Dr. Alison Comfort's work with Global Programs in Kampala, Uganda, has laid a strong foundation for advancing maternal health research through successful collaboration and streamlined coordination with local counterparts, including Makerere University. This collaboration has been pivotal in implementing groundbreaking studies such as the START ANC project, which aims to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes by encouraging earlier antenatal care (ANC) initiation.
In her current research, Comfort (along with Drs. Josaphat Byamugisha, Alison El Ayadi, and Cynthia Harper) is exploring how social networks—comprised of partners, family, and community members—can influence when pregnant women seek ANC. The START ANC study, involving 250 women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, investigates how these networks can be leveraged to promote earlier ANC visits, with a focus on how HIV status may affect this dynamic.
The strong support and coordination provided by the Global Programs Uganda team has enabled her to focus on research that has the potential to significantly impact maternal health outcomes in Uganda, further strengthening the relationship between her team and their local partners.
Comfort says, “It has been a pleasure to work with Peruth Kyomugisha on this project, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.”
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