The Foundation is committed to improving prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programs worldwide. But since the inception of PMTCT implementation programs nearly a decade ago, limited operations research has been conducted on the effectiveness of these programs and how to make them better. The Foundation’s Operations Research Program aims to fill this important gap.

For the purposes of this program, the Foundation defines operations research broadly:

• Developing better ways to provide improved, long-term health care delivery to moms and children;
• Creating effective PMTCT models that can be replicated within other PMTCT programs; and
• Assessing health delivery systems to improve their cost-effectiveness.

Operations research is critical to carry out because PMTCT programs in developing countries often have only limited success. The Foundation’s Operations Research Program aims to support such research so that successful PMTCT programs can be replicated to assist in PMTCT efforts worldwide.

The Foundation awarded three operations research grants in 2007, and will award an additional round of grants in July 2008.

2008 Operations Research Grants
Read more about these awards.

Philippa Musoke, M.D.
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
"Use of Peers and Sengas to Improve links from PMTCT to Family Care in Urban and Rural settings in Uganda"

Freida Behets, Ph.D., M.P.H.
UNC Chapel Hill, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
"Health Zone-based Assessment of Antenatal and Delivery Services in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Development of Appropriate PMTCT Scale-up Strategies"

Werner Schimana, M.D.
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Moshi, Tanzania
"The Effect of an HIV Management (Non-ART) Training Course for Reproductive Child Health (RCH) Service Providers on Outcomes For HIV-Positive Mothers and HIV-Exposed Children"

Pius Tih, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board (CBCHB), Northwest Province, Cameroon
"Improving the Referral System Between PMTCT and Care and Treatment Sites: The Way Forward to Scaling Up Optimal HIV/AIDS Programs"

Freddy Perez, M.D., D.T.M., H,M.Sc.
University of Bordeaux/ISPED, Harare, Zimbabwe
Kenneth Freedberg, M.D., M.Sc.
Harvard Center for AIDS Research/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
"Cost-Effectiveness Modeling of PMTCT Programs in Zimbabwe"