Partner Agencies Research Articles

Lessons Learnt from Interregional and Interagency Collaboration in Polio Outbreak Response in the Horn of Africa.

Following the outbreak of poliovirus in the countries in the Horn of Africa, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, in two WHO regions, an outbreak response involving the WHO Africa and WHO East and Mediterranean Regions and partner agencies like the UNICEF in East and Southern African was developed. This paper documents response to polio virus outbreak in the Horn of Africa and the lessons learnt for the interregional and inter-agency collaboration on the response. This collaboration led to speedy interruption of the outbreak and within a period of one year the total virus load of 217 in 2013 was brought down to mere six. This resulted from collaborative planning and implementation of activities to boost the hitherto low immunity in the countries andimprove surveillance among others. A number of lesson were generated from the process. Some of the lessons is critical role such collaboration plays in ensuring simultaneous immunity boosting, information and resources sharing, among other. Some challenges were equally encountered, chiefly in the appropriation of authorities. In conclusion, however, one is safe to note that the collaboration was very fruitful given the timely interruption of transmission.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Civil Registration of Births and Deaths and on Availability and Utility of Vital Events Data.

The complex and evolving picture of COVID-19-related mortality highlights the need for data to guide the response. Yet many countries are struggling to maintain their data systems, including the civil registration system, which is the foundation for detailed and continuously available mortality statistics. We conducted a search of country and development agency Web sites and partner and media reports describing disruptions to the civil registration of births and deaths associated with COVID-19 related restrictions.We found considerable intercountry variation and grouped countries according to the level of disruption to birth and particularly death registration. Only a minority of the 66 countries were able to maintain service continuity during the COVID-19 restrictions. In the majority, a combination of legal and operational challenges resulted in declines in birth and death registration. Few countries established business continuity plans or developed strategies to deal with the backlog when restrictions are lifted.Civil registration systems and the vital statistics they generate must be strengthened as essential services during health emergencies and as core components of the response to COVID-19.

Theory is Not Enough! Experiential and Project-Based Approaches to Teaching International Social Work.

In the increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, social work education requires a more global approach to graduating better-prepared practitioners. Teaching international social work only based on classroom and second-hand experiences do not expose students to the realities, opportunities, and challenges of work in the field. While there are longer-term volunteering or internship-based field immersion programs, shorter-term collaborations mixing in-class and field learning in international social work education are practiced less. Experiential and project-based courses provide students with opportunities to learn from practitioners, while also providing the reciprocal benefit of time, human, and academic resources of their institution to their partner agencies. This model of education provides aspiring practitioners skills in and models of international collaboration, reducing the risks that learning takes place only at the expense of host communities. The key takeaways of this approach from the experience of students in the course Social Work Practice with Displaced Persons are discussed in this paper. The course provides structured instruction and exposes students to experts in the field of humanitarian response through collaborative projects, field visits, and seminars with practitioners. The analysis of the qualitative data from students’ course reflections shed light on several broad themes on the value of experiential project-based education and the impact of field immersion on the development of essential skills necessary for social workers entering the field of humanitarian response and practice with displaced persons. A case for mainstreaming project-based learning in international social work education to better prepare informed, effective, and efficient practitioners and leaders is presented.

A Systematic Review of Professionals’ Views About Community Management Policies for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses

A contentious criminal justice policy issue in recent times has been community management policies for individuals convicted of sexual offenses. This systematic review attained professionals' views, areas of concern, and recommendations for community management policies. It went beyond the extant literature by exploring perceptions of heterogenous professional groups involved in the criminal justice system. Of the 25 studies, 12 were quantitative, nine qualitative, and four mixed methods, and included custodial and community correctional officers, probation officers, psychologists, police officers, prosecutors, lawmakers, and academics. Overall, professionals mostly supported the policies, but had less support for public registries and community notification. Four key issues associated with the policies were apparent: problems with actuarial risk assessment tools, difficulties accessing information with partner agencies, limited resources, and lack of education among the public. Within this, four recommendations were identified. These findings offer a valuable resource for researchers, along with government and policy professionals tasked with overseeing community management policies.

Does interest alignment between hotels and online travel agencies intensify review manipulations?

PurposeThis study examines whether a higher interest alignment between online travel agencies (OTAs; hosting platform) and hotels (business owners) will intensify review manipulation activities.Design/methodology/approachWith a panel data set collected from a Chinese online travel agency and a travel search engine, the authors develop a matching-based difference-indifference approach to examine the presence of partnership-intensified review manipulation.FindingsThe authors find that the ratings of agency's partner hotels (with a higher interest alignment) are abnormally higher than those of matched non-partner hotels (with a lower interest alignment), after they are benchmarked with their ratings on the search engine (without a partnership business model). Further, the analysis results indicate that this partnership-intensified manipulation deteriorates the hotel's sales performance because of damaged customer trust and satisfaction.Originality/valuePrevious studies implicitly assume that review manipulator is independent from the hosting platform. This is the first study examining the role of the hosting platform in review manipulations.

Characteristics of dermatology clinical trials 2007-2018: Insights from a systematic analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov

Characteristics of dermatology clinical trials 2007-2018: Insights from a systematic analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov

Geoscience Australia: Tasmanian Tiers survey and updated AusAEM-1 interpretation

With our key collaborative State Agency partners of Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, GA continues to acquire and process h...

82003 Network Evaluation of a Community-Campus Partnership: Applying a Systems Science Lens to Evaluating Collaboration and Translation

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Using network analysis and a systems science lens, UTMB’s Institute for Translational Sciences is able to quantify the evolution of REACH (its Community-Campus Partnership) as measured by the creation of new partnerships among member entities, promoting the translation and sharing of ideas and resources, and formalization of relationships among members. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: o Present how network analysis and systems science can inform evaluation of community-campus partnerships o Describe results from our experience with evaluating the REACH coalition o Summarize lessons-learned and likely improvements we are considering for our methodology METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In 2016, we administered a network survey to core members of the Research, Education, and Community Health (REACH) coalition. The survey captured attributes about each organization, including size, populations served, etc. The survey also captured data on the relationships among these organizations, including joint meeting attendance, joint event planning, shared tangible resources, shared information, and formal legal agreements between organizations. These data were analyzed using network analysis methods. The survey was again repeated in 2018, and comparisons were made to evaluate how the network structure had evolved from 2016 to 2018. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Joint meeting attendance was high in both 2016 and 2018; however, there was evidence of increased sharing of information and tangible resources in 2018. We also observed an increase in joint event planning among partnering agencies. Most strikingly, we observed that the number of formalized agreements (in the form of Memoranda of Understanding or more formalized contracts) between agencies more than doubled between 2016 and 2018. By measuring the evolution of our network of partners, we are able to document the evolution of a community-campus partnership over time. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Over the course of 2 years, the coalition signaled an increase in deeper collaborations beyond simply meeting together. The use of network analysis demonstrated utility and provided another dimension for evaluating the development of teams, partnerships, and coalitions.

Can Forest Managers Plan for Resilient Landscapes? Lessons from the United States National Forest Plan Revision Process.

The United States Forest Service, a federal agency entrusted with managing 78 M hectares of national forestlands under a broad multiple-use mandate, has seen recent shifts in policy direction emphasizing ecological restoration, consideration of climate change impacts, and a focus on managing for resilient landscapes. The process of revising the comprehensive plans guiding national forest management presents opportunities to reorient objectives, activities, and commitments toward these goals. Here we analyze case studies of three national forests that have completed the forest plan revision process since 2014: the Francis Marion National Forest in coastal South Carolina, the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona, and the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado. We analyze plan revision participants' perspectives on the opportunities and barriers to reorienting national forest management toward resilient landscapes and the broader political, social, and institutional factors that influence these dynamics. Key opportunities included better promoting resilient landscape objectives by revising fire management guidelines, incorporating scientific data and modeling from multiple agency and non-agency partners, and building opportunities for adaptive management via long-term trust networks. Major barriers included inconsistent higher-level support for resilience objectives, an emphasis on meeting narrow quantitative performance targets, and under-investments in monitoring.

Doing Work on the Land of Our Ancestors: Reserved Treaty Rights Lands Collaborations in the American Southwest

The intent of this article is to raise awareness about an underutilized funding mechanism that possesses the capacity to help tribal and federal land management agencies meet their goal of restoring fire-adapted ecosystems to historic conditions in the American Southwest. We attempt to achieve this through an exploration of the Reserved Treaty Rights Lands (RTRL) program and how it has been used to implement collaborative fuel management projects on National Forest lands. RTRL is a funding program administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that is designed to protect natural and cultural resources important to tribes on non-tribal lands that are at high risk from wildfire. Over the last year, our research team has studied the RTRL program in the Southwest by conducting in-depth, face-to-face interviews with tribal land managers as well as U.S. Forest Service tribal liaisons and other personnel who work with tribes. Our interviews revealed enthusiasm and support for RTRL but also concern about the fairness of the program as well as insufficient outreach efforts by the U.S. Forest Service. In response, we propose a policy alteration that (we contend) would incentivize the BIA to increase funding allocations to the RTRL program without losing the support of partnering agencies. The aim is to strengthen and expand shared stewardship efforts between tribes and federal land management agencies. We situate these implications against the backdrop of the Pacheco Canyon Prescribed Burn, an RTRL funded project that was instrumental in containing the Medio Fire that broke out in the Santa Fe National Forest in the summer of 2020.

The Influence of Rewards and Work Motivation on the Performance of Allianz Insurance Agents in an Islamic Economic Perspective

A B S T R A C TInsurance is critical need for the community to prepare for what happens inthe future such as critical illness, accidents, pension funds and death. Theinsurance company appreciates the contribution made by the agent by providingrewards, be it in the form of financial, non-financial as well as in the form of otherbenefits. Rewarding has a positive purpose, but the problem is that giving rewardshas the opposite effect. Agents who only focus on the rewards they can get andonly give importance to this allows agents to tend to focus on the result withoutpaying attention to the behaviour and processes in it. This study aims todetermine the effect of reward and work motivation on agent performance in theLampung branch of Allianz Life Indonesia insurance. This research is anobservational study where primary data is obtained from interviews andquestionnaires, and secondary data is obtained from documentation data. Thepopulation in this study were 30 insurance agents, with consecutive samplingtechnique—data obtained by using a questionnaire to 30 agents. Interviews wereconducted with the Head of Agency and Business partners. Based on the resultsof this study, that reward has a significant effect on the performance of theinsurance agent Allianz and work motivation has a significant effect on theperformance of the insurance agent Allianz. Based on the principles of shari'ah,the principle of ta'awun (help each other), that is, insurance participants helpeach other (ta'awun) by collecting a grant called tabarru'.

African American Breastfeeding Peer Support: All Moms Empowered to Nurse.

Background: Although breastfeeding is optimal infant nutrition, disparities in breastfeeding persist in the African American population. AMEN (Avondale Moms Empowered to Nurse) launched a Peer-to-Peer support group to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration in an under-resourced African American urban community with low breastfeeding rates. Materials and Methods: A Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)-guided project was developed in partnership with a neighborhood church. Using modified Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) peer counseling materials, Avondale neighborhood breastfeeding moms were trained and designated Breastfeeding Champions. Community organizations and partnering agencies helped recruit local mothers. Support groups included childcare, transportation, refreshments, and incentives, plus stipends for Champions. A mixed-methods approach captured participation, feeding intention and practices, and program evaluation using electronic data capture. After adding another neighborhood with low breastfeeding rates, AMEN was modified to "All Moms Empowered to Nurse." Additional Champion moms were trained as Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) Community Transformers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has met weekly by virtual platform. Results: Since May 2017, 67 AMEN support meetings have included 158 participants, with average attendance of 10 (range 5-19) per meeting. In addition to 8 Champions, 110 moms have attended, including 24% expecting mothers. Additional attendees include 13 family support persons, 23 guest speakers, and 12 from community outreach programs. Qualitative feedback from participants has been uniformly positive. Breastfeeding initiation rates have increased 12% in the initial neighborhood. Conclusions: Harnessing strength within the local community, Champion Breastfeeding Moms have successfully launched AMEN breastfeeding support groups in under-resourced African American urban neighborhoods, helping more mothers reach their breastfeeding goals.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an E-Mental Health Intervention for People Living in Lebanon: Protocol for Two Randomized Controlled Trials.

BackgroundThe lack of availability of evidence-based services for people exposed to adversity globally has led to the development of psychological interventions with features that will likely make them more scalable. The evidence for the efficacy of e-mental health from high-income countries is compelling, and the use of these interventions could be a way to increase the coverage of evidence-based psychological interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Step-by-Step is a brief (5-session) intervention proposed by the World Health Organization as an innovative approach to reducing the suffering and disability associated with depression.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a locally adapted version of Step-by-Step with Syrian nationals (trial 1) and Lebanese nationals and other populations residing in Lebanon (trial 2).MethodsThis Step-by-Step trial involves 2 parallel, two-armed, randomized controlled trials comparing the e-intervention Step-by-Step to enhanced care as usual in participants with depressive symptoms and impaired functioning. The randomized controlled trials are designed and powered to detect effectiveness in 2 populations: Syrians in Lebanon (n=568) and other people residing in Lebanon (n=568; Lebanese nationals and other populations resident in Lebanon). The primary outcomes are depressive symptomatology (measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and functioning (measured with the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale 2.0). Secondary outcomes include anxiety symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, personalized measures of psychosocial problems, subjective well-being, and economic effectiveness. Participants are mainly recruited through online advertising. Additional outreach methods will be used if required, for example through dissemination of information through partner agencies and organizations. They can access the intervention on a computer, tablet, and mobile phone through a hybrid app. Step-by-Step has 5 sessions, and users are guided by trained nonspecialist “e-helpers” providing phone-based or message-based support for around 15 minutes a week.ResultsThe trials were funded in 2018. The study protocol was last verified June 20, 2019 (WHO ERC.0002797) and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03720769). The trials started recruitment as of December 9, 2019, and all data collection was completed in December 2020.ConclusionsThe Step-by-Step trials will provide evidence about the effectiveness of an e-mental health intervention in Lebanon. If the intervention proves to be effective, this will inform future scale-up of this and similar interventions in Lebanon and in other settings across the world.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03720769; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03720769International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/21585

Use of Contraceptives among Adolescents: What Does Global Evidence Show and How Can Nepal Learn?

Adolescent pregnancy is a global health problem. Early pregnancies among adolescents have major health consequences for adolescent mothers and their babies. Contraceptives can prevent early pregnancy and its consequences. However, there is a low use of contraceptives among adolescents. Global evidence has shown which programmatic approaches are effective to increase the use of contraceptives among adolescents. This is not a systematic review. Desk review was done using Google Scholar and PubMed. Different policies, strategies, and reports published by agencies were also reviewed. There is a low use of contraceptives and high unmet need for family planning and high adolescent fertility rate. Various studies conducted in different parts of the world have shown that there are some programmatic approaches implemented which are effective to improve the contraceptives use among adolescents. We have categorized the findings into three parts; i) delivery of services ii) increasing demand for services, and iii) creating an enabling environment. The use of contraceptives is low among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries including Nepal. So, the current programmatic approaches should be reviewed and the evidence-based practices implemented to bring better results. Ministry of Health and Population and partner agencies in Nepal also need to review the current programmatic approaches and implement them based on the evidence-based practices to improve contraceptives use among adolescents.

Statutory policy analysis on access to Philippine quality basic education

The Philippine government continues to invest significant resources to improve quality and access to basic education. However, there are gaps in the educational system revealed by trends in the academic performance of Filipino school children as measured by the National Achievement Test (NAT) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the last few years. In this study, quality and access to basic education are explored vis-à-vis three Philippine statutory policies. The Weimer and Vining framework on policy analysis and the input-process-output (IPO) model were utilized through virtual focus group discussions with key stakeholders of basic education such as the Department of Education (DepEd), school officials, teachers, and partner agencies. The findings indicate gaps and problem statements in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of these policies.

INVITED ARTICLE FROM THE 2021 TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TEXAS DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST

Donna Shaver is the Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore and the Texas Coordinator of the U.S. Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society in 2018, the 2013 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Award for Agency Partner in 2014, the Corpus Christi Caller Times 2011 Newsmaker of the Year in 2012, and she was the ABC World News Tonight’s Person of the Week on July 29, 2005. She has studied Texas sea turtles since 1980 and is well known for her leadership role in the recovery of the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Her studies describing sea turtle migratory and foraging habitat use, as well as nesting and stranding trends, have led to increased protections for sea turtles in Texas and beyond. With over 400 scientific publications and presentations, Shaver is distinguished as one of the top sea turtle biologists in the USA and was named the 2021 Texas Distinguished Scientist at the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Science. Shaver oversees a variety of sea turtle research and conservation projects conducted in Texas, collaborates with other researchers in the USA and Mexico, and provides training and leadership to hundreds of biologists and volunteers working with sea turtles in Texas.

Interprofessional Education: A Model for Academic and Community Collaboration for Professional Education

Teamwork and collaboration across disciplines is becoming critically important as we meet the health and human service needs of people growing older and their families. The myriad of competencies, language and tasks specific to each discipline are not easily or intuitively mastered within discipline specific curricula. This presentation aims to provide a model that addresses the curricular needs for course preparation through inter-professional educational strategies. While the traditional IPE components are address, this model also integrates in the training process, education through the lens of the social determinants of health, community collaboration through health and human service networks, population health and public policy. This presentation will lay out the model and articulate specific educational strategies to address each of the dimensions of the model, to include the flip classroom, experiential activities, assessment and intervention tools, panel discussions with community and agency partners and epidemiologic/population health data. This model identifies a unique approach to teaching students and professionals about collaboration across disciplines for the benefits of addressing the needs of an older adult target group. This model also moves the process of teaching interprofessional collaboration and education beyond understanding values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, team care and communication.

An Implementation Evaluation of A Comprehensive Sex Education Program in a Rural Indiana County

Background and Objective: Rural teen pregnancy is a significant public health problem, yet there are no evidence-based prevention programs (EBPs) developed for rural communities. Little is known about the process of implementing and adapting EBPs for rural communities. An implementation science framework is a useful way to methodologically examine EBPs replicated in new contexts. Specifically, the Evaluation, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework was utilized for this project. The purpose of this study is to describe the challenges and sucesses in the implementation of EBPs in a rural community. 
 Project Methods: Youth RISE! is a federally funded, evidence based, community-wide sex education program implemented in Clinton County, Indiana. Qualitative interviews were conducted with key stakeholders involved in implementing the program (n=22). Participants fulfilled diverse roles such as school administrators, teachers, local program partners, and the grantor. These interviews, conducted in-person or via telephone in 2018 and via Zoom in 2020, were subsequently transcribed, coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Codes were developed from the EPIS implementation framework and an initial review of transcripts and field notes. 
 Results: Participants described the Youth RISE! Program as overwhelmingly successful. Qualitative analysis revealed three central themes of Community Readiness, Transparency, and Buy-In. Community readiness included timing, involvement of trusted community partners, and framing teen pregnancy as a public health issue rather than a values issue. Transparency included frequent communication between all parties, positive messaging, and a strong presence in the community. Buy-in included parent, teacher, and school administration support as well as maintaining equal partnerships between the community, school, and partner agencies. 
 Conclusion and Potential Impact: Contrary to popular beliefs, this rural community was willing to implement comprehensive sex education programs in its schools. This data may be used to inform future implementation of EBPs in rural communities.

Balancing Student Sex Education Needs with Community Preferences: A Qualitative Study in Rural Indiana

Background and Purpose: Rural youth experience high rates of teen pregnancy. Despite this increased health risk, little data exist on evidence-based sex education programs (EBPs) in rural communities. Using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework, we describe the challenges and community-derived solutions in implementing an EBP in rural Indiana schools, providing insight on rural EBP implementation. 
 
 Methods: As part of a larger federally funded implementation project, an abstinence focused EBP (Making a Difference! and Guiding Good Choices) was taught at middle schools located in twelve counties in rural southern and eastern Indiana. Three community agencies implemented the curriculum over three years. Afterwards, SH and CM conducted interviews of the agency partners (n=13) and of key school stakeholders (n=6). Interviews were conducted via Zoom, audio-recorded, transcribed, field notes written, and all data analyzed using thematic analysis. Codes were developed from the EPIS framework and included outer contexts of communities, inner contexts of schools, preparation activities, implementation, and potential sustainability. We asked participants to identify challenges and solutions. 
 
 Results: Challenges and solutions were mapped onto the EPIS framework. Outer context challenges included religion, conservative communities, outside agencies, and parenting beliefs. Inner context challenges included lack of teacher and administrator support. Preparational challenges included lack of communication with parents, lack of community outreach, and lack of parent education. Implementational challenges included teaching a 60-minute lesson in 45 minutes and classroom engagement of schoolteachers. Sustainment challenges included teacher discomfort with the topic. Community-derived solutions included building community trust before implementation, providing information to parents, inviting administrators to observe, offering a student question box, and training school staff to implement the program. 
 
 Conclusion and Potential Impact: Many challenges emerged during implementation because of perceived lack of preparation. Future implementation of EBPs in rural communities should focus more on aspects of exploration and preparation.

University-Based Adaptive Sport Camps as a Model for Engaging Injured Military Veterans in Community Development

As more veterans return home from active duty with injuries or retire with disabilities and seek to reintegrate into the community, adaptive sport programming is an important recreational opportunity. Specifically, improved quality of life, more fluid community reintegration, positive psychosocial outcomes, and overall improved health are all stated benefits of participation in adaptive sport programs for individuals with disabilities. This program engaged veterans or members of the armed forces with disabilities in a unique university-based adaptive soccer camp experience with three main goals in mind: (1) to expose the veterans to the adaptive soccer sports of CP/TBI soccer and blind soccer, (2) to provide U.S. Soccer grassroots coach certification, (3) and to identify talent for the U.S. Soccer Paralympic National Team. In addition to facilitating this experience for veterans, we evaluated the camp program based on three main research questions: (1) How do injured military veterans and professionals serving veterans with disabilities evaluate satisfaction in an importance by performance analysis? (2) To what extent is a university-based VA Adaptive Sport Camp a promising setting for learning soccer related skills? and (3) What do injured military veterans and professionals serving veterans with disabilities identify as barriers to participation? Evaluation findings indicated that veterans wanted more information about coaching, the students, and additional community opportunities and were not concerned about the accommodations or food choices at camp, further highlighting the importance of the adaptive sport nature of the program itself. Veterans identified several camp elements that worked well in a university-based setting such as student interaction, scheduling, and balance between being a participant and learning coaching skills and would encourage other colleagues to attend in the future. Finally, participants identified perceived barriers to future participation were based largely on travel distance and costs. Subsequently, the programmers have sought to provide more programs around the country with partner agencies and in so doing, reduce travel time and costs. Overall, this programming model has significant promise for growth and has already provided results consistent with positive community reintegration and increased veteran participation in soccer-related activities, which can pave the pathway for more in-depth program analysis.