Dear HIFA Supporting Organisations,
We want to highlight an opportunity for your organisation to collaborate with HIFA on a HIFA Project. We have availability for *two* new Projects to start this year.
Read online: https://www.hifa.org/projects
HIFA Projects leverage the HIFA community to explore *your* priority global health issue in depth. Projects are proposed and sponsored by any of our 400+ HIFA Supporting Organisations or other appropriate partner. Current sponsors are shown below. Previous sponsors include the Elsevier Foundation, the Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, The Lancet, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, TDR, and the World Health Organization.
HIFA Projects: a unique and effective way to advance your mission
Each Project convenes a working group of HIFA experts and volunteers who plan and implement an extended exploration of the sponsors chosen topic among HIFA's 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting 24/7 in four languages. The exploration includes deep-dive thematic discussions, each lasting 4-6 weeks, with the option to complement these with dedicated webinars. Outputs include shared understanding and awareness, structured summaries, conference presentations, academic papers and advocacy for your priority issue.
Current Projects (2024, sponsors and testimonials)
1. Mental health: meeting information needs for substance use disorders (NextGenU.org)
“NextGenU.org is honored to collaborate with HIFA to advance global health. Our Addiction Training for Health Professionals Program provides health professionals with free, high-quality education on addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery worldwide. Working with the HIFA team has significantly enhanced our ability to achieve these goals. Through HIFA's unique approach, we can better address misconceptions, reduce stigma, and improve access to reliable healthcare information for substance use disorders. HIFA's ability to convene diverse stakeholders fosters invaluable discussions and innovations, ultimately enhancing the well-being of individuals worldwide. We proudly support HIFA’s efforts and look forward to continued collaboration.” Miriam Chickering, CEO, June 2024
2. Informal use of mobile phones by health workers (mHEALTH-INNOVATE/Research Council of Norway)
“HIFA has been a vital part of the mHealth-Innovate research project as it has given us a unique opportunity to discuss topics with healthcare workers, managers and policy makers from across the world. This has been a great supplement to our more formal research processes as these are often slow, shaped by the researcher and limited to specific settings. The HIFA network, on the other hand, is an open space where people from all levels of the system can discuss topics on their own terms. HIFA has helped us put our questions on the agenda and the HIFA discussions have been a key part of making sure that our research is relevant for people on the ground. This is not the first time we have collaborated with HIFA and hopefully not the last!” Claire Glenton, Principal Investigator, June 2024
3. How can decision-making processes for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage be made more inclusive, responsive and accountable? (SUPPORT-SYSTEMS//Research Council of Norway)
“Involving key users of knowledge in research projects is crucial for ensuring the research is responsive to their needs and has a meaningful impact. However, accessing different groups of users is often challenging. HIFA has been a dynamic platform for building relationships with individuals from diverse professional backgrounds and roles within health systems worldwide, enabling the collection of insights that would have otherwise been difficult to obtain. The HIFA discussion forum has been especially valuable, enabling the research project to explore concepts and assumptions, and to understand how the research questions resonate with on-the-ground realities through the insights of individuals with relevant experiences. I highly recommend partnering with HIFA for research collaborations and will definitely do so again for future research proposals.” Unni Gopinathan, Principal Investigator, June 2024
HIFA also has several working groups on standby, ready to implement projects as and when funding becomes available - see the dropdown menu under Projects on the HIFA homepage.
Each Project is an opportunity for you, the sponsor, to advance your mission and support the HIFA community at the same time.
HIFA Projects are highly affordable with packages available from £2k (US$2.5k). See our website for details: https://www.hifa.org/projects
Additional activities: With each package there is an option to complement the forum discussion with a webinar to present the findings. Many of our discussions have also been presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals, further raising awareness of your priority global health issue and the visibility of your organisation.
FUNDING: Costs may be covered by your organisation *or* shared with other HIFA partners/supporting organisations *or* we can work with you to seek external funding. Our aim is to make HIFA Projects available to every HIFA Supporting Organisation according to need.
What is your priority global health issue? We look forward to your proposal for a new HIFA Project. Contact us for details! admin@hifa.org
With thanks, Neil and Enock
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
HIFA profile: Enock Musungwini is the Global Coordinator for HIFA supporting organisations. He is a distinguished public health professional, health management consultant, and development practitioner currently serving as a Programme Manager (Consultant) for an NGO called Pangaea Zimbabwe under the Wild4Life Health program responsible for program management, oversight, supervision, coordination, and leadership. He holds an MSc in Public Health with a Research award from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), achieved under the prestigious British Chevening scholarship (2018-19 cohort). His educational background also includes a Master’s in Business Administration, BSc Hons in Psychology, Diploma in Nursing Science, Diploma in Public Relations and Communication, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Management and Leadership. Enock actively serve as a Reference Group Committee member for the Africa Evidence Network, Steering Committee member for the International Network for Government Science Advice Africa Chapter, member of the Consortium for Universities of Global Health and Country Representative for Healthcare Information for All (HIFA). Email: enock@hifa.org
