Current Recipients (Fall 2011)

Jason Bell

(Obstetrics & Gynecology)
Assessing the Need for the Integration of Family Planning and HIV Services in Kumasi, Ghana
Many of the same risk factors that place women at risk for unplanned pregnancy also place them at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. The integration of family planning services with HIV/AIDS care has received increased attention of late, however the evidence base for this remains limited. The overall purpose of this project is to establish a foundation for improving the integration of family planning services into existing HIV/AIDS services. The primary aim is to assess the family planning priorities of patients who are seeking HIV testing and treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital HIV clinic in Kumasi, Ghana.

Lindsey Bloore

(Psychiatry and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System)
Development and Evaluation of a Women Veteran’s MOVE! Weight Management Program
The VA Ann Arbor Health Care System is currently implementing the MOVE! weight managment program for all veterans in mixed-gender groups. It is likely, however, that women veterans underutilize the MOVE! program due to concerns regarding relevance of the group for their unique health and weight-related issues and goals. For this reason, we are developing a Women's MOVE! program that is tailored to the needs of female veterans. Outcomes to be assessed include participation intensity (number of encounters), weight loss, and cholesterol levels. Quality of life and health behavior change will also be assessed pre and postintervention.

David Caron

Romance Languages [French] and Women's Studies
“Sex and Justice” Conference
Sex has long been an area of interest for both academics and activists, but an analysis of how sex becomes the site of state regulation, social control, and social anxiety more generally is not yet well understood. The "Sex and Justice" conference will examine the politics and regulation of sex by bringing together scholars and activists working on the intersection of law, sex, and social justice in the areas of sex work, the criminalization of HIV, and age of consent law. In doing so, this event aims to build the foundation necessary to analyze how sex is intertwined with justice.

Paul Clyde

(Business Economics and Public Policy and Part-time MBA Program)
Funding
Women’s Health Care at Panzi Hospital: Assessing the Business Model and Increasing Capacity
Panzi Hospital, located in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) treats more than 3600 rape victims annually, but is still unable to serve all of the women in need of care. This study will advance our understanding of Panzi Hospital's business model with the ultimate goal of increasing its capacity and improving the efficiency with which it provides high-quality care. Specifically, the project will review the hospital's processes, including outreach programs, patient flow and HR. Based on that understanding, we will work with Panzi's leadership to identify specific areas on which to focus to increase the capacity and level of care provided.

Patricia Coleman-Burns

(Afroamerican and African Studies and Nursing)
Leading from Behind: A Participatory Action Model! Bringing Culturally Competent, Evidence-based Health Literacy to a Black Faith-based Community to Reduce Disparate Health Outcomes in African American Women and Girls
Whether it is the latest innovations in health care, education/learning, IT, life skills, etc., seldom does such culturally competent, evidence-based, scientific and current information find their way to those with the greatest need for impact, change, and transformation. Leading from Behind brings emerging scholarship, best practices, and cutting-edge knowledge to build organizational capacity and address health issues for women and/or girls, global and domestic violence against women, and racial identity to two womens/girls initiatives in 2012, sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a faith-based community.

Lilia Cortina

(Psychology and Women's Studies)
Gender, (In)Justice, and International Occupational Health Psychology
The bulk of my research addresses gender and unjust treatment on the job. On the flip side, I recently began studying exceptionally just, kind, and caring encounters in the workplace. This grant will allow me to expand this scholarship by connecting it with the international "occupational health psychology" community and developing a new collaboration (and new federal grant applications) with organizational behavior researchers in Canada and the UK.

Megan Eagle

(tNursing)
Addressing the Risk of Maternal Mortality in Rural Ecuador
In Ecuador, the maternal mortality rates in some rural provinces are almost three times the national average. This project will implement and evaluate the Home-based Life-saving Skills model in four rural communities in central Ecuador. The model focuses on supporting women and their families as they consider how to make childbirth safer. The feasibility and acceptability of the model for use in rural communities with high rates of birth attended by untrained personnel will be evaluated.

Dae Hee Kwak

(Kinesiology)
Selling Pink: Exploring the Impact of Breast Cancer-related Marketing Campaigns on Consumer Perception toward the Cause
Breast cancer has become one of the most popular philanthropic causes for many organizations to generate revenue. Some critics argue that breast cancer-related marketing programs are actually benefiting the sponsoring companies rather than the cause. In light of this criticism, this study explores the impact of corporate-driven breast cancer-related marketing campaigns on consumer perceptions of the cause and cause-supporting behaviors. A series of research experiments will investigate the effects of visual cues, perceived sincerity, and gender on consumers' response to breast cancer-related marketing initiatives.

Zoe McLaren

(Health Management and Policy)
Cost Effectiveness of Medical Devices to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Low-resource Settings
This will be the first study to compare cost-effectiveness for more than 40 medical devices used to diagnose and treat the five primary causes of maternal mortality in limited-resource settings. We will gather cost-effectiveness data from the literature and from interviews with experts, and use a unified decision-tree framework to calculate measures of cost per death averted by each device. Our results will allow practitioners and policy makers to determine which technologies are most appropriate for their particular settings.

Terri Sarris

(Screen Arts and Culures)
Finishing Funds for the Film The Radiant Sun: Designer Ruth Adler Schnee The Radiant Sun is a film that explores the life and work of Ruth Adler Schnee, an American textile designer who has been called "A Detroit Treasure and American Legacy." This grant will help cover the costs of renegotiated rights fees for archival materials and for commercial replication and distribution of the film in conjunction with a new exhibition of Ruth Adler Schnee's textiles.

Rebecca Thornton

(Economics)
South African Women in the Workforce: Cost and Motivational Barriers to Entry
This is for exploratory work on the barriers to job search among South African female youth, which examines the causal effect of the costs of job search and motivation on job search behaviors and employment. This pilot involves a baseline survey among a representative sample of unemployed female youth living in a township community. The study will involve two cross-cut interventions: immediately after the baseline survey, respondents will be randomly allocated a one-shot monetary transfer, varying the amounts; in addition, some randomly selected respondents will be given a motivational pep talk and counseling, including a strategic plan for job search. Follow-up data collection will measure job search and job participation with face-to-face interviews and high-frequency short phone interviews.

Mieko Yoshihama

(Social Work)
Great East Japan Earthquake through Women’s Lenses: Past, Present, and Future
Using PhotoVoice, this participatory action research project aims to strengthen gender-informed disaster response by engaging the very women affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, in analyses of their own conditions and advocacy efforts. By taking photographs of their life conditions and through group discussions, participants will document and analyze their experiences and challenges faced as women through their own perspectives/lenses. Participants, together with researchers and collaborating women's organizations, will examine the ways in which sociocultural and structural factors affect women's vulnerabilities; identify strategies to promote women's safety during and post disaster; and advocate for change.