Engaging Faith Healers to Promote Improved Rural Healthcare Outcomes

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In Ghana, the pursuit of good health often entails engaging with a variety of healing approaches, which encompass indigenous beliefs, faith-based practices, and modern biomedical healthcare systems. Recognizing the important role faith healers play in the promotion of public health, OKB Hope Foundation is keen to identify strategies through which they can collaboratively work with faith healers to promote access to medical care to lower mortality rates that arise from chronic non-communicable diseases (e.g., Strokes, diabetes) and infections (e.g., Malaria, respiratory disease & HIV).

The SMART Challenge

OKB needs assistance in designing and conducting a field study that will allow the organization’s leadership and care providers to know, (I) what are the community members’ health-seeking behaviors in Kumasi,  (II) what role faith healers play in promoting access to medical care, as well as their perceptions towards use and adoption of community-based health insurance (CBHI).

NB: This competitive project offers unique opportunities to both Cornell and University of Ghana students.

2023-2024 SMART Fellows

Caled Al-Adsani

Master of Public Administration, Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

Project: Engaging Faith Healers to Promote Improved Rural Healthcare Outcomes

Caled is a first-year MPA student with a concentration in International Development. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations. Prior to joining Cornell, he worked as a Congressional Intern for Congressman Neguse and as a campaign intern for Senator Chris Hanson. In terms of international experience, Caled worked with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) in Sub-Saharan Africa reviewing their rapid response mechanisms. Caled currently works with the Center for Regional Economic Advancement to engage local entrepreneurs as a method for development.

Nia Clements

Master of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine 

Project: Engaging Faith Healers to Promote Improved Rural Healthcare Outcomes

Nia is a second-year master of Public Health candidate concentrating in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Her experiences have enabled her to assess health concerns to build interventions that improve population health on both a community and nationwide level. She has previously worked with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, OKB Hope Foundation, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Her primary research interest is health disparities and epidemiology of environmental exposures and hopes to use this exposomics focus to inform community action and policy to improve health outcomes for all. 

 

Sierra Kinsler

Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management, Charles Dyson School of Applied Economics

Project: Engaging Faith Healers to Promote Improved Rural Healthcare Outcomes

 

Sierra is a fourth-year student with a concentration in International Trade and Development. Previously,  Sierra participated in a transformative global learning program featuring travel to Argentina, Spain, and South Africa to comparatively analyze policy, urban planning, and culture across cities. As an Obama-Chesky Voyager for Public Service, she studies the impact of art and music on mental health while developing an art therapy program with her family in Baltimore, Maryland. In her recent internship with McKinsey & Company, she gained experience in higher education consulting and research and development. 

Sofia Rubinson

Bachelor of Arts in Government, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Project: Engaging Faith Healers to Promote Improved Rural Healthcare Outcomes

Sofia is a senior majoring in Government. She is currently the managing editor of The Cornell Daily Sun where she leads all objective editorial content and reports daily on the University and City of Ithaca. This past summer, she was an intern for NewsGuard where she conducted misinformation research. With a passion for journalistic integrity and telling people’s stories accurately, she is excited to learn structural research skills through the Engaging Faith Healers in Rural Ghana Project. Sofia hopes to use her interviewing and communication skills to encourage productive dialogue surrounding the healthcare situation in rural communities in Ghana and work collaboratively with faith healers to promote access to care.

Project Lead and Faculty Advisors

Dr. Lorraine Francis

Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine

Lorraine Francis is a public health professional with extensive knowledge of health systems from over twenty years’ experience in several public health areas including epidemiology, surveillance, emergency and outbreak response, laboratory systems, environmental health and research. In her current role as Associate Professor of Practice with the Master in Public Health Program, she brings her interest in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Health Systems strengthening given the public health challenges in Small Island Developing States and Developing Countries. Lorraine holds a DrPH, MPH and BSC from the University of the West Indies and a MHA from the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health.

Field Dates: Jan 7-16, 2024
Field Location: Ghana