AMPATH Ghana Showcases Family Planning Research at Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health Conference
This past December, AMPATH Ghana participated in the 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (Academy Health D&I) in Arlington, Virginia to highlight its ongoing research initiatives in population health. This was the first time AMPATH Ghana presented at this conference, which was co-hosted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and AcademyHealth. The conference convened a growing network of peers to explore the latest innovations in D&I science.
Several researchers across the AMPATH Consortium presented at this year’s conference on topics including maternal health, cervical cancer, and chronic disease management. Kate Tolleson, NYU Grossman School of Medicine Class of 2027, co-presented with Dr. Sasha Hernandez on an initiative AMPATH Ghana is supporting--enhancing family planning services in Northern Ghana. The abstract entitled Enhancing Family Planning Services in Northern Ghana: A Needs Assessment to Develop Strategic Interventions Using an Academic Partnership Approach focused on how an adapted needs assessment guided by the Exploration-Preparation-Implementation-Sustainment (EPIS) framework has been integral to improving Family Planning service delivery in the region. The presentation showcased how the adapted Supply-Enabling Environment-Demand (SEED) Assessment helped to identify key strengths and critical areas for improvement within family planning programs. These findings have already led to impactful changes to family planning service delivery, including integrating cervical cancer screening into Family Planning services and piloting youth-friendly counseling workshops at Tamale Teaching Hospital in Tamale, Ghana.
While presenting and receiving feedback on AMPATH Ghana's Family Planning initiatives, the team learned about new strategies for scaling and sustaining healthcare interventions based on practical examples from around the world from other conference presenters.
“Learning from other researchers and practitioners about successful strategies in both local and international contexts deepened my understanding of how structured, evidence-based frameworks can lead to scalable and sustainable interventions,” says Kate. “Seeing how our work fits into the larger global conversation around implementation science was very rewarding.”
Developing future medical researchers in population health is central to AMPATH Ghana’s mission, and the team will be training additional medical students and other trainees throughout the year to participate in its research projects.
Kate reflects, “Personally, attending the D&I Conference was an opportunity for me to share the impact of a project that I have been passionate about, while also connecting with others who are similarly committed to improving healthcare equity and access…Reconnecting with Dr. Sasha Hernandez, a mentor who I have learned so much from, and learning about her ongoing implementation efforts was also inspiring and I hope to continue to learn more about evidence-based healthcare interventions and implementation science in both global and local contexts implementation science from her over the next few years.”
AMPATH Ghana will continue to disseminate findings from ongoing research projects at other global medical and scientific conference throughout the year as we pursue opportunities for potential new partnerships and future collaborative research in priority areas of climate change, chronic disease management, as well as women’s healthcare.