Educating Religious Leaders about Family Planning: What Does the Research Reveal? | |
April 25 at 8:00 to 9:00 am Washington, DC / 3:00 to 4:00 pm Nairobi | L'interprétation en français via Wordly AI sera fournie. | |
A team of researchers led by Dr. Agrey Mwakisole and Dr. Jennifer Downs conducted an open-label, cluster randomized trial in 24 communities in Tanzania to determine whether an educational intervention for religious leaders would increase community knowledge, demand for, and ultimately uptake of family planning.
The results were published in The Lancet Global Health in December 2023.
Come join us to learn and discuss:
- The researchers’ methods and findings.
- Concerns expressed in the same issue of The Lancet Global Health about engaging religious leaders as possibly reinforcing existing power dynamics and potentially compromising women's autonomy and decision-making. Did the team find anything related to this concern?
- Why they decided to conduct a research study on this topic, and
- Their advice for others interested in linking research questions to family planning projects with faith communities.
The webinar will be moderated by Mona Bormet, CCIH Program Director.
Speakers:
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Dr. Jennifer Downs, Associate Professor of Medicine and the Ehrenkranz Family / Orli R. Etingin, M.D. Associate Professor of Women’s Health, Weill Cornell Medicine
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Dr. Agrey Mwakisole, Principal Emeritus and Professor, Mwanza Christian College, Tanzania
The webinar will be translated using Wordly AI Translation.
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About the Speakers and Moderator | |
Dr. Jennifer Downs is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Ehrenkranz Family / Orli R. Etingin, M.D. Associate Professor of Women’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine. She conducts research and teaches at the Weill Bugando School of Medicine in Mwanza, Tanzania. Dr. Downs received her M.D. from Weill Cornell Medicine and her Ph.D. in Parasitology from Leiden University and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. A major focus of her research is women’s health, including female genital schistosomiasis and mucosal immunity in girls and women in Tanzania. She also conducts community-based implementation science studies to improve access to family planning and uptake of health prevention interventions in rural Tanzanian communities.
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Dr. Agrey Mwakisole is Principal Emeritus and Professor at Mwanza Christian College in Mwanza, Tanzania. He received his BA from Pan-Africa Christian University in Tanzania and his MA in Leadership from Pan-Africa Christian University in Nairobi. In 2015, he received his Doctorate of Intercultural Studies (D.I.S.) from Fuller Theological Seminary (California, USA). Dr. Mwakisole is also Director of Theological Education for Pentecostal Churches of Tanzania, and Chairman of the Interfaith Council that oversees Christian and Muslim dialogue in the Mwanza and Kagera regions in Tanzania. In these roles, he supervises education for church leaders at multiple seminaries in Tanzania and collaborates with Muslim leaders to work for peace between Christians and Muslims in Tanzania.
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Mona Bormet, MPH, CHES serves as Program Director for CCIH. Mona directs a global portfolio of initiatives that improve timely access to quality health services in communities and facilities, by working with faith-based partners and CCIH members around the world. She also directs CCIH’s annual conference. Mona began working with CCIH as an individual member and volunteer, and since 2010 has been on staff, first focused on US advocacy efforts. Previously, Mona served as Advocacy Program Specialist for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. Mona has an MPH from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and a BS from Illinois State University. She received the American Public Health Association International Health Section Mid-Career Award in 2023.
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