Operations Research Trainings
Operations Research is a type of health systems research that uses statistics and modeling methods to find solutions to complex problems. First coined and developed by the military and industry, operations research is increasingly used to identify optimal ways of addressing health system challenges.
One of the main goals of our health system research program is to build the capacity of ministries of health to better understand their health systems and make improvements. To support that, we develop and conduct operations research trainings designed to teach participants about the principles and methods of operations research, and help them identify and plan potential operations research projects.
Here are some examples of our trainings:
Côte d'Ivoire: 2009 and 2010
Working in collaboration with our partners in the Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute of Côte d'Ivoire (INSP), the University of Washington, and I-TECH, we helped to coordinate the first Operations Research Workshop in Abidjan. Participants included Ministry of Health department heads, representatives from the University of Abidjan, district directors, and other program partners. Over a period of three days, participants learned about the principal models and methods of operations research and some practical applications of operations research studies and outcomes. Through intensive group work, participants also identified and created work plans for operations research projects in the context of Côte d'Ivoire and according to the Ministry of Health's priorities.
We continue to work with the INSP to follow up on the projects, including one study to improve health site utilization rates and another to reduce loss-to-follow-up of PMTCT patients. This project is funded by CDC/PEPFAR.
Mozambique: ongoing
We do two types of Operations Research trainings in Mozambique. One is a two-week course (nights only) given on a yearly basis within the masters in public health degree program at University of Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo. It is co-taught with UEM faculty. The students are UEM masters students, generally a mixture of government and NGO health workers, usually all Mozambican.
The second type of training is a joint training by HAI, the University of Washington and the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), which we have conducted upcountry in Beira in 2007 with more planned in the future. This training includes provincial, district, and facility-level government health workers, as well as others from NGOs and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.