At the Second Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Beijing (31 October to 3 November 2012), CHEPSAA presented the following presentation: MIRZOEV, T., LE, G., KALLIECHARAN, R., AGYEPONG, I., ERASMUS, E., GOUDGE, J., KAMUZORA, P., U., L., OKEYO, S., DE SAVIGNY, D., TOMSON, G., UZOCHUKWU, B. & GILSON, L. (2012) Capacity for Health Policy and Systems Research and Analysis in seven African universities. Second Global Symposium on Health Systems Research. Beijing.

1. Capacity for Health Policy
and Systems Research and
Analysis in seven African
universities
Tolib Mirzoev; Gillian Le; Ricky Kalliecharan; Irene
Agyepong; Ermin Erasmus; Jane Goudge; Peter
Kamuzora; Uta Lehmann; Stephen Okeyo; Don de
Savigny; Goran Tomson; Benjamin Uzochukwu;
Lucy Gilson
Second Global Symposium on Health Systems Research
Beijing, 31 October – 3 November 2012

2. Presentation outline
1. Introduction
a. Background
b. CHEPSAA project
2. Scope and methods
3. Main findings
4. Key messages
5. Project activities in
strengthening capacities

3. Introduction
• HPSR+A is essential for HS strengthening and achieving universal
health coverage
– BUT… capacity for HPSR+A is limited in lower income countries
• A range of organisations require analytical capacity e.g. MOH, think
tanks, civil society, academia
• Local universities are particularly important, because of teaching
mandate and knowledge production
• HOWEVER…
– Little is known about capacity of universities to teach and research HPSR+A
– No frameworks were found for assessing HPSR+A capacity

4. CHEPSAA project (2011-2014)
• Consortium for Health Policy and Systems Analysis in Africa
• Innovative EC-funded four-year collaboration between 7 African
and 4 European universities.
• Aims to strengthen capacity of universities in Ghana, Kenya,
Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa to:
– produce high quality HPSR+A work
– provide HPSR+A training
– engage with networks
– communicate research into policy and practice

5. Capacity needs assessments
• We aimed to:
– inform planning of project activities
– contribute to wider organisational development and building the field of
HPSR+A nationally and internationally
• Phased 3 level approach (context, organisational, individual)
• Focus on capacity assets and capacity needs
– Self-assessments by each institution using a common framework
– Data collection methods: document reviews, interviews and surveys
– Comparative analysis drawing on study country reports

6. Thematic areas for capacity assessments
Wider context including demand for HPSR+A
Nature of organisations
Leadership and Resources (staff numbers and
Governance skills, funding, infrastructure)
Quality assurance for Scope of HPSR+A activities
Research & Teaching
Research Teaching
Networking and GRIPP

7. Capacity needs within each assessment area
...take account of wider
context
...generate and use ...lead and govern
resources
CAPACITY
TO...
...ensure quality of ...communicate and
HPSR+A work network
(research and teaching)
...maintain demand for
HPSR+A work

8. Key Findings

9. Nature of organisations
University of Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania)
Institute of Development Studies
University of Ghana (Ghana) • All partners are
School of Public Health units/departments within
Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management wider universities
University of Nigeria Enugu (Nigeria) • All partners are recognised
Health Policy Research Group
Department of Health Administration and Management HPSR+A groups nationally
and internationally
Great Lakes University of Kisumu (Kenya)
Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development • With exception of IDS
(Tanzania), all are health-
University of Cape Town (South Africa) specific
Health Policy and Systems Programme
Health Economics Unit
University of the Western Cape (South Africa)
School of Public Health
University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Centre for Health Policy

10. Nature of organisations
Leadership and governance
• Vision for HPSR+A mostly exists and relates to wider
institutional purpose
• Structures and processes to support HPSR+A exist
• HPSR+A „champions‟ exist but succession challenges
Resources
• Staff shortages especially senior
• Different income patterns including unpredictable external
funding
• Infrastructural constraints in East/West Africa but not South
Africa.

11. Scope of HPSR+A activities
HPSR+A work
• All partners actively engaged in HPSR+A research and teaching
• Lack of clarity on identity of HPSR+A compared with clinical sciences
Quality Assurance for HPSR+A
• QA exists for both research and teaching
– research – most attention on proposal and output and less on process
– teaching – clear links with institutional guidelines where exist
Communication, Networking, GRIPP
• Different GRIPP mechanisms are used in partner institutions
• All involved in research networks BUT no HPSR+A teaching networks
were found

12. Wider context
Demand for HPSR+A Research & Teaching
• Growing (but still limited) demand for HPSR+A research and
teaching
– organisational funding for teaching is primarily from government
– limited domestic funding for research
– research priorities may be skewed by reliance on international funding
• Few systematic opportunities for researcher-practitioner
engagement
– lack of coordinated HPSR+A research priorities
– limited uptake of evidence by decision-makers

13. Key messages
1. Local universities are central to strengthening
HPSR+A capacity
2. CHEPSAA African partners already have
capacity „assets‟ to build upon
3. HPSR+A is an international priority and existing
activity in Africa
– HOWEVER still an emerging field that needs support

14. CHEPSAA capacity strengthening activities
• Clarifying / refining vision for HPSR+A
• Aligning HPSR+A capacity strengthening within organisational
development
- strengthening skills for curriculum design and teaching
- developing „Young Leaders' programme for Africa
• Mainstreaming HPSR+A into undergraduate and postgraduate
teaching
- open access course on „Intro to Health Policy and Systems‟
- advanced course on „Health Policy Analysis‟
• Developing a model HPSR+A training curricula with Africa-relevant
training content
• ...
For more information please visit : http://www.hpsa-africa.org/

15. Creative Commons
license
“Capacity for Health Policy and Systems Research and Analysis in seven African
universities”
By: Tolib Mirzoev; Gillian Le; Ricky Kalliecharan; Irene Agyepong; Ermin Erasmus; Jane
Goudge; Peter Kamuzora; Uta Lehmann; Stephen Okeyo; Don de Savigny; Goran
Tomson; Benjamin Uzochukwu; Lucy Gilson
is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5
South Africa License. Please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/za/
for terms and conditions.

16. Thank you !
University of Dar Es Salaam University of Witwatersrand
Institute of Development Studies Centre for Health Policy
University of Ghana University of Leeds
School of Public Health Nuffield Centre for International Health and
Department of Health Policy, Planning and Development
Management
University of Nigeria Enugu London School of Hygiene and
Health Policy Research Group & the Tropical Medicine
Department of Health Administration and Health Economics and Systems Analysis
Management Group, Depart of Global Health & Dev.
Great Lakes University of Kisumu Karolinska Institutet
Tropical Institute of Community Health and Health Systems and Policy Group,
Development Department of Public Health Sciences
University of Cape Town Swiss Tropical and Public Health
Health Policy and Systems Programme, Institute
Health Economics Unit Health Systems Research Group
University of the Western Cape
School of Public Health
http://www.hpsa-africa.org/