Caroline Kusi, PhD, MPH

Clients: Common Thread, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dina Towbin and Associates, YLabs Global, Mott MacDonald, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and the University of Texas-Austin Design Institute for Health

• Served as Senior Social and Behavior Change Researcher and Designer and Team Lead, leading in-country research and program phase and engagement with the Ghana Health Service, Common Thread, YLabs, and UNICEF
• Served as Behavioral Scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, providing technical and strategic input into malaria-related social and behavior change programming at the global level.
• Provided strategic and technical direction to increase demand for reproductive health, malaria, and neglected tropical disease services among adolescents, health workers, and communities
• Designed and executed formative assessments and interventions by developing research plans, collecting and analyzing data, and using insights to develop plans of action, in collaboration with in-country stakeholders. I used social and behavior change approaches and frameworks (e.g. human centered design, behavioral economics, socio-ecological model, social cognitive theory, etc), proven strategies (e.g. mass media, digital health, network interventions) for improving health behaviors to inform the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions
• Supported capacity strengthening trainings and activities for the ministry of health, health workers, and non governmental organizations to enable them to identify behaviors and factors associated with behaviors, and develop strategies to improve behaviors
• Led the development of reports and review of emerging issues in the areas of NTD and immunization campaigns
• Applied community-based participatory and human-centered design methods to identify barriers and facilitators of equitable delivery of neglected tropical diseases and immunizations interventions (e.g. vaccines, preventive chemotherapy) to impoverished communities in Ghana and Liberia, and propose solutions (Mott MacDonald, University of Texas, Austin Design Institute for Health
• Provided strategic, technical, and operational oversight in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a human-centered design pilot program (anchored in community-based participatory research) focused on increasing quality abortion care services for adolescents in Ghana. The pilot program tested community acceptance of an intervention that engaged pharmacists to refer adolescents in need of abortion care to the project clinic; developed a confidential hotline and WhatsApp group serviced by peer mentors to offer advice and resources; and launched 'Girl Boss' events to de-stigmatize abortion and connect adolescents with influential individuals
• Developed human-centered design analytical frameworks, research and administrative tools and protocols, and grant proposals focused on improving health service delivery in Ghana and Liberia
• Interacted with and advised the United Kingdom Department for International Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and non-governmental organizations on the application of human-centered design and community-based participatory methods to strengthen health systems in Africa
• Provided technical and programmatic input into social and behavior change guidance and policy documents

• Demonstration of my work: https://ntdsupportcenter.medium.com/seeing-the-faces-why-social-science-is-important-in-the-fight-against-neglected-tropical-diseases-919750b5160a
• Reviewed social and behavior change funding proposals and ensured that they possessed scientific rigor and technical merit, and addressed programmatic challenges
• Collaborated across diseases and with implementing partners to ensure that all social and behavior change research and program objectives were met.
• Developed research agendas and social and behavior change strategies for improving the effective engagement of national NTD programs.
• Developed and reviewed budgets, workplans, reports, and administrative tools to ensure timely and strategic implementation of all projects.
• Chaired and led social and behavior change research engagement and translation activities by synthesizing research findings, making cultural adaptations to interventions, and building country capacity to sustain change
• Galvanized discussions with partners to strengthen partnerships within countries and across the world to scale new mass drug administration strategies
• Coordinated efforts with the World Health Organization around the advancement of using social and behavior change operational research to inform program activities in endemic countries
• Worked with the World Health Organization, United States Agency for International Development, and the United Kingdom Department for International Development to facilitate linkages between country programs and local researchers to collaboratively identify implementation challenges and test solutions
• Worked with country partners to collect and analyze data for decision-making
• Made social and behavior change recommendations on health systems strengthening strategies across countries
• Conducted and supervised field visits and training in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Burkina Faso
• Designed and executed social and behavior change qualitative and quantitative research studies that had an impact on the delivery of neglected tropical diseases program interventions in resource-limited settings

• Spearheaded and drove the implementation of a randomized control trial in Rwanda funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, catalyzing the successful rollout of a group antenatal care model across 30 healthcare facilities to reduce preterm birth rates
• Developed work plans, budgets, monitoring and evaluation plans, and administrative tools.
• Supported and supervised monitoring and evaluation activities in over thirty healthcare facilities across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda
• Coordinated with partners like UNICEF, the Rwanda Ministry of Health, and JHPIEGO to ensure that all technical guidance reflected global best practices for antenatal care
• Developed strong relationships with local and international partners and donors to optimize and ensure cross-fertilization of collaborations and opportunities for addressing preterm births in East Africa
• Supported the design of a group care model for antenatal care delivery
• Engaged senior leaders in efforts to adopt a culture of improvement to achieve high quality of care for mothers and babies
• Monitored and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data and trends from the quality improvement database, facility assessments, interviews, and plan, do, study, act cycles to identify areas for improvement in healthcare facilities in Kenya and Uganda
• Mentored healthcare providers and program staff
• Managed and supported the development of survey and qualitative tools
• Oversaw field logistics, country teams, vendor contracts, budgets, and translation of study documents
• Conducted site visits and supervised field operations, including data collection
• Consulted with subject matter experts to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices
• Supported the preparation and dissemination of reports for partners and donors

• Analyzed and synthesized customer satisfaction data and metrics from surveys and various communication channels to determine program implications
• Developed tools and systems to collect and review performance measures on an ongoing basis
• Designed program evaluations for 3 programs
• Provided ongoing updates and status of evaluation activities to division leadership
• Developed internal partnerships to collect feedback about congressional budget justification summaries
• Coordinated and led strategic planning activities for three programs
• Disseminated key data and evaluation findings to team and division leadership
• Outlined challenges and proposed solutions
• Led knowledge translation discussions and articulate implications for program leaders
• Developed and coordinated the review of strategic plans for programs