Programmatic Transition
Programmatic transition, the process by which a public health program that is externally supported by donors is transferred to local recipients, can have significant implications for sustainability. When done thoughtfully, transition has the potential to address local ownership, mobilize resources, clarify roles and responsibilities, and maintain the successes of health programs—all of which are key concerns as donor funding for specific public health programs in developing countries declines.
During programmatic transition, the transfer of responsibilities can occur at many levels, including financial, managerial and leadership. Programmatic transition varies in scope from programs that are well-integrated into local health systems to fully parallel delivery systems. Conducting monitoring and evaluation can help inform and smooth the complicated process of programmatic transition and facilitate sustainability of public health programs.
The Department of International Health at JHSPH has been working in this field for several years. From empirical research to conceptual thinking about how to best to implement, monitor and evaluate transitions, the faculty at DIH are contributing to this understudied area to inform policy and practice.
Workshop
Strategic Issues in Global Health Program Transitions, hosted by Johns Hopkins and Research for Development
Seminars
Conversations on Sustainable Financing for Development, a special series hosted by Johns Hopkins and Research for Development
Faculty working on programmatic transition
Ongoing research
Recent Publications
- Rodriguez D., Whiteside A., and Bennett S. (2017) Creating and Sustaining Political Commitment for Key Populations during Donor Transitions. Bull World Health Organ 2017;95:121–127. doi: 10.2471/BLT.16.179861.
- Zakumumpa H, Bennett S, Ssengooba F, (2017) Alternative financing mechanisms for antiretroviral treatment programs in health facilities in Uganda: A mixed-methods approach. BMC Health Services Research 17(65). doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2009-6
- Hecht R. and Bennett S. (2016) Country Transitions from Donor Aid for Health: We Need a Common Research Agenda and Mechanisms for Joint Action Now, Health Affairs Blog.
- Zakumumpa H., Bennett S., and Ssengooba F. (2016) Accounting for variations in ART program sustainability outcomes in health facilities in Uganda: a comparative case study analysis. BMC Health Services Research 2016; 16: 584. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1833-4
- Ozawa S. Singh S., Singh K., Chhabra V. and Bennett S. (2016) The Avahan Transition: Effects of Transition Readiness on Program Institutionalization and Sustained Outcomes. PLOS One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158659
- Bao J., Rodriguez D., Paina L., Ozawa S., Bennett S (2015) Monitoring and evaluating the transition of large-scale programs in global health. Global Health Science and Practice 17;3(4):591-605. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-15-00221.
- Sara Bennett, Suneeta Singh, Daniela Rodriguez, Sachiko Ozawa, Kriti Singh, Vibha Chhabra, Neeraj Dhingra. Transitioning a Large Scale HIV/AIDS Prevention Program to Local Stakeholders: Findings from the Avahan Transition Evaluation. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0136177. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136177
- Daniela C. Rodríguez, Vandana Tripathi, Meghan Bohren, Amy Paul, Kriti Singh, Vibha Chhabra, Suneeta Singh and Sara Bennett. “From me to HIV”: a case study of the community experience of donor transition of health programs. BMC Infectious Diseases 2015, 15:349 doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1068-8
- Sara Bennett, Daniela Rodriguez, Sachiko Ozawa, Kriti Singh, Meghan Bohren, Vibha Chhabra and Suneeta Singh. Management practices to support donor transition: lessons from Avahan, the India AIDS Initiative. BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:232. doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0894-0
- Sara Bennett, Sachiko Ozawa, Daniela Rodriguez, Amy Paul, Kriti Singh, Suneeta Singh. Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs: Reflections on the Avahan experience. Evaluation and Program Planning, 2015, Oct; 52:148-158. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2015.05.003
- Sara Bennett, Suneeta Singh, Sachiko Ozawa, Nhan Tran, and Js Kang. Sustainability of donor programs: evaluating and informing the transition of a large HIV prevention program in India to local ownership. Glob Health Action. 2011; 4: 10.3402/gha.v4i0.7360. doi: 10.3402/gha.v4i0.7360
- Shunsuke Mabuchi, Suneeta Singh, Rituparna Bishnu andSara Bennett. Management characteristics of successful public health programs: “Avahan” HIV prevention program in India. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2013 Oct-Dec;28(4):333-45. doi: 10.1002/hpm.2153
- Nhan T Tran, Sara C Bennett, Rituparna Bishnu and Suneeta Singh. Analyzing the sources and nature of influence: how the Avahan program used evidence to influence HIV/AIDS prevention policy in India. Implementation Science 2013, 8:44. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-8-44
- Curatio International Foundation. Final Evaluation of GAVI Alliance’s Support to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Geneva: Curatio International Foundation. July 31, 2014.