Halea Meese L&S Sciences
The effect of the implementation of a national health insurance scheme on mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS in selected nations of Sub-Saharan Africa
My project will examine the effect of national health insurance on rates of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS (MTCT) in Sub-Saharan Africa. I will compare five nations of the region that have implemented national health insurance and compare their rates of MTCT to a control group of another five that have not. I will utilize data from various sources to compile a large data set on each of the ten nations and thus control for the necessary variables so that the two groups of 5 may be compared and statistical significance of results can be determined. From this data I hope to find what, if any, aspects of national health insurance help to reduce MTCT and provide recommendations for future health policy.
Message To Sponsor
The SURF program allows me to conduct research that builds upon my experiences in Ghana during the fall of 2010. The interviews I conducted there allowed me to identify barriers to women receiving treatment to prevent MTCT. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to look at health policy in Sub-Saharan Africa on a more macroscopic level. In the future, I plan to attend medical school and receive a Master's degree in public policy and work in international health.
Major: Public Health
Mentor: Nancy Padian, School of Public Health