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This pilot aims to address health inequities in Nepal’s aging population by testing and improving blood sample collection procedures as part of a new survey on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The project, situated within the Chitwan Valley Family Study, will develop logistical protocols, train staff, and create a blueprint for integrating biomarker data into large population studies. This initiative will enhance research capabilities in Nepal, contributing to a more competitive NIH grant application and establishing a data infrastructure for health research. Key activities include developing the blood sample collection protocol, conducting a pilot test with 50 participants, and establishing a process for transporting samples to a central lab in Kathmandu and then to Ann Arbor.

Depression among women of childbearing age is a major global public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where rates of mood and anxiety disorders may be even higher than in high-income countries. Poor maternal mental health impacts both mothers and children, contributing to behavioral issues, poor child growth, and increased child mortality. Research on maternal depression in LMICs often focuses on women of higher socioeconomic status in urban areas, leaving gaps in understanding the experiences of women in poverty or rural settings. This project aims to address these gaps by using Anthropological and Science and Technology (STS) approaches to map the complexity of maternal depression among women in northwestern Ecuador, particularly in the predominantly Afro-Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas. Building on the EcoMID cohort study, the project will document communal, familial, and individual understandings of depression, as well as the perspectives of health professionals. By combining ethnographic data collection with community engagement, the project aims to generate contextual information that will inform the development of appropriate, community-based interventions and contribute to raising awareness around maternal mental health. This timely initiative is especially critical in light of the increased mental health challenges and shifting attitudes towards care-seeking brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and aims to transform perceptions and provide impactful, culturally sensitive mental health interventions.

Our pilot project in Ghana aims to address persistent low family planning uptake among postpartum women by applying in-depth qualitative inquiry and user-centered design principles. Previous interventions based on quantitative surveys have failed to significantly improve family planning rates, signaling the need for a more nuanced understanding of women's lived experiences. This pilot is an essential first step towards designing interventions that genuinely reflect what women want. The project will explore the "know-do" gap, analyzing why high awareness of family planning in Ghana does not translate into its use. Incorporating Prochaska and DiClemente’s Stages of Change theory, we aim to understand the decision-making processes of postpartum women concerning family planning. Additionally, we will focus on contextual factors such as cultural conceptions of fertility, misinformation about contraceptives, and fear of side effects. Partnering with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the project also leverages long-standing collaborations to investigate women's empowerment and its relation to contraceptive use. The study's objectives are to conduct qualitative research with postpartum women and use human-centered design workshops to develop culturally appropriate interventions. This initiative aims to create sustainable, impactful strategies to increase family planning use among postpartum women, ultimately improving health outcomes for mothers and their children.

Health technologies are critical in addressing global health challenges, yet many innovations fail to reach those most in need in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to high costs, lack of trained personnel, and insufficient maintenance support. The limited commercialization of these technologies often stems from their development by individuals from high-income countries with little contextual understanding. To address these issues, the project aims to develop scalable models for global health technology implementation and commercialization. Objectives include: (1) supporting a commercialization pathway for UM-global partner technologies by evaluating and selecting promising solutions for market readiness; (2) identifying contextual factors affecting technology commercialization through practitioner interviews and secondary research to inform a context-centered design process; and (3) designing a fellowship program in Ghana to build local capacity for clinical trials and technology analysis. Main activities involve evaluating pipeline technologies, developing an interview protocol to understand contextual factors, and creating a fellowship pilot program. This project leverages interdisciplinary expertise to co-create sustainable models for accelerating global health technology development, implementation, and scaling, ultimately aiming to improve health outcomes in LMICs.