Evaluation of the Kinshasa School of Public Health

Led by Brian Colwell of the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, and funded through a buy-in from USAID, this project aimed to assess the effectiveness of support in helping the school fulfill its mandate for teaching and research. A secondary aim was to identify what further assistance might enhance KSPH’s role in providing human resources for health in DRC, assess how well the school serves stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health, and recommend business practices that help assure sustainability. Among its strengths, are the recognized rigor of their Masters in Public Health (MPH) program, competitiveness of admission to the MPH program, continual improvement of business and accountability practices, and provision of leadership nationwide in disease prevention and control.  Remaining problems include the need for faculty to partly support themselves by external employment, and overcrowding and disrepair of facilities and equipment. During February 2017, Dr. Colwell traveled to the DRC and presented his final results to the USAID Mission in Kinshasa. 

Texting Campaign for Adolescent Mothers in El Salvador

ConDev funded Dr. Barbara Quiram's research team at the Office of Special Programs & Global Health at Texas A&M School of Public Health to conduct this program. An innovative approach was taken to create a short messaging service (SMS). Health tool to improve intent to and knowledge of breastfeeding among adolescent pregnant mothers. The objectives of the study were to determine if health education and support tools were effective in increasing perception, knowledge and intent surrounding breastfeeding in pregnant adolescent females ages 10 – 19 in El Salvador.  Additionally, the study sought to increase a pregnant adolescent’s perception of whether she is allowed to make decisions about the health of herself and her child.

The final report is available here: TextIt Program