Many infants and families in urban areas of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), do not receive vital health services such as immunization. To address these inequities in the megacity of Kinshasa, JSI worked with the Ministry of Health and urban municipalities to strengthen routine immunization (RI) service delivery through locally tailored solutions. This involved the adaptation of the Reaching Every District (RED) approach and identification of steps to ensure quality of care and reduce dropouts in the urban environments. Through these efforts, new strategies reduced missed opportunities for vaccination and vaccinated zero-dose children through the DRC’s RI system in Kinshasa.

Today, we will speak with Dr. Joel Bompongo and Dr. Andre Tonda, JSI’s Urban Immunization Technical Advisors who has been heavily involved in these immunization strategies since the inception of the project. Learn more about our immunization work: https://www.jsi.com/expertise/immunization/

By 2050, 42 percent of Ethiopians will live in urban settings. Rapid urban population growth puts pressure on infrastructure and impacts the health of people who live, work, and age in large cities. In this episode, you’ll hear from Hibret Alemu Tilahan, Director of the Strengthening Ethiopia’s Urban Health Program. He spoke to JSI Director of Communications, Penelope Riseborough about the evolution of the country’s health sector and the complexities and challenges of addressing urban health. Their conversation spans maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and health systems strengthening. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about our work in Ethiopia: https://www.jsi.com/location/ethiopia/

In our latest podcast, JSI team members working on the Rapid Immunization Skill Enhancement (RISE) project discuss their experience piloting their digital training program for improving health workers’ immunization knowledge and skills in India. The RISE training modules went online for use by health workers in March 2020, almost coinciding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The team shares the challenges & opportunities that a digital training platform has for continuing health workers’ training even during a pandemic. This work is done for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India and funded by GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Learn more about the RISE program and our immunization work: https://www.jsi.com/project/rapid-immunization-skill-enhancement-rise-in-india

Check out a recent webinar from the RISE team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzEr-9zAUqI&feature=youtu.be

In this podcast, you will hear from Steve Ollis, JSI's Senior Digital Health Advisor, and Trinity Zan, Associate Director of Research Utilization at FHI 360. Both outgoing co-chairs of the Global Digital Health Network, Steve and Trinity discuss the past, present, and future of the network and digital health as a whole. The Global Digital Health Network (GDHN) envisions a world where technical innovation supports improved health and contributes to better quality, accessibility, and sustainability of health services and health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations in low resource environments. The networking forum, consisting of over 3,900 members from 117 countries, works to share information, engage with the broader community, and provide leadership in digital health for global public health. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about our digital health work: https://www.jsi.com/expertise/digital-health/

In this podcast, you will hear from Brian Castro, Program Officer with JSI’s Immunization Center and Amos Chweya, a Regional Immunization Technical Officer; Isaac Mugoya, a Regional Immunization Technical Officer; and Lucy Kiarie, immunization project officer, all who are based in Kenya. With a collective 20 years of experience working at all levels of immunization, they share their passion and understanding of the challenges and successes linked to introducing new vaccines in Kenya. With a particular focus on introducing the HPV vaccine in Kenya, they share how the HPV vaccine introduction has both built on previous experiences and posed unique challenges and how the country is planning to maintain HPV vaccination while also supporting the COVID-19 response. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about our work in Kenya: https://www.jsi.com/location/kenya/

In this podcast, you will hear from Kate Bagshaw, Technical Officer with JSI's Immunization Center and Raphael Nshunju, a Senior Immunization Technical Officer for JSI’s Immunization Center based in Tanzania. With over 10 years of experience working at all levels of immunization, Raphael shares his passion and understanding of the challenges and successes linked to introducing new vaccines in Tanzania. With a particular focus on introducing the HPV vaccine in Tanzania, Raphael shares how the HPV vaccine introduction has both built on previous experiences and posed unique challenges and how the country is planning to maintain HPV vaccination while also supporting the COVID-19 response.

Learn more about our immunization work: https://www.jsi.com/expertise/immunization/

COVID-19 has changed every aspect of how health centers run their businesses and meet their community’s needs. Join JSI senior consultant Toni Macguire and John Silva, Lawrence Community Family Health Center's President and Chief Executive Officer, John Silva, to learn how they have adapted to address the pandemic. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about our work with community health centers: https://www.jsi.com/expertise/community-health-centers/

In this podcast, you will hear from Kate Bagshaw, Technical Officer with JSI's Immunization Center and Adelaide Shearley, Regional Immunization Technical Adviser for JSI's Immunization Center based in Zimbabwe. With over 30 years of experience working at all levels of immunization, Adelaide shares her passion and understanding of the challenges and successes in this field. With a particular focus on new vaccine introduction, Adelaide shares her experience introducing the HPV vaccine in the region and how it has been a unique and personal one for her.

Learn more about our immunization work: https://jsi.com/expertise/immunization/

Girls and young women account for 74 percent of new HIV infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. For the first time, the latest PEPFAR data show significant declines in new HIV diagnoses among adolescent girls and young women. In the 10 African countries implementing PEPFAR’s pioneering DREAMS initiative, the majority of the highest HIV-burden communities or districts achieved a 25–40 percent or greater decline in new HIV diagnoses among young women. In this episode, you will hear from Folami Harris, project director of JSI’s DREAMS Innovation Challenge Program. She talks to JSI Director of Communications, Penelope Riseborough, about the importance of focusing unique resources and attention to girls and why this subject is important to her. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about JSI's DREAMS Innovation Challenge: https://www.jsi.com/project/dreams-innovation-challenge-funds-manager/

In 2014, the Ebola epidemic spread to Liberia, resulting in the death of almost 5,000 people along with heavy social and economic losses. The outbreak resulted in declining health service provision and use, as almost all able health workers were needed to handle the outbreak, health facilities shut down, and fear and anxiety permeated society. In this episode, you will hear from Rose Macauley, JSI's country director in Liberia. She spoke to us about what it was like being in Liberia during the outbreak, how it affected the country's health system, and how Liberia plans to continue to strengthen it. Music by Scott Buckley.

Learn more about our work in Liberia: https://www.jsi.com/location/liberia/