Making evidence accessible and usable: meaningful engagement of communities, programs, and policymakers in HIV implementation science

17 July 2019

 

To ensure study findings meaningfully inform HIV policies and programs, researchers must foster ongoing and systematic engagement of communities, programs, and policymakers throughout the research process. This satellite will engage HIV researchers and stakeholders in learning why and how to promote stronger collaborations to enhance research utilization. During this session, we will describe the research utilization approach developed and used by Project SOAR (Supporting Operational AIDS Research), a six-year, USAID-supported initiative implementing more than 60 IS activities in over 20 countries. By presenting case studies from SOAR and the Population Council’s DREAMS implementation science research, we will present examples of successful engagement of decision-makers in the research-to-use process. Lastly, a panel of researchers and decision-makers will discuss challenges and opportunities for institutionalizing research utilization to answer key priority questions in HIV programming and policies.

 

Session chairs:

Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Population Council

Sam Kalibala, Project SOAR, Palladium

 

14:45 to 14:50 Welcome Isabel Vieitez Martínez
14:50 to 15:00 Overview
Project SOAR overview Eileen Yam, Population Council/Project SOAR
SOAR research utilization framework Sam Kalibala, Palladium/Project SOAR
15:00 to 16:10 Different types of data to inform action:
Case studies from Project SOAR and DREAMS
Assessing “treat all” guidelines in Namibia Lung Vu, Population Council
Testing community ART for female sex workers in Tanzania Albert Komba, Jhpiego
PrEP for AGYW: how research bolstered PrEP roll-out in Tanzania Sanyukta Mathur, Population Council
Using mathematical modeling to inform VMMC policy Michel Tchuenche, Avenir Health
  Moderated Q&A Isabel Vieitez Martínez
16:10 to 16:40 Moderated panel Sam Kalibala
Local stakeholder involvement: who will be the “champions” that lead results into programs and Practice, and how do we find them?

 

Panelists:

Albert Komba, Jhpiego/Tanzania

Ndapewa Hamunime, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia

Hugo López-Gatel Ramírez, Ministry of Health, Mexico

Stella Kentutsi, National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAPHOPHANU), Uganda

Ravipa Vannakit, USAID/Thailand

16:40 to 16:45 Closing Isabel Vieitez Martínez