Oral

In Guatemala, El Salvador, and India the Policy Implementation Assessment Tool (PIAT) has proven to be useful because it brings together partners from various sectors; identifies barriers to implementation; encourages dialogue and consensus on country-owned solutions; and results in concrete action items to improve implementation. In a program to improve water, sanitation and health outcomes in a water-scarce community in Limpopo province, South Africa it was discovered that integrating disciplines into a trans-national research program requires collaborative research design, creative, bi-national curricular offerings and innovative methodologies. In Kenya, a project aims to enhance the development and implementation of strategies for improving access to family planning (FP)/reproductive health (RH) services among the poor. In Ghana and the Philippines, results verify the advantages of the WatMap Lab: simplicity, sophisticated microbiology for US$3 per set, test results in 12-24 hours correlating with WHO disease risk categories, and the ability for tests to be performed anywhere – off the electrical grid, without clean lab conditions.

Session Objectives: Describe key components of effective policy implementation in Guatemala, El Salvador, and India In South Africa, a project describes the components of a successful multi-disciplinary international health research project. Describe the programmatic inputs that combined to bring significant changes in multiple evidence-based interventions in Ethiopia. Describes the innovations in the WatMap Portable Water Quality Test Kit