Public-non-profit-academic partnerships: Reproductive health research in Togo Case Study

Abstract

Purpose: Collaboration and partnership is often promoted as a best practice, but rarely is it effectively implemented to mutually benefit the parties, fulfill true needs, and forge a partnership rather than a division of work. Roadblocks to successful collaboration often include: needs that do not align, organizations' reputations needing full credit, and too short of time frames (Biermann, Eckhardt, Carlfjord, Falk, & Forsberg, 2016). A systematic review of research institution and non-governmental organization (NGO) partnerships found that the success and sustainability of these collaborations require trust, transparency, respect, and mutuality (Olivier, Hunt, & Ridde, 2016). We wanted to highlight our successful public - non-profit - academic partnership which is working in Togo, West Africa to improve systems around and access to contraception in urban and peri-urban areas. Our collaboration is taking place over a longer period of time, recognizes comparative advantage, and incorporates fluid sharing and feedback so that all parties" capacities are continuously developed. This case study contributes to the body of knowledge around public - non-profit - academic research partnerships.

Collaborators: EngenderHealth, AgirPF, USAID: Agir pour la Planification Familiale (AgirPF) is a five-year project implemented by EngenderHealth and its partners and funded by USAID/West Africa. The project is designed to expand women"s access to and use of family planning services in five West African countries: Burkina Faso, Cote d"Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. The goal of AgirPF is to enable individuals and couples to make, and voluntary act on, informed decisions about family planning, in selected urban and peri-urban areas across the five countries.

Peace Corps Response: A program run through the U.S. government to send experienced professionals on short-term (up to one year) assignments working with organizations and communities in countries where Peace Corps is present.

Emory University: A private research university in Atlanta, Georgia which has nine academic divisions including the College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College, Goizueta Business School, Laney Graduate School, School of Law, School of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and the Candler School of Theology.

Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion (GEMMA): Programming and funding source based at Emory University which focuses on researching and highlighting issues around mortality due to abortion and the promotion of ways to reduce the number of women dying from unsafe abortion.

Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI): The EGHI was established by the President of Emory University to develop innovative research, training, and programs to address the most pressing health challenges around the world, particularly in developing countries. One of the programs includes funding interdisciplinary student groups to work on global health projects for 6-10 weeks during the summer semester.

Midwifery Association of Togo (ASSAFETO): A professional organization of registered midwives in Togo which meets monthly and works to increase midwife capacity and collaboration.

University of Lomé: A public university in Lomé, Togo which consists of 15 schools in five faculties, three institutes, and two training centers. These include the: Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics and Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Management, School of Medical Assistants, School of Agronomy, School of Biological and Food Technology, National School of Engineers, National Institute of Education Sciences, Institute of Information Science, Communication, and the Arts, Institute of Management Technology, the Population Research Institute, the Computers and Computing Training Center and the Continuing Education Training Center.

Methods: The collaborations highlighted in this presentation are working on two specific research projects. The first is research with ASSAFETO and the second is AgirPF programmatic research related to integrated family planning services. These collaborations include participants representing USAID, EngenderHealth"s headquarters team, AgirPF staff, a doctoral student at Emory University in nursing who was concurrently a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, three students from different disciplines and education levels at Emory University, one faculty member of Emory University, one student from the University of Lomé, and members of ASSAFETO. These projects worked on bridging the research-practice divide to conduct participatory research.

Project I) ASSAFETO midwives defined a research project with the goal of improving the ability of the organization to provide necessary family planning services and increase participation of ASSAFETO members in organizational activities. The Peace Corps Response volunteer/nursing doctoral student knew of the potential to bring a diverse group of three students from Emory University funded by the EGHI to Togo and one Togolese student funded by GEMMA and hired as an intern at AgirPF to work with the ASSAFETO midwives. These organizations worked together remotely except in July and August 2016 when the Emory students worked in Togo. The results of the study are forthcoming and will be used in the implementation of new services and activities done by ASSAFETO.

Project II) The AgirPF program had a need to complete research studies related to the programmatic areas in which the project was working. The Peace Corps Response volunteer as a doctoral student in nursing needed to conduct research. The needs of the organization and individual worked well and from this a research program around the integration of family planning into postabortion and postpartum care was developed. This research is fulfilling both the needs of the organization to better understand the current state of integrated services while also fulfilling the research needs of the Peace Corps Response volunteer/nursing doctoral student. The results from this integrated family planning study are forthcoming.

Results:

Successes:

• In the process of completing two research projects
• Monitoring and evaluation capacity building and systems improvements for the AgirPF project
• AgirPF able to improve engagement and responsiveness to local organization needs through ASSAFETO
• Improved dissemination of work in Togo as well as to global audiances through academic articles, presentations, web-based briefs, and reports
• Student capacity for research improved
• Fulfilled research requirements for academic programs in understudied research topics (reproductive health in Francophone Africa)
• Peace Corps and EngenderHealth/AgirPF partnership forged
• Emory and EngenderHealth partnership forged
• Funding for research topics which are challenging to fund
• Promoted nursing lead research/used local nurses and midwives for data collection

• Multiple IRB and approval processes
• Finalizing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for data ownership, management, and dissemination
• Timelines and competing organization"s priorities
• Need for building strong working relationships built on trust and respect
• At points unclear who must review each item or decision and ensure adequate availability and agreement of timelines
• Working in English and French
• Breakdown in communication
• Staff turn over

Conclusion:

Recommendations:

• Establish logistics via MOU first of objectives, roles, responsibilities, timeline, and funding
• Frequent communications
• Collaborative review of work
• Open reporting and communications - informal communication, decrease hierarchies
• If short-term a specific research project with clear and limited activity and deliverables is necessary
• If longer-term and high level, ongoing support can be very effective such as having Peace Corps Response volunteers working on capacity building of individuals and organizations
• Promote mutual respect

Notes

This session was accepted for presentation at the International Nursing Research Congress 2017, but not presented.

Authors

Helen Frances Baker
Natasha M. Lerner

Author Details

Helen Frances Baker, MSc, BSN, RN; Natasha M. Lerner

Sigma Membership

Unknown

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Collaboration, Sexual and Reproductive Health, West Africa

Recommended Citation

Baker, Helen Frances and Lerner, Natasha M., "Public-non-profit-academic partnerships: Reproductive health research in Togo Case Study" (2017). INRC (Congress). 438.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2017/posters_2017/438

Conference Name

28th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Dublin, Ireland

Conference Year

2017

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