Gynuity Staff attends Maternal and Child Health Conference in Senegal

Gynuity staff in Dakar, Senegal attended a two day meeting on October 8-9, 2015, hosted by the West African Health Organization (WAHO). This meeting was a first step in an ongoing, Canadian-led project exploring region-specific ways to overcome barriers to knowledge transfer and evidence dissemination in the field of Maternal and Child health. Gynuity staff members joined stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, Senegal, large universities and research institutions, professional associations, NGOs, religious authorities, and other public health workers to share incites. The participants heard multiple presentations on regional initiatives related to research on maternal, newborn and child health. A consultant hired specifically to do research on the limitations of knowledge transfer in the region presented findings in the form of a report. Conversations centered on specific cultural and structural barriers related to gender equity in the field of maternal and children’s health. This goal of this meeting was to share information about maternal health among public health works in complementary roles, and to brainstorm ways to further the communication between the researchers, providers and policy makers.