Mozambique: Nampula, PRIDE-sSA: Partnerships in Research to Implement and Disseminate Sustainable and Scalable Evidence-Based Practices in sub-Saharan Africa
Columbia Mentor: Milton Wainberg, MD
Site Mentors: Maria Lídia Gouveia, MD; Rogerio Mulumba, MD; Paulino Feliciano
Research Opportunities Available:
Summer Research Projects and Scholarly Projects
Thematic Research Areas:
Access to healthcare, Education, Health systems and health governance, Mental health, and Non-communicable diseases
Global Pop funds students from the following CUIMC Schools at this site:
VP&S and MSPH
Language requirement:
None though a background in Portugese would be preferable
Potential activities that could be carried out by students at this site:
Literature Review, Interview tool development, Interviewing/Surveying, Attend regular Team/Site meetings, Data collection, Data monitoring, Data analysis, Program monitoring and evaluation, Manuscript writing, Summarizing/Disseminating results, Formulation of recommendations/policy guidance, Shadowing, and Community outreach
About Projects with Dr. Wainberg in 2024
Project Title: PRIDE-sSA: Partnerships in Research to Implement and Disseminate Sustainable and Scalable Evidence-Based Practices in sub-Saharan Africa
Project Information: Mental health conditions impose a major burden worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health specialists are scarce. A challenge to closing LMICs’ mental health treatment gap is determining the most cost-effective task-shifting pathway for delivering mental health services using evidence-based interventions (EBIs). Since 2014 in Mozambique, our team has established a successful partnership among local and global researchers, the Mozambique Ministry of Health, providers, traditional healers, and community health committees at 64 rural primary care clinics in Nampula Province, the largest province in the country. Together, we are implementing a decision-support Mental Wellness Digital Platform (mWell) that tracks implementation and clinical outcomes using (a) community-based detection with a brief, valid household screening tool, the Mental Wellness Tool (mwTool) and (b) evidence-based care for mental disorders. We have trained 600 community health workers (CHWs) and 300 primary care providers to quickly screen and immediately provide evidence-based mental health services for common and severe mental disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide guided by provider-facing digital tools.
In partnership with the Mozambican Ministry of Health, the PRIDE study is a cluster-randomized, hybrid implementation effectiveness type-2 trial that evaluates implementation, patient, and service outcomes of three task-shifting delivery pathways in 20 Mozambican districts (population 4.7 million). This novel first ever study, integrating comprehensive mental health for all disorders services into primary care using EBIs and psychotropic medications addressing severe, common, and substance use disorders, and suicide risk using a digital mobile training and services platform will inform a toolkit to help the Mozambican Ministry of Health scale up the most cost-effective pathway for mental health services and can be a template for other LMICs and low resource settings in the U.S and other high-income countries.
Student Participation: In person
Travel Location: Nampula, Mozambique
Number of Students: 1