Creating an interprofessional faculty and student global health grant program

UMB Center for Global Education Initiatives Founded in 2004 with an NIH Fogarty International Center “Framework” Grant that provided funds to universities to encourage capacity building & training in global health across schools on an academic campus. Focus: interprofessional global health educatio

Evaluation of Three Adolescent Sexual Health Programs in Ha Noi and Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

With an increase in sexual activity among young adults in Vietnam and associated risks, there is a need for evidence-based sexual health interventions. This evaluation of three sexual health programs based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) was conducted in 12 communes in Ha Noi, Nha Trang City, and Ninh Hoa District. Inclusion criteria included unmarried youth 15–20 years residing in selected communes. Communes were randomly allocated to an intervention, and participants were randomly selected within each commune. The intervention programs included Vietnamese Focus on Kids (VFOK), the gender-based program Exploring the World of Adolescents (EWA), and EWA plus parental and health provider education (EWA+). Programs were delivered over a ten-week period in the communities by locally trained facilitators. The gender-based EWA program with parental involvement (EWA+) compared to VFOK showed significantly greater increase in knowledge. EWA+ in comparison to VFOK also showed significant decrease at immediate postintervention for intention to have sex. Sustained changes are observed in all three interventions for self-efficacy condom use, self-efficacy abstinence, response efficacy for condoms, extrinsic rewards, and perceived vulnerability for HIV. These findings suggest that theory-based community programs contribute to sustained changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding sexual risk among Vietnamese adolescents

Building the institutional capacity for sustainable global health nursing partnerships: a case study

Background: Globally, nursing is the largest health profession. Nurses provide crucially important health services in both acute and primary health-care settings around the world. Building the capacity of nurses to address global health challenges—particularly in resource-constrained settings—is a key element of health systems strengthening. North–South global partnerships between sister schools of nursing can contribute to building the capacity of nurses on both sides of the partnership. We developed a strategy to build institutional capacity for global health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and aimed to identify key elements of success. Methods: We used a case study approach to identify and analyse the key elements in the successful implementation of UMSON's 6-year global health strategic plan to build institutional capacity for programmatic partnerships with nursing schools in Nigeria, Liberia, Rwanda, and Haiti, and faculty and student exchange programmes with schools of nursing in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Findings: Four crucial elements were identified in successful programme implementation: (1) strong advocacy for global health by student and faculty organisations within UMSON and the University of Maryland Baltimore; (2) integration of global health into the School of Nursing's overall strategic plan; (3) establishment of the Office of Global Health to provide core institutional agency to leverage resources; and (4) development of strong partnerships with nursing schools in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East, which includes faculty and student exchange programmes and long-term programmatic collaborations that focus on nursing capacity development. Interpretation: The implementation of UMSON's strategic plan for global health has provided a sustainable institutional framework that supports the development of partnerships with other schools of nursing in several countries worldwide. These partnerships have provided mutually beneficial educational experiences for nursing students and faculty from both UMSON and our sister schools of nursing. These partnerships have also contributed to continuing changes in nursing education and practice at home and abroad. Funding: None

Evaluation of Three Adolescent Sexual Health Programs in

With an increase in sexual activity among young adults in Vietnam and associated risks, there is a need for evidence-based sexual health interventions. This evaluation of three sexual health programs based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) was conducted in 12 communes in Ha Noi, Nha Trang City, and Ninh Hoa District. Inclusion criteria included unmarried youth 15-20 years residing in selected communes. Communes were randomly allocated to an intervention, and participants were randomly selected within each commune. The intervention programs included Vietnamese Focus on Kids (VFOK), the gender-based program Exploring the World of Adolescents (EWA), and EWA plus parental and health provider education (EWA+). Programs were delivered over a ten-week period in the communities by locally trained facilitators. The gender-based EWA program with parental involvement (EWA+) compared to VFOK showed significantly greater increase in knowledge. EWA+ in comparison to VFOK also showed significant decrease at immediate postintervention for intention to have sex. Sustained changes are observed in all three interventions for self-efficacy condom use, self-efficacy abstinence, response efficacy for condoms, extrinsic rewards, and perceived vulnerability for HIV. These findings suggest that theory-based community programs contribute to sustained changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding sexual risk among Vietnamese adolescents