Researchers Dean Karlan (Yale), Gunther Fink (Harvard), and Luke Crowley (UCT) are teaming with the National Institute of Health in Mozambique (INS) and partners Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline to examine the effectiveness of an mHealth solution that seeks to increase vaccination rates for newborn babies. The project will include a large-scale randomized controlled trial that tests the overall effectiveness of the technology as well as optimal messaging channels to mothers (e.g., text, voice, and iconography). The project will take place in Nampula Province, Mozambique, and run for approximately three years.
Mozambique has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with a substantial portion of these deaths stemming from vaccine-preventable diseases. A key issue is the drop-off between the first and subsequent doses of a vaccine. In an attempt to address the various supply- and demand-side issues that cause this phenomenon, Vodafone and partners have introduced the mVacciNation application which seeks to improve data capture at health outposts, patient compliance, and supply chain processes using a readily-available technology: mobile phones.
The research team seeks a qualified applicant for the position of Project Coordinator (PC) for this study. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience on a cutting-edge development research project. The PC will assist with the RCT design and oversee the day-to-day implementation activities of the study. He or she will be based in Nampula Province, with frequent travel across the province and occasional travel to Maputo. The PC will work closely with a second PC with similar qualifications as well as Luke Crowley, who is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
The PC will organize the data collection components of the project, which include baseline and endline demographic health surveys, interviews at health clinics, and administrative data sourced from Vodafone. The PC will also perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to: designing and testing survey questionnaires, coding electronic survey instruments, managing a field survey team, implementing qualitative research components, cleaning and managing data, assisting in preliminary data analysis, managing the project budget, and assisting in the writing of project reports and study outputs. In performing these tasks, the PC will engage with local government officials, researchers from the INS, and Vodafone’s local partners.