2024, Barbara will present, “Organizational, structural, and service readiness to implement a transdiagnostic mental health intervention for adolescents in 30 HIV clinics in 3 counties in Kenya: a cross-sectional study among frontline providers and clinic in-charges.” Along with her research team, Barbara conducted a cross-sectional study to better understand the organizational determinants that influence early implementation outcomes of task-shifted mental health services within HIV primary care clinics throughout Kenya. Findings show that different domains of readiness - including service readiness, organizational readiness, organizational capacity for change, and organizational citizenship - differed within and across the region. If you are attending D&I 2024, be sure to stop by the poster session on December 9 at 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST to see Barbara present in person! We wish Barbara, and all of the IS Program students, the best of luck at the conference! Learn more about Barbara's poster here: https://bit.ly/BBurkeIS

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024) in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet Amanda Brumwell, a third-year Implementation Science PhD candidate in DGH. Amanda’s academic interests include investigating strategies to improve diagnosis, care, and prevention for tuberculosis and chronic disease. At D&I 2024, Amanda will present, “Categorizing micro-changes to capture how implementation strategies achieve goodness-of-fit: Lessons learned across multiple systems engineering-oriented implementation trials.” Using continuous quality improvement and audit and feedback strategies, Amanda’s poster describes the categorizations for the iterative, micro-change interventions that were implemented to improve health care services across multiple clinical areas in Mozambique, Kenya, and Cote d’Ivoire. This presentation encompasses the collective efforts of Amanda and her research collaborators, representing the work of six projects across two countries. If you are attending D&I 2024, be sure to stop by the poster session on December 9 at 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST to see Amanda present in person! Stay tuned as we introduce you to the last DGH student attending the conference. Learn more about Amanda's poster here: https://lnkd.in/gwPsjwgj

For the last 26 years, the UW/Fred Hutch CFAR Seminar Series has brought clinical and laboratory-based researchers, including both Seattle-based researchers and those from outside the region, to present their cutting-edge insights to our research community. Please join us IN PERSON at Hans Rosling Center, Rm 155 for our December seminar (virtual option also available). Refreshments will be provided! To register for this event, visit: https://bit.ly/48Tg1Qr

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024) in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet George Wanje, a fourth-year Implementation Science PhD student in DGH. George’s research interests include improving the cascade of HIV care and optimizing HIV treatment outcomes through the integration of reproductive health services in his home country of Kenya. In addition to being a DGH Travel Scholarship recipient, George is also a recipient of AcademyHealth’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship. At D&I 2024, George will present, “Cost of implementing the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to increase cervical cancer screening in family planning clinics in Mombasa County, Kenya: a micro-costing study”. Using a Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) to address barriers to cervical cancer screening (CCS) in Kenya, George’s research demonstrates that CCS SAIA is a low-cost implementation strategy that can be scaled up in settings facing low cervical cancer screening rates. George’s poster abstract was voted the best in the Global Health and Dissemination Track, making him a nominee for the Lisa Simpson Best Poster Award. If you are attending D&I 2024, you can watch George present during three special sessions for the Lisa Simpson Best Poster Award nominees on December 9 from 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., December 9 from 4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. and December 10 from 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. EST. Stay tuned as we introduce you to the rest of the DGH student attendees. Learn more about George's poster here: https://bit.ly/GWanjeISP

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024) in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet Priyanka Shrestha, a fourth-year Implementation Science PhD candidate in DGH. Priyanka’s academic interests include innovative research-based solutions to address health system inequities and improve healthcare services delivery in resource-poor settings. At D&I 2024, Priyanka will present, “Understanding inequity in implementation of a community-based digital health intervention in western Kenya: stakeholder perspectives from a qualitative study.” This study aimed to understand the feasibility and acceptability of CHV-NEO, a two-way SMS messaging program connecting perinatal clients with community health volunteers in Kenya. Recognizing potential inequities in its use, the research focused on identifying social and digital determinants influencing implementation inequities from providers’ and beneficiaries’ perspectives. If you are attending D&I 2024, be sure to stop by the poster session on December 9 from 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST to see Priyanka present in person! Stay tuned as we introduce you to the rest of the DGH student attendees. Learn more about Priyanka's poster here: https://lnkd.in/grrNRFK2

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024) in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet Ermyas B., a fifth-year Implementation Science PhD candidate in DGH. Ermyas’ academic interests include studying the application of implementation strategies in primary healthcare settings to enhance service delivery and utilization to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality. At D&I 2024, Ermyas will present, “Effectiveness of Management Training and System-Level Audit and Feedback Strategies to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Mozambique: A Longitudinal Study from 2019-2022.” Using the theory of middle managers and their roles in implementing evidence-based practices in healthcare organizations, Ermyas and his team examined the combined effectiveness of formal management training and audit and feedback strategies in improving health service delivery and facilitating the diffusion of interventions. If you are attending D&I 2024, be sure to stop by the podium session on December 11 at 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. EST to see Ermyas present in person! Stay tuned as we introduce you to the rest of the DGH student attendees. Learn more about Ermyas' poster here: https://bit.ly/EBirruISP

An international leader in implementation science practice, the Department of Global Health Implementation Science Program (IS Program) provides expertise and resources to support research, education, and training for early-career scientists. As part of their commitment to training scholars both domestically and globally, the IS Program is providing travel scholarships to 10 DGH PhD students so they can present their research at the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (D&I 2024), in Arlington, VA, December 8-11, 2024. Today, meet Grace Umutesi , a fifth-year Implementation Science PhD candidate. Grace’s academic interests include infectious diseases, health systems strengthening, and the designing and implementation of innovative approaches that lead to an efficient use of resources to improve health outcomes in low-resource settings. In addition to being a DGH Travel Scholarship recipient, Grace is also a recipient of Academy Health’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship. At D&I 2024, Grace will present two posters: “Operationalization of An Acceptability Framework in the Context of HPV Vaccination in Kenya” and “Factors Associated with Increased Acceptability of the Single-Dose HPV Vaccination Schedule Among Healthcare Professionals in Kenya.” Grace’s research on the acceptability of a single-dose schedule among health-care professionals (HCPs) in Kenya was recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute as part of a monograph entitled, “State of the Science of Single-Dose Prophylactic HPV Vaccination.” In her research findings, most HCPs reported that single-dose HPV vaccination was acceptable as it had the potential to increase uptake and coverage. Her work also highlighted training and information gaps that vaccination efforts should prioritize to address community concerns and increase uptake. If you are attending D&I 2024, be sure to stop by the poster session on December 9 at 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST to see Grace present both of her posters in person! Stay tuned as we introduce you to the rest of the student attendees. More information on Grace's posters can be found here: Poster #1 - https://lnkd.in/gDvEaYhe Poster #2 - https://lnkd.in/gUHVsxpF