School of Nursing News

Grand Challenges Canada has announced its 2017 Stars in Global Health and a joint Dalhousie/IWK Health Centre project has been named to this innovative group.

Reducing maternal and child mortality is a priority area of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health. A team from Dalhousie and the IWK Health Centre aim to help the country improve maternal, newborn and child health through implementing an innovative, needs-based approach to human resources for health planning and training

The team is helping at the system level, applying workforce planning framework, and at the service level by implementing the ‘Helping Babies Survive’ suite of health provider training programs. By integrating these innovations, the project will contribute to the overall action underway by the Jamaican Ministry of Health through their ‘Programme to Reduce Maternal and Child Mortality’ and build upon their already-established commitment to planning, leading to scalability and sustainability.

The project is a partnership between the Jamaica Ministry of Health, the Women’s Health Network Jamaica, and the Dalhousie University WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre on Health Workforce Planning & Research.

Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy leads the Dalhousie University WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre on Health Workforce Planning & Research. Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo and Dr. Douglas McMillan with Dalhousie and the IWK Health Centre are co-investigators. Jamaica partners are Ms. Gail Hudson of the Jamaica Ministry of Health and Dr. Rudolph Stevens of the Jamaican Women’s Health Network

“It is a great honor to be leading this project with my Jamaican and Canadian colleagues and for us to be named to such a prestigious group of innovators, “says Dr. Tomblin Murphy. “With the support of Grand Challenges and CIHR we will be helping to save newborn lives in Jamaica.”

Grand Challenges Canada is one of the largest impact-first investors in Canada. With a feminist investment approach, the organization has supported over 800 innovations in more than 80 countries. It is estimated that these innovations have the potential to save up to 1 million lives and improve up to 28 million lives by 2030.

(HBS master trainees with Dr. Doug McMillan; photo taken by Dr. Rudolph Stevens)
HBS session being led by Dr. Doug McMillan, Kingston, Jamaica, May 2017

(HBS training in Jamaica 1_May 2017; photo taken by Dr. Rudolph Stevens)
A group of dedicated health providers training to become HBS master trainers in Kingston Jamaica, May 2017

(HBS Master Trainees with trainers; photo taken by Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy)
HBS Master Trainers with Drs. Stevens, McMillan and Campbell-Yeo, Kingston Jamaica, May 2017