IGHS strives to fortify health infrastructures and refine policy landscapes to build resilient, equitable, and efficient health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Our multifaceted approach involves working with local and global partners to augment health care delivery, optimize health financing, improve workforce competence and availability, and enhance health information systems. We employ rigorous research, capacity-building efforts, and technical assistance to shape health policies, fortify institutional capacities, and implement scalable and sustainable health interventions. By addressing the systemic challenges and focusing on the structural determinants of health, IGHS is ushering transformative changes in health systems to ensure that quality health care is accessible and equitable for all, regardless of geographical and socio-economic boundaries. We support our partners by developing bespoke training to strengthen the workforce’s capacity and supporting research, innovation and quality improvement. We work with Ministries of Health to improve health information systems so that robust, high-quality data can drive policy and programming decisions.
Projects
The Advocacy, Financing, and Sustainability team works with national malaria programs, their partners, and donors to ensure the sustainability of the malaria response through policy, advocacy, and resource mobilization. The Malaria Elimination Initiative has developed a unique and specialized approach called the Sustainability Model, which comprises two complementary workstreams: Malaria Donor Transitions, which supports countries in their journey from donor-supported to fully country-financed and managed programs; and Malaria Budget Advocacy, aimed at strengthening domestic financing for malaria programs through national and sub-national leadership and advocacy.
Countries of activity
Cambodia, Namibia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Eswatini, Guyana, São Tomé and Príncipe, Thailand, Vietnam
Partners
The Global Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
IGHS Center
Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Contact
Vanessa Elias, MPH vanessa.elias@ucsf.edu
More information
Advocacy, Financing and Sustainability
Capacity strengthening is central to the Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI) approach. It includes strengthening the skills and competencies of national and subnational program staff to identify priority programmatic questions, increase the use of data for decision-making, and plan, implement, and monitor tailored intervention approaches to address priority questions and gaps in data. Recognizing that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to eliminating malaria, MEI and its network of partners provide tailored capacity strengthening to meet the specific needs of national malaria programs, which promote long-term sustainability and a supportive policy environment.
Countries of activity
Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Guinea, Lao PDR, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar
Partners
Elimination 8, PMI Evolve, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Ministries of Health in all listed countries
Funder
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, President’s Malaria Initiative
IGHS Center
Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Contact
Jennifer Smith, PhD jennifer.smith@ucsf.edu
Andres Aranda-Diaz, PhD andres.arandadiaz@ucsf.edu
Edward Thomsen, PhD edward.thomsen@ucsf.edu
The CREST Initiative aims to be a beacon of interdisciplinary research, education and outreach in pioneering initiatives that harness technology to fortify societies against present and future adversities, such as pandemics and human-caused disasters.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs) Connection, Resilient Collective
Funders
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, UCSF Resource Allocation Program
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Mohsen Malekinejad, MD, DrPH mmalekinejad@ucsf.edu
More information
Collective for Resilient Societies and Technology (CREST) Initiative
Developing a pipeline for a robust data science workforce is critical in this era of artificial intelligence. IGHS supports data science training for young women in Kenya.
Partners
University of Nairobi, Infectious Diseases Institute in Uganda
IGHS Centers
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
Contact
Susie Welty, MPH susie.welty@ucsf.edu
More information
IGHS partners with University of Nairobi to train underserved girls and young women in data science
Accurate diagnosis of malaria is critical for appropriate patient management and population-level surveillance. While standard diagnostics such as microscopy and rapid diagnostic testing (RDTs) are generally considered to have reliable accuracy, the changing epidemiology of malaria in low-transmission settings presents new challenges. Specifically, a higher proportion of infections in these settings is below the reliable detection limit of RDTs and microscopy. The Malaria Elimination Initiative uses research to assess the effectiveness of existing diagnostics in low transmission settings and the factors that influence the accuracy of these tests when used for passive and active case detection for surveillance.
Countries of activity
Tanzania, Peru
Partners
Ifakara Health Institute, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Stanford University, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, PATH
Funders
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
IGHS Center
Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Contact
Michelle Hsiang, MD michelle.hsiang@ucsf.edu
Sylvia Jebiwott, MPH sylvia.jebiwott@ucsf.edu
Sydney Fine, MPH sydney.fine@ucsf.edu
The UCSF Informatics Hub provides wide-reaching informatics solutions for numerous PEPFAR countries through the HISTAC project. Our large East African-based technical staff are developing and implementing streamlined open-source EMR functional packages (in OpenMRS) that can used for patient care, program monitoring, and donor reporting for HIV, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other diseases. They also provide Ministries of Health with technical advice on patient management systems (client registries) and national health data dictionaries.
Countries of activity
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia, Thailand, Botswana, Ethiopia, Cambodia
Partners
University of Nairobi, Makerere School of Public Health
Funder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
IGHS Center
Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
Contact
Michelle Moghadassi, MPH michelle.moghadassi@ucsf.edu
The Informatics Hub focuses on strengthening public health data pipelines. Over 50 staff members bring expertise in general software development and data collection tools, data integration, data warehouses, electronic medical records, dashboards, server management and security, system interoperability, and other emerging technologies and data use. Our approach promotes collaborative relationships with ministries of health, local partners, universities and international donors.
Countries of activity
United States, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Nigeria, the Caribbean, Egypt, Jordan, Paraguay, Thailand, Cambodia
IGHS Centers
Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
InformaticsHub@ucsf.edu
More information
Informatics Hub
The Malaria Elimination Toolkit was developed based on gaps identified by national malaria programs to strengthen and accelerate malaria control and elimination efforts at subnational and national levels. The toolkit aims to meet the needs of programs and partners through user-friendly manuals, guides and frameworks geared toward problem-solving. All tools are based on current evidence and align with global normative guidance.
Country of activity
worldwide
Funder
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
IGHS Center
Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Contact
Katie Giessler katie.giessler@ucsf.edu
More information
Toolkit
PROTECT is a five-year project to improve public health response to COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.
Countries of activity
Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Morocco, Egypt, Oman, Jordan
Partners
CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, CDC’s Division of Global Migration, CDC’s MENA Regional Office, CDC’s South America Regional Office, ministry of health officials
Funder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Susie Welty, MPH susie.welty@ucsf.edu
More information
PROTECT
The Test to Treat program review assesses USAID’s Paxlovid Test to Treat approach on individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 using oral antivirals in selected countries. Similarly, the Oxygen Ecosystems program review assesses the USAID’s investment to improve global access to medical oxygen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Countries of activity
Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Vietnam
Partners
USAID, Public Health Institute, ministries of health in selected countries, FHI 360, Jhpiego
Funder
USAID
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Alex Ernst, MPH alexandra.ernst@ucsf.edu
The SIQHIL consortium builds a country’s capacity to develop, validate and strengthen strategic information (SI) activities to guide prevention and treatment programs toward maximum impact. It adapts effective and proven innovations aligned with PEPFAR priorities into national health systems. SIQHIL has provided SI capacity development to ministries of health, multilateral organizations and implementing partners in 25 countries.
Countries of activity
current: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone, Tanzania; previous: Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Myanmar, Vietnam
Partners
UC Global Programs, CDC Atlanta, CDC Country Offices, ministries of health in each country
Funder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
IGHS Center
Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
Contact
Kelly Young kelly.young@ucsf.edu
Despite significant progress in the fight against malaria, 239,000 cases were reported in the Greater Mekong Subregion in 2019, with most cases reported in Cambodia. Multidrug-resistant malaria remains a threat to regional elimination goals and global health security, and mobile and migrant populations, including forest-goers and forest rangers, remain at the highest risk for malaria. Moreover, many malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in the region bite and rest outdoors, yet the availability of effective protection against outdoor-biting mosquitoes is severely limited. One vector control project, Project BITE, is assessing the entomological protective efficacy, as well as the acceptability, durability, and cost, of a curated forest pack of bite prevention tools compared to the standard of care among high-risk forest rangers and forest-going populations in Cambodia, following evaluations of the same tools through semi-field studies in Thailand. Ultimately, Project BITE aims to inform the scale-up of effective outdoor bite prevention tools across Cambodia, the Greater Mekong Subregion, and the Asia Pacific region to support near-term malaria elimination goals.
Countries of activity
Thailand, Cambodia
Partners
University of Notre Dame, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Thailand, Kasetsart University in Thailand, Cambodia’s National Center for Parasitology, Entomology, and Malaria Control
Funder
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Innovative Vector Control Consortium
IGHS Center
Center for Global Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Contact
Elodie Vajda elodie.vajda@ucsf.edu
More information
Project BITE