The Harvard DrPH
Brenda Onguti

Identifying Drivers of Institutional Maternal deaths and Priority Strategies to Address Them in Zambia

Brenda Onguti, '22

Summer Field Immersion Experience
As the 2020 Tessa Jowell Research Fellow with the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program, my summer was focused on preparation to conduct a research study in partnership with the Zambia Ministry of Health. The study aims to:

  1. Identify the main contributors to Zambia’s institutional maternal mortality that arise all through a woman’s continuum of care
  2. Develop context-specific interventions through the engagement of key Zambian stakeholders

Implementation of the study has been delayed due to unforeseen challenges, including the COVID pandemic. However, with input from Dr. Ana Langer and Dr. Emma Aveling, I am in the process of redesigning the data collection phase of the study to be conducted remotely.