Rapid analysis of community needs, perspectives, and concerns during global health emergencies is essential but technically challenging. In the past, emergency responders have struggled to listen to and engage affected communities because of perceptions about anticipated costs and time delays in receiving actionable results.

Despite increased antiretroviral therapy (ART) access in South Africa, HIV testing and ART initiation are suboptimal in hospital settings. Key gaps include in-hospital case finding, ART initiation support, and primary health care (PHC) facility linkage after discharge.

There is a shortage of individuals trained in using quantitative methods in biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Improving public health in SSA requires new ways to promote quantitative knowledge and skills among faculty in biomedical research and better-integrated network systems of support.

In San Lucas Tolimán (SLT), Guatemala, a rural municipality with a large Indigenous population, women seeking cervical cancer screening face many barriers. We describe the process from design to implementation of a culturally appropriate and accessible cervical cancer screening and treatment pilot program for women aged 30-49 years.

Prioritizing the development of a healthy market ecosystem for equitable menstrual health within the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action can ensure that individuals have access to destigmatized, unbiased, and complete information, products, and services they need to manage their menstrual health.

The majority of neonatal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, most often due to perinatal events, prematurity, and/or infection. Reprocessing of neonatal resuscitation equipment is vital for ensuring the availability of clean equipment and preventing transmission of infection to a newborn. Staff at Tenwek Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in rural Kenya, identified reprocessing medical equipment as a gap in improving neonatal care. We sought to implement steam-based high-level disinfection (HLD) for reprocessing neonatal resuscitation equipment in the labor and delivery ward of Tenwek Hospital.

The application of human-centered design (HCD) is growing in global health, given its potential to generate innovative solutions to entrenched health problems by prioritizing human perspectives, needs, and desires. To address gaps in consolidated evidence on prior programs, we conducted a review of studies that applied a comprehensive HCD approach in low- and middle-income countries. A total of 535 articles were initially identified. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 22 articles were included. Most studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and used qualitative or mixed methods throughout the HCD work. In the "discover and define" phase, user personas, journey maps, and interviews were commonly used to empathize with end users and key stakeholders. Studies used various strategies in the "ideation" phase, including idea generation based on feasibility and resource constraints. In the "testing" phase, low-fidelity prototypes were tested to obtain feedback from end users and stakeholders, enabling quick and cost-effective refinements. Prototype iterations occurred twice in most studies, but information about when iterations ceased was limited. Evaluations of design outcomes and health impacts were lacking. Studies cited multidisciplinary approaches, flexible methodology, and a sense of ownership among users and communities as strengths of HCD. Contrastingly, challenges in consistent participant engagement and limited scientific rigor were reported as weaknesses. Elements that enhanced program reporting included clear descriptions of HCD as cyclical, stakeholder maps (empathy tools), visual materials on design activities and prototypes, and transparency in failures. We recommend strengthening capacity among those applying HCD to optimize the effectiveness of the approach for global health. Although HCD is not inherently intended to serve as a rigorous research method, data triangulation and proper evaluations may ensure its usability as evidence in health research when appropriate. Also, a thorough reporting of design phases and providing detailed rationale behind design decisions can advance future HCD literature.

Gender-based violence (GBV) not only poses significant public health and human rights challenges but is also closely associated with HIV. GBV acts as a barrier to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment adherence, and fear of GBV inhibits disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners. In Malawi, where both GBV and HIV prevalence is high, integrating GBV services into HIV care is crucial. We describe the integration of GBV services into Lighthouse Trust's HIV testing and treatment clinics in Malawi, including screening, documentation, intervention implementation, outcomes, and lessons learned.

Electronic decision-support systems (EDSSs) aim to improve the quality of antenatal care (ANC) through adherence to evidence-based guidelines. We assessed the potential of the mHealth integrated model of hypertension, diabetes, and ANC EDSS and the World Health Organization EDSS to improve the quality of ANC in primary-level health care facilities in Nepal.

This article describes exploratory research conducted to understand pathways to entering the public health supply chain (PHSC) workforce in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to identify potential barriers for women working in this field and gather suggestions on how to improve gender equity in the PHSC workforce. Key informant interviews were conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi with health sciences students, health science education professionals, individuals currently working in the PHSC workforce, and global stakeholders. An online survey was conducted with responses from PHSC professionals across 26 countries. The survey and interviews revealed that respondents perceived that there were gender imbalances and inequities at all levels of the PHSC workforce. Respondents reported on barriers for women to receive the education, training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities needed to advance in this profession, barriers to traveling for work due to cultural norms and safety concerns, and a lack of policy and structural support for women to feel safe and supported at work. To improve gender equity in the PHSC workforce, we recommend strengthening career pathways for women; fostering mentorship opportunities among women; making recruitment practices more gender sensitive; implementing gender-sensitive policies; improving access to financial, physical, and technological resources; collecting and using gender-disaggregated data; and increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

The Theory of Change for Building Human Resources for Supply Chain Management (TOC) offers a practical framework outlining 4 interdependent pathways-staffing, skills, working conditions, and motivation-to manage the workforce quantity and capability necessary to operate health supply chains effectively. We conducted a desk review of project reports on applications of the TOC as a diagnostic and analytical framework for health supply chains in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, and the Philippines. We compared approaches to program development, project management, and implementation to reach conclusions and make recommendations based on experience in each country. The TOC can be applied in multiple country contexts, is useful in highlighting supply workforce challenges, and provides a framework that allows governments and technical partners to readdress them.

Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to have a limited supply of skilled supply chain (SC) management professionals in the public sector. In addition, the SC workforce lacks the competencies demanded by new technologies and markets. Young people may be an untapped resource for the procurement and SC management workforce. We present 3 use cases in which career development paths were created for young SC professionals in Benin, Kenya, and South Africa. In Benin, with advocacy from L'Association des Logisticiens Béninois, the professional body of logisticians, career development opportunities were made through creating specific programs like the Young Logisticians Professionals Program. SAPICS, the professional body for SC management in South Africa, has been providing opportunities for career development by giving students and young professionals access to subject matter experts, conferences, site visits, and various industry-specific training and networking opportunities, as well as general "job readiness" training through coaching and mentorship programs. In Kenya, the Girls on the Move program focuses on introducing SC management as a career path to girls through internships, skills training, and mentorship, all aimed at equipping them for successful work placements. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of SC management and highlighted vulnerabilities that demand greater responsiveness and resilience. In the post-COVID era, it is imperative for the public SC sector to build an agile and skilled workforce capable of addressing immediate needs and supporting long-term pandemic preparedness. The cases presented show how opportunities for training, mentorship, and work experience were made available to young professionals and highlight some of the positive outcomes of these initiatives. The cases also illustrate innovative approaches to developing career pathways for youth in LMICs that aim to expand the pool of skilled professionals who can strengthen public SCs and enhance their capacity to respond to future challenges.

The articles in this supplement delve into the most pertinent topics in human resources for supply chain management (SCM), offering case studies and insights that exemplify best practices to strengthen the capacity of the health SCM workforce, support well-functioning health systems and increase access to health commodities.

In 2022, 10% of an estimated 560,000 people living with HIV in Thailand were unaware of their HIV status. A well-established HIV program is a solid platform for integrating HIV self-testing (HST) as part of efforts to end AIDS. We analyzed how HST was integrated into the national HIV program and became a benefit package.

Timely access to emergency obstetric care (EmOC) remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, influenced by poor health care utilization and rapid urbanization. Studies show poor maternal health outcomes in African cities, reflecting weak health systems. Understanding care-seeking pathways is key to improving service delivery and health outcomes. We examined self-reported care-seeking pathways among women with obstetric complications in Kampala City, Uganda.

We evaluated the Informed Health Choices secondary school intervention in a cluster randomized trial in Rwanda. The intervention was effective in helping students to think critically about health. In parallel to the trial, we conducted a process evaluation to assess factors affecting the implementation, impacts, and scale-up of the intervention.

We evaluated the Informed Health Choices secondary school intervention to help students in Kenya think critically about health choices. We conducted this process evaluation to explore if the intervention was implemented as planned, identify factors that facilitated or hindered implementation, potential benefits of the intervention, and how to scale up the intervention beyond the trial.

Health information systems (HIS) are vital in supporting all aspects of managing health systems, financing, policymaking, and service delivery. A package of priority HIS interventions was piloted in selected woredas across all regions in Ethiopia. This study examined the impact of HIS interventions on maternal and child health (MCH) service utilization.

We designed the Informed Health Choices (IHC) secondary school intervention and evaluated whether it improves students' ability to assess the trustworthiness of claims about treatment effects in Uganda. We conducted a process evaluation alongside a randomized trial to identify factors that may affect the implementation, fidelity, and scaling up of the intervention in Uganda. We also explored the potential adverse and beneficial effects of the intervention.

In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action established the empowerment and autonomy of women as fundamental to achieving sustainable economic and social progress. Three decades later, significant strides have been made in enhancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, deep-rooted gender inequality continues to impede substantial progress for many. We assess the advancements made under the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically through indicator 5.6.1, which measures women's SRHR decision-making.