shape
shape
Home
>
Activities
>
TIPH Global Grants

TIPH GLOBAL – COHORT 2

TIPH Global projects promote awareness of public health issues, education, and career opportunities worldwide, with a specific emphasis on local communities. The second cohort of TIPH Global awarded grants to 12 academic public health institutions from 10 countries. The projects were diverse and timely, focusing on issues including human illness – cancer, malnutrition, infectious disease, and antimicrobial resistance – societal challenges such as tobacco use among youth, civil conflict and migration, and climate change, as well as topics relevant to the development of public health as a field, like career guidance, public health competencies, capacity-building, and enhancing trust in the field and its experts. Using a range of innovative and engaging techniques, including social media, cinema, workshops, panel discussions, student competitions, and more, the grantees worked to educate, train, and empower their communities. You can now access the three Final Showcase webinar recordings on our event page, where you can watch presentations from our grantees on their work this year and the wide-spread impacts they have had in communities around the world.

Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), University of Granada (UGR)

Bridging a gap for action on antimicrobial resistance: Raising awareness and educating on antimicrobial resistance in a local health care setting
Student Ambassador: José Antonio Marín RodríguezEmpty heading
The “Proyecto Multirresistencias” initiative led by master students at the Andalusian School of Public Health aims to tackle the global threat of growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through building an educational intervention. To achieve this purpose, an innovative Open Virtual Platform will be created targeting more than 200 first-year medical residents in the two main hospitals of Granada, Spain, as well as the patients assisting those centers. The project will provide a unique educational experience to key actors at a local level and empower the health service users via effective communication strategies concerning AMR.
 
Final Report

The “Proyecto Multirresistencias” has been arduously working to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through methodological research and the development of an educational platform. Initially, the project aimed to create an operational plan approved by the ethics committee and school authorities. Collaborating with over 20 health professionals and AMR experts, we ensured the educational tool’s accuracy. During the development phase, we engaged more than 500 individuals through conferences and face-to-face activities, spreading knowledge, and reached over 7,000 accounts via social media. Efforts then focused on platform development based on collected evidence, with the help of web development experts. Currently undergoing validation, the platform is set to launch by the end of June, targeting hospitals to enhance public health awareness and combat AMR among health professionals.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
EASP_Logo_consejeria_salud_consumo copy

Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Escuela de Salud Pública de México, Dirección de Investigación en Enfermedades Cardiovasculares Diabetes Mellitus y Cáncer

 
Shortening diagnosis and treatment intervals for breast cancer patients: Strategy, put yourself in my shoes.
Student Ambassador: Marisol Cabrera López

Women in low-resource settings continue to face significant obstacles to receiving timely, effective, and high-quality breast cancer care. Patient navigation is a strategy that has been widely used to shorten care times successfully in the United States since 1990. The aim of this study is to map the steps from when a woman arrives at the Siglo XXI Oncology Hospital with a possible breast cancer diagnosis until she receives the histopathological diagnosis and starts treatment according to the clinical stage and to propose and implement a patient navigation strategy to facilitate patient flow within optimally defined timelines.

Final Report
Women in low- and middle-income settings often encounter formidable obstacles to accessing timely and quality breast cancer care. Provider delay, inherent within the healthcare system, manifests in appointment acquisition, diagnostic test scheduling, definitive diagnosis receipt, and treatment initiation and completion. This quasi-experimental study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient navigator intervention for breast cancer patients, streamlining their journey, reducing diagnostic confirmation periods, and enhancing treatment commencement and adherence upon admission to Oncology Hospital Siglo XXI. In collaboration with attending physicians, patient-navigators will guide participants throughout their hospitalization. The study will measure the duration from screening mammography or initial suspicious symptoms to histopathological diagnosis confirmation and from diagnosis confirmation to treatment commencement. Additionally, treatment adherence will be assessed.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
INSP logo

Medical University of Gdansk, Poland – Faculty of Health Sciences – Department of Public Health and Social Medicine

 
Everyday life in the face of war – as a current public health hazard
Student Ambassador: Paulina Dera

Our main goal is to raise the awareness about widely understood migration problem in the context of public health and enhance the visibility and understanding of this issue in Poland and other countries. The expected outcomes will be as follows: (1) Increased awareness about migration problems and hardships of everyday life of immigrants among society. (2) Better understanding of immigrants and their points of view. (3) Expanding cooperation in its Polish, European and global dimension, in the area of raising still-important public health migration issue, also spreading the message about it and sharing stories and good practices.

Final Report
Activities related to our project allowed us to reach many different audiences. Due to our activity on social media, local initiatives, or in high schools, our project tried to be interdisciplinary, just like “public health”. Thanks to our actions, we managed to reach several communities and hope we served to increase awareness, especially about mental health in the context of war. We expanded our activities by getting involved in other projects implemented at our university – including: “Improving Migrants’ access to information on vaccines in the TriCity” and in the “Gdansk Health Days” conference. We hope that our topic and, ultimately, our project showed at least a little about the real problems related to everyday life in the face of war.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
thumbnail_logo medical univeristy of gdansk2 png copy

Makerere University School of Public Health

 
Raising awareness and building resilience to floods and landslides in the Elgon region in Uganda
Student Ambassador: Filimin Niyongabo

The project seeks to raise awareness among student communities on the public health issues related to climate change and how to respond during flash floods and landslides in Mbale district. We will conduct a stakeholder engagement workshop and health education events targeting learners and students in five primary and five secondary schools in Mbale city. We will also engage students in innovation competitions, tree planting in schools and communities, social media campaigns, and the development and distribution of Information, Education, and Communication materials. Among university students, we will hold training workshops on climate change. All activities will be appropriately evaluated.

Final Report
The project sought to raise awareness among student communities on the public health issues related to climate change and how to respond during flash floods and landslides in Mbale district. We conducted stakeholder engagement meetings with local authorities and 30 schoolteachers and environmental health education events reaching 2200 learners in two primary and three secondary schools. Out of 350 climate change innovation essay writing entries received, the 10 best were recognized and awarded. Climate Change seminars were held at the School of Hygiene Mbale and among Makerere University students. Pre and post assessment surveys showed improved knowledge on climate change, response to floods and landslides, as well as roles of environmental health professionals, hence, fostering resilience in their communities. Teachers and their learners have been involved in supporting environmental education as well as receiving career guidance in Environmental Health. Environmental health students also received mentorship during the project implementation.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
Makerere_logo

Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

 
Public health careers
Student Ambassador: Shivangi Shah

Many public health students experience career uncertainty. This seems to be driven, in part, by a lack of awareness about the career options available to them. The public health careers project aims to address this through the development of a set of evidence-based public health career personas – designed to represent the most common career pathways. These will be brought to life by a public health careers podcast, where we take a deep dive into public health careers through a series of interviews with public health professionals.

Final Report
We have recorded and are currently editing a series of podcast episodes called ‘Public Health Insiders’. The episodes all feature a diverse range of guests who have worked in public health. To go with these, we have created a series of evidence-based public health career personas to represent the following public health careers: health promotion officer, public health researcher, communications officer, public health officer, and public health educator. The podcast episodes and accompanying digital resources will be disseminated over the coming months via Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and to Monash University students in ‘career skills for health professionals’.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
Monash_Black_RGB

SD Gupta School of Public Health, IIHMR University

 
EN-SURE HEALTH
Student Ambassador: Dr. Yeshwanth Sonnathi

The ongoing pandemic has demonstrated that there is a dire need to strengthen capacity, competencies, and knowledge in some of the areas of public health such as politics of public health, community engagement in building trust, Science and arts of implementing public health program and promoting implementation research. IIHMR are proposing to produce Podcast by the name of EN-SURE HEALTH to discuss thought provoking health topics, innovative and inspiring research that contributes toward achieving universal health coverage from LMIC. The goal is to bring the latest evidence, research and experience in public health through experts’ call. Evidence and experts can help general people and public health Professionals and students understand the latest research, podcast will be available on the IIHMR website.

Final Report
EN-SURE HEALTH Podcast is produced by SD Gupta School of Public Health, IIHMR University, Jaipur, India. In light of the ongoing pandemic, it has become abundantly clear that strengthening our capacity, competency and knowledge in the area of public health is paramount; the podcast served as a platform for thought-proving discussion on health topics such as Public Health 3.0, Insights and innovations in implementation research, digital health dialogues, transgender health, mental health, innovations in emergency response system and also featuring novel and inspiring research contributing to achieving universal health coverage in LMIC. We have produced eight podcasts on varying themes featuring a range of leaders and experts in the field and with engagement by our Global Student Ambassador and volunteers. EN-SURE HEALTH Podcast has reached 23 countries from India to the United States, Western Europe to Southeast Asia, and numerous countries across the African continent. Promotional material about the podcast is widely circulated on social media sites like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, with more than 10,000 impressions; creatives, videos and Audio have reached more than 1000 people; and there have been over 4000 active Spotify expressions.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
IIHMR Logo HD

The University of Western Australia (UWA), School of Population and Global Health (SPGH)

 
Increasing awareness of public health issues in low- and middle-income countries
Student Ambassador: Neave Isabella Garland

This project will complement existing public health field trips to Nepal and Fiji at UWA’s SPGH. The TIPH components of the fieldtrips will involve students working with our local collaborators to identify public health issues, consider their determinants and develop potential intervention strategies. Specifically, students will undertake a comprehensive literature search, observational audits and interviews to identify public health issues in villages in Nepal and Fiji, beyond those already addressed by our collaborators. They will then create TIPH videos and photo-essays to describe these health issues and their determinants and develop health promotion intervention materials to address these health issues.

Final Report
During our field trips to Nepal and Fiji we worked with our NGO collaborators on a range of public health issues. In Nepal, UWA students worked with students from LA GRANDEE International College, and colleagues at Kanchan Nepal, to evaluate public health initiatives relating to WASH in rural villages around Pokhara and undertook a needs assessment of emergency rooms in Pokhara schools. The TIPH component allowed us to extend our fieldtrip, visit additional villages and undertake the needs assessment. In Fiji, our students worked in villages to address health issues of importance. The TIPH component allowed students to address a broader range of health issues, beyond those normally targeted by our collaborator FRIEND. In both countries, students created TIPH videos, showcasing public health and its determinants. These videos have been circulated widely via social media, and the student reports were provided to our collaborators to inform planning and support funding proposals.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
UWA_FORMAL_LANDSCAPE_CMYK

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Center – School of Public Health and Health Management

 
Public Health Cinema – PHC
Student Ambassador: Aleksandar Stevanović

The Belgrade School of Public Health and Health Management leads the Public Health Cinema project (PHC). The project organizes open-air movie screenings followed by expert panel discussions to address youth health concerns. These events also serve as an avenue for sharing health promotion materials and connecting young people with public health institutions and their resources. Our goal is to provide high-quality health information on common youth health topics using a less formal approach that engages with the community. Thoughtfully selected movies focus on mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and healthy lifestyles.

Final Report
The Public Health Cinema project (PHC) is led by The Belgrade School of Public Health and Health Management. The project features movie screenings and expert panel discussions aimed at addressing youth health concerns with a particular focus on mental health and wellbeing. These events are an excellent opportunity for health promotion activities and to connect young people with public health institutions and their resources. The main objective of the project is to provide high-quality health information on common youth health topics in a less formal approach that directly engages young people and fosters a friendly and supportive environment. The Public Health Cinema project continues to grow and involves relevant stakeholders in the field of education and public health to expand and reach the most vulnerable communities in the future. Using selected audio-visual content, particularly movies, we aim to communicate the message of health and well-being.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
Belgrade logo

University College Dublin, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science

 
Towards harmonising education in Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology in master-level public health programmes in Ireland: Value of an ECDC Self-Assessment Tool
Student Ambassador: Karl F. Conyard

This project addresses education in applied infectious disease epidemiology (AIDE) in masters-level public health programmes in Ireland. The aim of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in updating core competencies in AIDE (2022) was to harmonise expertise across centres to create more effective preventive and control measures for future outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases. A self-assessment tool developed by ECDC based on the updated competency framework will be utilised to establish current competencies of master-level public health graduates, establish what could be improved upon and how programmes might share specific expertise for the benefit of all.

Final Report
This study profiles education in taught master-level public health programmes using a Self-Assessment Tool (S-AT) for applied infectious disease epidemiology developed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The S-AT examined proficiency levels in 91 competencies organized into three subject areas developed by an international scientific committee in conjunction with ECDC to capture important developments in diagnostic methods, transmission dynamics, genomic analysis, disease modelling and vaccinology (ECDC, 2022). For this study the S-AT was redesigned with flexibility to capture proficiency levels anonymously for all competencies individually, rather than by domain only. The value of this exercise is in identifying areas in which programmes perform well, and areas for which curricular content may need to be developed or enhanced. It also provides an opportunity to share good practice across schools and to impact favourably on harmonizing education in this important aspect of public health.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
UCD Logo

University of Kabianga, School of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health

 
Promoting the uptake of public health course through integration with implementation of the school health program towards disease prevention in Secondary schools in Kenya
Student Ambassador: Indiana Mibei

School health projects are implemented in Kenya under the strict adherence to the school health policy as schools provide an organized structure that is conducive for the provision of health &nutrition services. Gaps on implementation of the school health program will be identified and design any strategies to improve its implementation as we raise awareness on public health course through the teachers, parents and learners. We will establish sustainability measures and further advocacy of public health education through the basic education institutions. Increased recruitment to the public health course should be realized at undergraduate and master’s level as the end goal.

Final Report
School health projects are implemented in Kenya under the strict adherence to the school health policy as schools provide an organized structure that is conducive for the provision of health, nutrition services as well as a key avenue for disease prevention and control whose health-related objectives are access to health and nutritional services, access to water, sanitation and hygiene and safety in schools. It is an efficient and effective channel to reach many people for introducing health promotion practices through behavior change communication (BCC). This approach covers both communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as neglected diseases. COVID-19 is also prevented in school. The structure, role and implementation of the public health education course in higher education will be highlighted better during implementation of this program. It is coincidentally incorporated in the school health policy which will lead to better incorporation of the public health curriculum. This project has improved the school health program implementation as well as public health course awareness.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
Kabianga_logo

University of Wollongong, School of Health and Society

 
Say No to E-cigarettes-Vape free Campus
Student Ambassador: Emma Lavilles

In 2016, the University of Wollongong, Australia, ran a successful intervention – ‘Smoke Free Campus’, that saw a reduction in smoking on campus. As e-cigarette use is now increasing in Australia it is more relevant to focusing on reducing the incidence of vaping on campus. The primary activities of this program focus on the use of social media messaging, peer advocacy and policy enforcement to deter people from using e-cigarettes on campus. We will measure the reach and effectiveness of program elements via interviews, surveys, network analysis and social media metrics. This program has potential to be adapted by other universities.

Final Report
This project was carried out on a university campus in Australia with approximately 23,000 students. The aim of the project was to deter e-cigarette use on campus. This project is ongoing. The primary activities of this program focus on the use of social media messaging, peer advocacy and policy enforcement to deter e-cigarette use. We will measure the reach and effectiveness of program elements via interviews, surveys, network analysis and social media metrics. An initial survey of students indicated that 25.4% have used e-cigarettes in the past month. Of this group 47% intend to quit. In partnership with students, social media content has been co-designed and tested during a qualitative phase. Students are most interested in messages about the impacts of e-cigarettes on the environment and mental health and are motivated by messages that express antitobacco industry sentiment. The reach and effectiveness of the campaign will be assessed by November 2024.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS
UOW logo

Vanderbilt University/Institute for Global Health/Institute for Medicine and Public Health/Master of Public Health

 
Building Local Capacity in Rural Guatemala and Kenya to Engage Communities, Identify Barriers, and Increase Awareness of Public Health Issues
Student Ambassador: Tevin Mathew

This project aims to build local capacity in and expand awareness of public health in rural Guatemala and Kenya. We will train local community members to conduct focus groups to strengthen public health education regarding malnutrition and cervical cancer. We will collaborate with two Vanderbilt NGO partners (Primeros Pasos and Lwala Community Alliance) to explore a new strategy of engaging men in public health interventions. Barriers surrounding male involvement in these settings are under-researched. We’ll investigate how gender dynamics and socioeconomic factors influence men’s public health decisions, which may affect dietary practices and cervical cancer screening uptake in these countries.

Final Report
This project aimed to build local capacity and increase male engagement to investigate health challenges, enhance programmatic interventions, and expand public health awareness in rural Guatemala and Kenya. We selected two pressing local health challenges: malnutrition (Guatemala) and cervical cancer (Kenya). Barriers surrounding male engagement in these settings have not been extensively explored. We thus collaborated with two long-standing Vanderbilt NGO partners: Primeros Pasos (Guatemala) and Lwala Community Alliance (Kenya). We obtained local ethical approval in both countries, which required creating a local ethics committee for Primeros Pasos. We then trained local community members to conduct focus groups or in-depth interviews. Our on-site teams have begun to recruit male participants, who have demonstrated interest in exploring barriers to malnutrition and cervical cancer alleviation. The data collected will be analyzed and disseminated to inform targeted health education strategies at Primeros Pasos and Lwala Community Alliance.

SHOWCASE MATERIALS