Recent News

Despite numerous campaigns promoting voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) even in remote areas of Nigeria, encouraging women in the country to get tested is a challenge. Many women cannot leave their workplaces to access services and fear being stigmatized if they test positive. That’s why URC’s HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Care Initiative (HACCI) project partnered with Women for Women International to better reach women living in rural Nigerian communities.

A newly released film highlights the efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve the lives of the more than 2.5 million Kenyan children orphaned or made extremely vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. The organizations, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), are using quality improvement methods that the USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) adapted for low-income settings. HCI is managed by University Research Co., LLC (URC).

Ms. Annie Clark, URC’s Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH), recently visited Afghanistan to conduct a training-of-trainers session with targeted hospital personnel. The training focused on essential newborn care, active management of the third stage of labor, and newborn resuscitation using the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) methodology.

Dr. Stephen Kinoti, Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for the USAID Health Care Improvement Project and Senior Research Advisor for the Translating Research into Action (TRAction) Project, recently presented the keynote address at the 54^th Annual East, Central, and Southern African (ECSA) Health Ministers’ Conference in Mombasa, Kenya.

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) recently selected Dr. Aziz O. Abdallah, Chief of Party (COP) for the USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) in Namibia, as a 2012 International Ambassador.

The URC-led TB CARE II Project recently launched the Fellowship Training Program (FTP), which is aimed at training health care professionals who encounter multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). FTP provides in-depth clinical and programmatic knowledge in MDR-TB prevention, treatment, and control. Through this program, TB CARE II hopes to create a cadre of MDR-TB professionals who will contribute to the scale-up of drug-resistant TB programs worldwide.

The USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) is holding a contest for the best stories about improvements made in a local setting by health care providers and implementers in USAID-assisted countries. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to present his or her story as a poster at the Global Health Council conference to be held July 18–21, 2012, in Washington, DC.

Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence in the world; an estimated one in three women and one in five men are HIV positive. When Swaziland’s national HIV testing and counseling program was established in 2002, the focus was only on providing voluntary testing and counseling, where individuals opt for these services voluntarily. However, by 2007, fewer than one in five people had ever taken an HIV test and received their results, and nearly 85% of Swazis did not know their HIV status.

An Australian TV station recently featured a story on maternal and neonatal mortality at Malalai Hospital, which has one of Kabul’s busiest maternity wards, with 25,000 deliveries per year.  URC’s USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) is working with Malalai Hospital to improve management of the leading birth complications for both mothers and babies, and improve monitoring and care after birth.

New findings from a focus group funded through URC’s Translating Research into Action (TRAction) Project shows that women in Uganda preferred improved, energy-efficient wood stoves to traditional cooking methods. The women said that new stoves produced less smoke, used less wood, and cooked foods faster.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Chief of Staff Margaret C. Sullivan visited USAID-funded activities in Tanzania’s Morogoro region in December. She met with local health care providers and staff of the USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI), managed by URC, and learned about their work in combating HIV/AIDS in the region.

On December 12^th, University Research Co., LLC (URC) and George Washington University’s Center for Global Health sponsored a roundtable discussion, “Informing Feed the Future: Integration Success,” at the Global Health Council. Attended by over 70 participants, the roundtable focused on health and HIV/AIDS programs that have successfully integrated nutrition, food, and agricultural interventions, making effective use of public and private partnerships.

New HIV/AIDS infections in the Philippines continue to rise, especially among a specific population: males who have sex with males (MSMs). To target this group, the US Agency for International Development supported an initiative focused on providing information using mobile phone short message service (SMS) technology. 

University Research Co., LLC is participating in a new consortium of researchers that has been awarded a contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The QED Group, LLC, will lead the consortium, which also includes Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and BroadReach Healthcare. The consortium will also be supported by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria awarded University Research Co., LLC (URC) a contract to conduct a short-term evaluation of the national tuberculosis (TB) program in Benin. The Global Fund helps support the program. URC will work with stakeholders in Benin to collect clinical, financial and other data and assess whether the Global Fund’s investments in TB are effectively reaching those who need it.

Dr. M. Rashad Massoud, Senior Vice President and Director of Quality & Performance Institute, attended a conference in Kuwait called Quality in Health Care: Achieving Quality in Health Care.  Held earlier this month, the conference was convened by Kuwait’s Minister of Health, H. E. Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer, and focused on the theme of “Achieving Quality in Health Care Services and Outcomes.”

URC's UADPEI designed a 15-second PSA about underage drinking prevention that is featured on the CBS Super Screen in Times Square once every hour.

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH), with assistance from URC’s Health Promotion and Communication Project (HealthPRO), successfully completed its first year of the Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan (LBK), or “Journey to a Healthy Lifestyle,” bus tour. The LBK bus travelled to ten different areas across the Philippines, reaching over 30,000 beneficiaries, mostly women and children in remote barangays (villages).

URC's Malaria Control in Cambodia (MCC) project was featured in the 2011 State of the World's Volunteerism Report, which focuses on supporting the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteerism worldwide. The report is published by the United Nations Volunteers program. 

University Research Co., LLC (URC) co-hosted a roundtable discussion, “Informing Feed the Future: Integration Success,” with George Washington University’s Center for Global Health on Monday, December 12, 2011, at the Global Health Council.

University Research Co., LLC (URC) through the TB CARE II Project is soliciting applications to support knowledge management and web portal management.

On this World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011, people around the world are promoting the “Getting to Zero” campaign – the goal backed by the United Nations to have zero new HIV infections and zero AIDS-related deaths. For those who work on the frontlines of HIV care, reaching this goal involves addressing a host of underlying factors at each level of a complex and multifaceted system. Just two of these factors are how we ensure that every patient who needs care gets it and how we evaluate the care provided.

Several members of the USAID Health Care Improvement (HCI) | Tanzania and Tibu Homa [Treat Fever] projects participated in the First National Quality Improvement Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in November 2011.  The forum’s theme was “Achieving Quality Health Services in Resource Constrained Settings: Experiences from Quality Improvement Initiatives and Lessons Learnt.”

The Cambodia Better Health Services (BHS) project have produced a new film and accompanying learning materials to train midwives in Cambodia in proper delivery practices and care. The film, called “A Safe Delivery,” covers topics such as preventing infection, good delivery and immediate post-delivery practices, communicating with mothers and families, and postpartum and newborn care.

URC had a significant presence at the 42^nd Union World Conference on Lung Health in Lille, France, on October 26–30, 2011. Thirty-six URC participants—representing Bangladesh, Botswana, Cambodia, Georgia, Indonesia, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Vietnam, and Bethesda headquarters—attended, with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Quality & Performance Institute (QPI), a division of University Research Co., LLC (URC), signed a collaborative agreement with the International Society for Quality in Health Care, Ltd (ISQua) during the latter’s 28th International Conference in Hong Kong, China. The agreement established an alliance between QPI and ISQua based on their shared goal of improving health care in developing countries.

With assistance from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Better Health Services (BHS) Project sent four Cambodians to the 6th annual OpenMRS (Open Medical Record System) Annual Implementer's Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, in mid-October. The session significantly advanced BHS efforts to strengthen a critical piece of Cambodia’s health system. Managed by URC and funded by USAID, BHS is building the capacity of public and private health service delivery systems; expanding models for health financing; improving the quality and impact of maternal, neonatal, and child health services; and strengthening the control of infectious diseases.

URC has received a five-year cooperative agreement from the US Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia to support and strengthen country and regional efforts for malaria control in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), an area in Southeast Asia that includes Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. The GMS Malaria project will be implemented with partners Save the Children and Kenan International Asia. 

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that the world’s population will reach 7 billion today. To commemorate this landmark event, UNFPA have designated October 31, 2011, as the Day of 7 Billion to raise awareness around key population issues and the opportunities and challenges in a world populated by seven billion people. One of these challenges is to ensure that women and men have the ability to make informed decisions about the number and spacing of their children so that no child is born unwanted. University Research Co., LLC (URC) is committed to meeting this challenge through implementation of high-quality family planning programs. 

The Center for Human Services (CHS), URC’s non-profit affiliate, held an open house on Tuesday, October 18th to debut its new office in Vineland, New Jersey. Representatives from several community, government, and private-sector organizations attended the event, which garnered media attention.

URC and its non-profit affiliate, the Center for Human Services (CHS), will present on approaches to improving the quality of care in domestic and international health systems this week during the American Public Health Association (APHA) meeting in Washington, DC.

URC’s recently completed NuLife – Food and Nutrition Interventions for Uganda project helped create lasting solutions to integrate nutrition care into the treatment of those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS, pregnant or lactating women, and orphans and vulnerable children.

A new article in the American Journal of Public Health highlights the success of Cambodia’s village malaria workers program, a network of health workers focused on preventing, diagnosing and treating malaria in rural villages in Cambodia. The program, which is run by the National Malaria Control Program, is supported by the Malaria Control in Cambodia (MCC) Project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by University Research Co., LLC (URC) with Partners for Development (PfD) and other NGOs involved in malaria control.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded University Research Co., LLC (URC) a new, five-year cooperative agreement to support the national tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB program in Georgia.   The project will facilitate implementation of strategies to improve case detection and strengthen and expand treatment for TB. 

The Translating Research into Action (TRAction) Project, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), hosted a special event today to launch its support for research to tackle household air pollution. TRAction, managed by Bethesda-based University Research Co, LLC, is overseeing research to guide interventions to reduce pollution exposure.

Today, Cambodia’s Department of Planning and Health Information (DPHI) of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Better Health Services Project (BHS) officially launched the national Health Management Information System (HMIS) database: www.hiscambodia.org. The web-based database collects and stores health information from health facilities at all health system levels nationwide, facilitating effective public health programming and responsive health policies.

On a recent auditing assignment, URC’s Program Development Associate Maria Patrocollo-Emerson and Ms. Aida Olkkonen, Associate Director of the Program Support Team, brought along items you might expect them to need to perform audits and verify data: paper and pens to record entries, a list of questions, and a laptop. But there were other items, too: sunscreen, anti-malaria medication, and clothing appropriate for traveling by canoe.

This week, the United Nations is meeting to address the issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to the World Health Organization, NCDs are the number one killer worldwide, causing 60% of mortality each year. The four leading causes of NCD mortality are cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions.  Due to their long duration and generally slow progression, NCDs and other conditions like HIV are referred to as "chronic diseases."

Several members of the USAID Health Care Improvement (HCI) Project, which is managed by URC, participated in the 28^thInternational Conference of the International Society for Quality in Health Care, Ltd. (ISQua) in Hong Kong, China.  HCI staff will also lead two pre-conference events. 

The USAID Better Health Services (BHS) project in close collaboration with the Cambodia University of Health Sciences and Ministry of Health held a regional workshop providing continuing medical education (CME) to over 150 health professionals from eight provinces in Cambodia from August 31 through September 2.  Participants included doctors, medical assistants, senior nurses, midwives, and lab staff.  There have been twelve regional workshops held so far. This workshop was the fifth that BHS has supported. 

A logistics management tool developed by URC’s Integrated Family Health Project, called PISAF for its French name, has helped improve how Benin’s health system manages its commodities. The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), which co-funds PISAF along with the US Agency for International Development, highlighted the tool in a recent article in the “Voices from the Field” series.

Assessing one’s own job performance is a complicated task for anyone. It involves evaluating oneself against a standard and spotting areas for improvement honestly and repeatedly. The stakes are even higher for healthcare workers – where consistently meeting standards of care saves lives

URC’s Better Health Services (BHS) project has helped to improve a patient referral system in Cambodia so that women with a complicated delivery get to a hospital and that midwives receive payment for their work.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) launched a National Strategy for Improving Quality in Health Care this week, with the goal of coordinating all health care quality efforts at the national level. This strategy was developed by the ministry’s Improving Quality in Health Care Unit with technical assistance from the USAID Health Care Improvement Project, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development and managed by University Research Co., LLC.

A new study from the USAID Health Care Improvement Project shows that a quality improvement method widely used in the US called collaborative improvement is also effective in low- and middle-income countries.

Health care professionals in the Russian Federation have traditionally had limited access to evidence-based practices due to lack of internet access, few Russian translations, and difficulty obtaining translated material.  The USAID Health Care Improvement Project in Russia is helping to fill this gap through www.healthquality.ru, a Russian-language web portal.

Stella Mwita from URC’s Health Care Improvement Project in Tanzania was accepted as a finalist for the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development, a development partnership which seeks to fund proposals that provide innovative approaches to protecting the lives of mothers and newborns in rural, low-resource settings.

URC’s Health Care Improvement (HCI) Project presented a new computer-based training program at the 7th National Symposium of Indonesia Antimicrobial Resistance Watch (IARW) held July 1-3, 2011, in Jakarta. The program, developed in collaboration with the Indonesian Medical Association, teaches health practitioners how to manage patients with tuberculosis (TB), a highly contagious disease that can be difficult to treat.

This week, the United Nations Population Fund is urging organizations to mark World Population Day, which raises awareness about the needs of our growing global population.  Later this year, the world population is projected to reach seven billion.

Since 1980, University Research Co., LLC (URC) has supported countries in developing successful and sustainable family planning programs and helped make gains in reproductive health, one of our six areas of expertise. URC’s projects in Cambodia and Guatemala provide examples of our ongoing efforts to support healthy populations.

P. Annie Clark, URC’s Senior Quality Improvement Advisor for Maternal and Child Health, demonstrated Laerdal’s Neonatalie, a newborn resuscitation model, and Mamanatalie, a childbirth simulation model at the 29^th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives held in Duban, South Africa from June 19-23, 2011.

US Senators Christopher Coons (Democrat, Delaware) and Johnny Isakson (Republican, Georgia) visited the HOMEL Pediatrics Hospital in Cotonou, Benin on Saturday, June 5. They visited URC’s USAID-funded Integrated Family Health Project, a program that has been developing low-cost innovations to save lives of children with severe malaria. 

“It feels good under the treated net,” sang Nana Boro, Ghanaian music icon, to an audience of celebrities, diplomats, and malaria control experts at Citizen Kofi, a popular entertainment venue in Accra, the capital city. The June 15 event marked the launch of a multi-media campaign promoting malaria prevention interventions as “life style products.”

Disrespectful and Abusive Treatment of Women During Childbirth, an article by URC staff members Sarah Whitmarsh and Maura Gaughan, was recently published in the online Global Health Magazine. The article describes the long-neglected abuse and disrespect many women face while receiving childbirth care in both developing and developed countries.  URC’s USAID-funded Translating Research into Action (TRAction) Project aims to understand and document the extent of the problem and ways to reduce the abuse through grants to research organizations.

URC’s Better Health Services (BHS) project, which works with the Cambodian Ministry of Health to increase demand for and equitable access to quality health services, provided support to the Cambodian delegation to the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on Health Information Systems (HIS). Health Information Systems are the mechanism for collecting and disseminating health data from health facilities around the country and are critical for monitoring health services and health indicators and for strategic planning and decision-making.

As part of a national campaign to improve infection control and strengthen patient safety, Cambodia organized the first National Hand Hygiene Day on June 16, 2011.  The day focused on the importance of hand hygiene in medical care.  Hand washing is frequently a low priority for health providers, but can significantly lower the rates of hospital-acquired infections.  

On June 16, 1971, thousands of South African school children protested the inferiority of their education and the right to be taught in their native languages, and many were killed or injured for speaking out. Since then, advocates mark June 16^th, the Day of the African Child, by calling attention to the need to improve the lives of African children. This feature highlights one way URC works to address the needs of African children.

Primarily considered a problem of developed countries until recently, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality, with 80% of this mortality occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, NCDs are responsible for 60% of the world’s deaths, killing 36 million people annually.

Several URC staff presented the Global Health Council’s 38th Annual International Conference on Global Health in June 2011.  The theme of the conference was “Securing a Healthier Future in a Changing World” and sessions focused on the challenges of and innovative solutions to address the demographic changes that have shifted the global burden of disease.  It is the world’s largest global health conference not focused on a single disease or health area.

On Tuesday, June 14^th, a new website on community health workers (CHWs) was launched at a satellite reception during the 38th Annual International Conference on Global Health. The website, CHW Central (www.chwcentral.org), is an interactive platform that facilitates information- sharing and dialogue about how to support CHWs, who work in communities around the world providing health education and care.  

Dr. Edward Broughton, PhD, MPH, PT, Director of Research and Evaluation for URC’s Health Care Improvement (HCI) Project, led an interactive seminar, “What Cost-Effectiveness Really Means: Economic Analysis for Non-economists,” at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC on June 2^nd, 2011.

USAID’s Health Promotion and Communication Project (HealthPRO), which is implemented by URC, assisted the local Philippine government in creating a program for drivers of tricycles, a motorcycle with a sidecar (passenger-cabin) and a popular public transportation vehicle, to deliver basic health messages to community members.

Two URC staff members published an article, “Provider-Initiated Counseling and Testing (PICT): An Overview,” which outlines the rationale for PICT and provides an overview of the implementation protocol that will equip health care providers with the knowledge required to integrate HCT into routine medical care.  PICT is a key strategy to increase HIV testing and referrals to care, treatment, and prevention services in high burden settings. The authors included Nondumiso Makhunga-Ramfolo, the Project Director for the CDC Counseling and Testing Project in South Africa and URC Vice President Dr. Refiloe Matji, who now directs the TB CAREII project.

Stephen Okiror, a Clinical Officer employed by the Bukedea District Local Government in Eastern Uganda, submitted the winning entry in the “Best Improvement Report” contest convened by the USAID Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) during April 2011.   Mr. Okiror’s report, entitled “Improving Patients’ Retention in HIV Care through Adherence to Scheduled Appointments at Bukedea Health Centre IV, Eastern Uganda,” was selected from among 30 entries in the contest.

On March 10th, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, visited the Kulakov Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology in Moscow, one of URC’s project partners through the USAID Health Care Improvement (HCI) Project in Russia.

University Research Co., LLC (URC) recently implemented a new project titled Diagnosis and Management of Severe Febrile Illness, which focuses on reducing morbidity and mortality of children under five due to severe febrile illness (a type of sickness, such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea, which is characterized by a sudden onset of fever) in the Lake Zone of Tanzania.

Concurrent with Mother's Day, University Research Co., LLC (URC) awarded two research organizations $1.2 million for research on disrespectful and abusive care of women during childbirth through the Translating Research into Action (TRAction) project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Population Council and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University’s Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program will each receive a two-year $600,000 award to conduct separate research studies of disrespect and abuse of women during childbirth at clinic-based facilities. TRAction and the research awardees will also work with the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) on promoting respectful care.

URC is contributing to the global effort to reduce malaria deaths to zero by 2015 by scaling up best practices in malaria control and bringing together malaria control partners in countries across Asia and Africa.  Working in collaboration with national governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and communities, URC is addressing the barriers to universal access to prevention and case management and making it possible for women, men, and children to protect themselves and quickly access quality care when needed.

The Kingdom of Swaziland’s Prime Minister Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini declared a national state of emergency against the epidemic of tuberculosis at an event to mark World TB Day last month. In the follow up to World TB Day this year, URC would like to remember all of the patients and healthcare workers we are working with throughout Swaziland in the fight against TB.  URC supports the National TB Control Program through the USAID Health Care Improvement Project. With CDC support, we are working to increase HIV testing for TB patients and to strengthen TB and HIV diagnostic networks.

Several members of University Research Co., LLC’s (URC) Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) particpated in the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare April 5-8, 2011, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.  The International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare brings together 2,000 attendees from over 60 countries to take part in sessions that vary from the basic fundamentals of health quality improvement to the latest thinking in how to improve quality and safety.  

University Research Co., LLC (URC) is featured as a growing Montgomery County company in The Gazette, an online publication for the Maryland community. The article, “Job surge of 8,100 last month broke losing streak,” discusses Maryland’s employment growth and illustrates URC as a prominent Bethesda –based company which has seen a continuous increase in hiring. 

The Health Care Improvement Project (HCI) is searching for improvement report from health care providers and implementers in U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) -assisted countries. Improvement reports are short stories about specific health care improvement experiences in a local setting. HCI is specifically seeking stories for its global database on improving health care.

In early March, the Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP) held learning sessions for quality improvement teams in the Amhara and Oromiya Regions of Ethiopia. MaNHEP is a three-year project to demonstrate a community-oriented model for improving maternal and newborn health care in rural Ethiopia. It is based at Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. University Research Co., LLC (URC) is one of the five partners working on the project.

Dr. Victor Boguslavsky, Associate Director of the Eastern Europe Region for the USAID Health Care Improvement Project, which is led by URC, recently spoke with former Senator Bill Frist about US-Russia collaborations in health as part of a daylong panel hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Last month, in collaboration with the Guatemala Ministry of Health (MOH), the USAID Health Care Improvement Project, led by University Research Co., LLC (URC), hosted the first international Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training in Latin America. The meeting brought together 21 health professionals and MOH officials from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Guatemala.

The people in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the Philippines face many difficulties in accessing health services such as remote geography, security concerns and limited knowledge of health-related issues. USAID's HealthPRO project has launched a "tele-radio" program in an effort to bridge this information gap.

The Alliance for Malaria Prevention named Ghana Lead Innovator for long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets (LLINs) distribution over the past year. The award recognized Ghana’s pioneering role in national door-to-door LLIN distribution. The National Malaria Control Programme worked closely with Promoting Malaria Prevention and Treatment Project (ProMPT), a program managed by University Research Co., LLC and funded by the US Agency for International Development .

David Nicholas, Senior Vice President and Project Director of the Translating Research into Action (TRAction) project for University Research Co. LLC (URC), recently published an article in Global Health Magazine “Implementation Research: A Primer.” The article discusses implementation research and how it relates to the growing use of evidence-based ideas in global health. In the health sector, implementation research focuses on using laboratory discoveries and proven health initiatives into widespread use of new drugs and treatments in everyday practices.  Because of the need to design effective programs for the growth of evidence-based practices in the global health care sector, Nicholas believes that more resources must be devoted to implementation research.

University Research Co, LLC was awarded a $74.8 million contract from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MOH) achieve better quality primary health care. With support from Management Systems International, the USAID Primary Health Care Project in Iraq will partner with the Iraqi MOH in strengthening health systems and building the capacity of MOH human resources with an emphasis on delivering primary health services at clinics.

The Philippine’s Department of Health (DOH), with technical assistance from the Health Promotion and Communication Project (HealthPRO), recently expanded health promotion and service delivery to underserved areas in the Philippines by launching Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan (LBK)  – an innovative customized mobile health clinic to promote family health messages on safe motherhood, child health and nutrition, and family planning throughout the Philippines.

Translating Research into Action (TRAction), a project managed by University Research Co., LLC (URC), with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), published a report on a disturbing topic: disrespect and abusive treatment of women during childbirth, a time of intense vulnerability.

The Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project, which is funded by USAID and led by PATH with support from URC, has launched a new set of tools on nutrition and agriculture to help development workers in agriculture maximize nutritional benefits for women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

Lord Nigel Crisp visited URC headquarters in Bethesda, and spoke about his experience as Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Crisp is the author of a new book, Turning the World Upside Down: The Search for Global Health in the 21st Century, in which he writes about his experiences leading the UK health system and his work in developing countries.

Four current and former University Research Company, LLC (URC) employees -- Larissa Jennings, Andre Sourou Yebadokpo, Jean Affo, and Marthe Agbogbe -- recently published a research article titled, “Antenatal counseling in maternal and newborn care: use of job aids to improve health worker performance and maternal understanding in Benin” in the journal BioMed Central Pregnancy and Childbirth. 

Five current and former University Research Company, LLC (URC) employees -- Larissa Jennings; Andre Sourou Yebadokpo, Reproductive Health Advisor; Jean Affo, Behavior Change Communications Advisor;  Marthe Agbogbe, Capacity Building Specialist; and Aguima Tankoano, Ghana’s Chief of Party -- recently published a research article, “Task shifting in maternal and newborn care: a non-inferiority study examining delegation of antenatal counseling to lay nurse aides supported by job aids in Benin."

The e.tv adult drama 4Play: sex tips for girls has garnered seven South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) nominations – the highest number for any television drama in this year’s awards.  4Play: sex tips for girls was written and produced by Johannesburg-based Curious Pictures, for Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA), an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs. The series was funded by USAID and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in part through the USAID TB Project, implemented by University Research Co., LLC.