Countries around the world are recommitting to improving global health and universal health coverage as part of sustainable development, with the help of new drugs, devices, and medical technologies. CESR’s team of multidisciplinary researchers support this effort by working with public and private stakeholders around the world to understand how we can better design, evaluate and finance interventions and systems to promote health and well-being as effectively, efficiently and equitably as possible.

Our projects include:

 
Mobile health for TB treatment in Cambodia

 

This project is developing and piloting a novel smartphone-based intervention to improve TB treatment adherence in Cambodia. The intervention integrates video-enabled Directly Observed Treatment (VOT) with an automated rewards system that transfers mobile money and eventual phone ownership to compliant patients. Formative qualitative research in support of the pilot has already taken place; the project is due for completion in November 2020.

The results will be of immediate relevance to Cambodia’s National TB Control Program (which is partnering with us), our field partner Operation ASHA (a leading TB-focused NGO), as well as other TB control programs seeking new alternatives to improving adherence, especially where traditional DOT may be infeasible or costly, and outside the area of TB where adherence to treatment is critical, such as HIV, and will provide key insights into mHealth programs in a setting relevant to other developing countries. The project will involve building new capacity in Cambodia for behavioral research, mHealth, and communications through hands-on training for study staff in-country, and through general training sessions for internal and external stakeholders.

 
Optimizing Services for Palliative Care

 

This project, commissioned by the World Health Organization, combines an extensive literature review with expert interviews to examine pathways between service delivery models and healthcare utilization and optimization throughout the care continuum onto death, for aging populations living with progressive advanced chronic diseases. The study complements other work sponsored by WHO on how palliative care delivery models support other outcomes, including patient quality of life, healthcare utilization, and costs. This and the companion studies aim to inform WHO’s strategy to promote access, equity and quality of life for older adults in the context of the changing and dynamic healthcare needs of an aging population. The study is slated for completion in August 2020.

 
Mid-Term Evaluation of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council Strategic Plan

 

In partnership with IFMR in India, we conducted a mid-term evaluation of WSSCC’s Mid-Term Strategic Plan 2012-2016. The aim of the evaluation was to assess the Plan’s progress against intended results. The evaluation was designed to contribute to organisational learning as well as to meet the accountability requirements of WSSCC’s Steering Committee and donors. The evaluation mainly considered strategies and activities undertaken during the period 2012-2014 for assessment of WSSCC’s performance against its stated objectives, but the biennial work plan for the period 2015-16 was also reviewed to examine any directional shifts in WSSCC’s strategies. The evaluation employed the OECD-DAC framework and criteria for the evaluation.

Final report of the mid-term evaluation of the WSSCC’s Strategic Plan

 
The Economic Impact of Mental Health Care in India

This project evaluates the economic impact of treatment for depression in a community sample in Karnataka, India.  We enrolled 1000 people with mild or moderate depression and randomized some participants to receive psychiatric care, employment support, or both interventions. Over four follow-up rounds, we evaluated the impact of improved mental health on economic outcomes including labor supply, child investment, risk and time preferences, cognition, household finances, and subjective wellbeing. These interventions provided an important proof of concept for the delivery of mental health care in resource-constrained settings, and helped to build capacity for providing community mental health treatment.  This study was primarily funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation, with additional support from the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL), the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas at Austin.