 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Signy Judd, MPH, Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415-502-7371, sjudd@itsa.ucsf.edu, Tracy Weitz, MPA, Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy and the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, Box 0744, 3333 California Street, Ste 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0744, Felicia Stewart, MD, Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California at San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143-0744, and Esther Tahrir, MPH, International Health Programs, 210 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
The International Family Planning Leadership Program (IFPLP), funded by the Packard and Gates Foundations, brings leaders from diverse disciplines together for training and agenda setting, and provides technical support in the field. Hailing from southern Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, participants represent both the private and public sectors. From senators to newspaper reporters to clinicians, IFPLP fellows share a commitment to improving reproductive health conditions in the region. Now in its fourth year, IFPLP has trained and continues to work with 75 leaders in the region.
The Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy at the University of California, San Francisco oversees the training and technical assistance components of IFPLP related to contraceptive technology. Our objective is to teach fellows from all disciplines about the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of contraceptive methods, and programmatic strategies for ensuring access and quality, using an evidence-based approach. Participants attend seminars; learn how to find and evaluate scientific information on the internet; and discuss conflicts in the field and how to tackle them.
Pre-post tests, and qualitative interviews with 55 fellows over a three-year period, indicate that participants’ knowledge about contraceptive technology is significantly higher at the end of the training. More importantly, this knowledge has been used to revise clinical guidelines; implement new programs and services; and successfully advocate for national policy change. Despite roadblocks, IFPLP fellows have increased awareness of, accessibility to and use of contraceptive technology in Mexico and Central America.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: International Reproductive Health, Contraception
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.