1026- Rwanda- Digital Health Exemplars

The “Digital Health Exemplars” project, as part of the Exemplars in Global Health Initiative, plans to identify the high-performing countries that have leveraged digital health transformation towards improving primary healthcare service delivery and evaluate the successful strategies that can advance the integration of digital health into primary healthcare systems for improved downstream population-level health outcomes. Students will have the opportunity to engage in qualitative and quantitative data collection activities, data analysis, and government stakeholder engagement.

Study activities will be conducted by the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation (CGDHI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and eHealth Labs at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. The team will collaborate with a broader partnership supporting this effort including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Gates Ventures (GV), World Bank and their regional offices, and the McKinsey Health Institute.
 

The student will be responsible for conducting primary data collection and secondary data analysis to understand the digital health landscape in the specific country and explore the size or scope of digital health initiatives/programs within the country, stakeholder identification and mapping, development of in-depth interview guides specific to digital health landscape within the country, and qualitative data collection/analyses. The student will work closely with in-country research partners as well as government stakeholders to conduct study activities. Where necessary, the student may be required to conduct additional quantitative analyses such as survey analysis. The student will be responsible for creating a brief presentation to study partners which includes the Gates Foundation, Gates Ventures, World Bank, and other partners. The student will be expected to work with the project team for at least 8-12 weeks.

The professional environment at JHSPH and eHealth Labs is a standard academic professional environment. The in-country professional environment will most likely be at local universities where the students will be placed.

This placement would be a good fit for those interested in gaining more experience in digital health and primary health care, building their qualitative and quantitative data analysis expertise, developing their leadership skills, and working with government stakeholders and partners.

Coursework in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
Prior experience in qualitative data analysis
Prior experience in quantitative data analysis
Familiarity and interest in primary healthcare and digital health
Ability to multi-task effectively, are flexible and can adapt to different contexts
Work experience in developing countries/low and middle-income countries preferred
Demonstrates strong leadership skills and takes initiative

Name: Smisha Agarwal, Department of International Health, spandya6@jh.edu

I would describe my communication and mentorship styles as... 

This project will adopt a collaborative team-based approach. Faculty mentors are Smisha Agarwal and Patricia Mechael (co-PIs), as well as Lena Kan and shivani pandya (co-Investigators). They welcome collaboration with students and see this as an opportunity to not only provide students with an opportunity to learn and grow, but also to leverage and strengthen the student’s skills to advance project activities.

A complementary student would have a working style and mentorship expectations that are..

Students should be effective communicators, able to meet deadlines, can competently work in a cross-cultural environment, be respectful, able to work independently, and are self-motivated.

The estimated cost of living at the site is between $2,000-$3,000.

Transportation will be covered by the project.