LiST training for NIPN Niger Team

2-12 May 2023 - Capacity for Nutrition - National Information Platform for Nutrition (C4N-NIPN) agreed to mandate a C4N-NIPN consultant (Youssouf Keita) to conduct a training to equip NIPN actors with skills to support the formulation of country nutrition action plans by assessing the context, causes of death, trends in indicators, effectiveness of interventions, etc., - Read more

LiST Francophone Regional Training

13-14 July 2022 - The Department of Education and Research in Public Health (DERSP) at the University of Bamako, Mali in collaboration with the LiST technical group at JHU hosted virtual training sessions to present LiST and its fields of application to French-speaking audience. - Read more

LiST training in Mali

29-30 June 2022 - Two LiST team members travelled to Bamako, Mali to lead a training focus on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. - Read more

LiST training in Burkina Faso

23-24 June 2022 - Two LiST team members travelled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to lead a training focused on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. - Read more

LiST training in Niger

8-9 June 2022 - Two LiST team members travelled to Dosso, Niger to lead a training focused on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. - Read more

LiST Online training series with WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA

15 March 2021 - The LiST team held a three week workshop virtual workshop series for regional and country teams of UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF. - Read more

The Lancet: Vaccines against 10 diseases prevented 37 million deaths in low- and middle-income countries in the last 20 years 

2 February 2021- Vaccine programmes in low- and middle-income countries have prevented 37 million deaths in the last 20 years alone – 36 million of which would have been in children aged under-five. These are the findings of the most comprehensive study of the impact of vaccination programmes yet undertaken, published in The Lancet. Read more.

Masters of Public Health LiST training in Bamako

22 June 2018 - In 2017, the Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako(University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako - USTTB) requested that a 5-day course on using the Lives Saved Tool be integrated into their second year Masters of Public Health curriculum for all three available specializations (nutrition, epidemiology and community health). The course was officially adopted as part of the curriculum on in January 2018, and the first iteration of the course took place from 18-22 June, 2018. - Read more

Using LiST for nutrition planning in Mozambique

4 June 2018 - From 4-8 June 2018, two LiST team members travelled to Maputo, Mozambique to lead a training specifically on the potential applications of LiST for nutrition. Task team members of the Plataforma Nacional de Saude Maternal e das Crianças e Nutrição (PNSMCN - National Platform for Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition) of Mozambique’s National Health Observatory attended this training to re-familiarize themselves with the tool, and to look at ways that LiST can be used to analyze performance and plan strategically in Mozambique’s nutrition sector. Representatives from the Instituto Nacional de Saude (INS), UNICEF, the Secretariado Técnico de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (SETSAN), the Instituto Superior de Ciências de Saúde (ISCISA) and the Direcção Planificação e Cooperação (MISAU-DPC) actively participated in the 5-day workshop.  - Read more

Masters of Public Health LiST training in Bamako

In 2017, the Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako - USTTB) requested that a 5-day course on using the Lives Saved Tool be integrated into their second year Masters of Public Health curriculum for all three available specializations (nutrition, epidemiology and community health). The course was officially adopted as part of the curriculum on in January 2018, and the first iteration of the course took place from 18-22 June, 2018.

Background

LiST was used in Mali to evaluate the mortality targets set out in national plan within the context of a Global Affairs Canada (GAC)-funded National Evaluation Platform (NEP) initiative implemented by the Institute for International Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (IIP-JHU) from 2014-2018. In-country home institutions were national public health research institutions, namely the Centre de Recherche et de Documentation pour la Survie de l’Enfant (CREDOS), the Institut National de la Recherche en Santé Publique (INRSP), the Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT), the Direction National de la Santé within the Ministère de la Santé de et l’Hygiène Publique (DNS/MSHP), and the Cellule de Planification et de Statistique (CPS/SS-DS-PF).

The findings from this first evaluation – namely that the mortality targets established in national strategic plans would not be reached – led to the recommendation by the steering committee that LiST be used to aid in setting more realistic national mortality targets. It also generated interest in using LiST as a strategic planning tool at the national level, and training regional staff to allow them to use LiST for evidence-based regional health planning.

Training

From June 18-22, 2018, 21 second-year MPH USTTB students took part in a training facilitated by IIP-JHU members as well as one Bamako-based NEP Technical Task Team member. All but one of the students are medical doctors who in most cases have already been practicing for a number of years either as medical professionals or in public health institutions. All three streams (nutrition, epidemiology, and community health) took part in the training.

Students were trained on the technical considerations for using LiST, on nutrition in LiST, and on creating sub-national projections in LiST. Students then used the software to create projections and carry out a number of hands-on tasks. The overall objective of the training was for students to gain exposure to the tool and understand how to manipulate it, as well as how it could be useful for strategic planning in the future.

 Using LiST for nutrition planning in Mozambique

From 4-8 June 2018, two LiST team members travelled to Maputo, Mozambique to lead a training specifically on the potential applications of LiST for nutrition. Task team members of the Plataforma Nacional de Saude Maternal e das Crianças e Nutrição (PNSMCN - National Platform for Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition) of Mozambique’s National Health Observatory attended this training to re-familiarize themselves with the tool, and to look at ways that LiST can be used to analyze performance and plan strategically in Mozambique’s nutrition sector. Representatives from the Instituto Nacional de Saude (INS), UNICEF, the Secretariado Técnico de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (SETSAN), the Instituto Superior de Ciências de Saúde (ISCISA) and the Direcção Planificação e Cooperação (MISAU-DPC) actively participated in the 5-day workshop. 

LiST has been used in Mozambique in the context of the National Evaluation Platform, a Global Affairs Canada-funded initiative from 2014-2018 to equip government decision-makers with the tools and skills to critically evaluate the state of maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (MNCH&N) in their countries. Empowered with evidence, policy and program leaders could make strategic decisions that lead to maximum health and nutrition impact for women and children.

LiST was used specifically to answer two questions: (1) What change has been seen in under-five and neonatal mortality since 1997 and to what interventions contributed to the decrease in under-five mortality? What interventions should be scaled up and invested in to further address child mortality? and (2) What interventions account for the reduction in maternal mortality to date and what interventions should be strengthened to produce further improvements in maternal lives saved? The team submitted a detailed report on the methodology and results to the platform’s High-Level Advisory Committee, and two publications accepted in the Journal of Global Health are forthcoming.

Based on this experience, the NEP was used as the launching platform for the PNSMCN which is being implemented with funding support from the European Commission from 2017-2020. The purpose of this endeavor is to extend and strengthen the capacity of the PNSMCN to identify, analyze, and report on data related to nutrition policies and programs in Mozambique.

This first technical workshop focused on using LiST as a tool to estimate the potential contribution of the health system towards achieving better nutrition outcomes. Over the course of the workshop, the team used LiST to estimate how Mozambique will perform with regards to global WHA nutrition targets as well as against their national nutrition targets expressed in the Plano De Acção Multissectorial Para A Redução Da Desnutrição Crónica Em Moçambique (PAMRDC – Multisectoral plan to reduce stunting in Mozambique) based on current and aspirational intervention coverage levels. Once finalized and approved, the resulting policy brief will be available on the INS – the PNSMCN’s lead implementing organization – website and serve as an evidence-based foundation for future nutrition programming in Mozambique.

Save the Children UK

Two LiST team members traveled to London, UK to conduct a training at Save the Children UK from 1-2 October 2018. Members of the NGO’s Health; Humanitarian Nutrition; Humanitarian Health, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning; and Social and Behaviour Change and Community Capacity Strengthening teams participated in the training in order to familiarize themselves with LiST and to understand when it’s appropriate to use it. Over the course of two days, the Save UK team learned the methodology of LiST, did practice scenarios, and brainstormed ways in which they could utilizes LiST for their programming efforts. Technical areas included nutrition and subnational modeling.

Second Masters of Public Health LiST training in Bamako

15 March 2019 – Drs. Halimatou Touré (National Institute of Research in Public Health - INRSP), Souleymane Sawadogo (National Agency for Telehealth and Medical Information Technology - ANTIM), Youssouf Keita (Agropolis International), and Mr. Ibrahim Téréra (Center for Research and Study for Child Survival - CREDOS), all members of the National Evaluation Platform’s Technical Task Team, led the second year of LiST training at the Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako - USTTB)’s masters of public health programs.

This workshop included the theory behind the tool, how to manipulate the software, and topic-specific areas such as subnational projections, maternal health, and nutrition in LiST. Students were also exposed to how LiST has been used for decision-making at the national level in Mali, and were invited to reflect on how LiST can fit into the broader sphere of decision-making for governments as well as NGOs in Mali.

We thank our local partners for their efforts towards another successful edition of this training, which is now part of the curriculum for all Masters of Public Health students at the UTTSB.

Trilingual webinars for NIPN country teams

29 March 2019 – The LiST team provided remote support for webinars given to various teams which are part of the Nutrition Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) project currently being implemented by Agropolis International. An initiative of the European Union, this project supports countries in strengthening their information systems for nutrition, with the ultimate objective to better inform the strategic decisions that country governments are faced with to prevent malnutrition and its consequences. Country teams are currently at different stages of establishing nutrition-related policy-relevant questions.

The webinars were presented in French to French-speaking African country teams (Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire), in English to the English-speaking country teams (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda), and in Spanish to the Spanish-speaking team (Guatemala). Co-lead by NIPN team members and a JHU faculty member, the webinars focused on the overarching concepts of LiST as a tool, and further focused on the nutrition components of the tool. After this brief introduction to the tool, teams will now be in a better position, with the GSF support evaluate whether or not this tool is appropriate for use to answer their policy questions to promote evidence-based decision-making in the nutrition sector. We wish the NIPN country teams and project the best of luck! 

Research conducted with LiST showcased in Nairobi

12 November 2019 – Dr. Victoria B. Chou from the Lives Saved Tool team traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to speak at The Nairobi Summit on the 25th International Conference on Population and Development. 

The Lives Saved Tool team has been involved in a research project to determine the price tag to achieve three global goals– to end preventable maternal deaths, eliminate gender-based violence and harmful practices, and meet the family planning needs of women in 120 high-priority countries. This work was done in partnership with colleagues at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Victoria University, the University of Washington and Avenir Health.

Specifically, LiST was used to determine that ending preventable pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths in the countries that account for over 99% of maternal mortality will cost $115.5 billion. These costs include paying for medical staff and supplies. Dr. Chou has been quoted in both the press release and in The Guardian. 

LiST Analysis Shows Increased Pneumonia Support Could Save 9 Million Lives by 2030

29 January 2020 – Boosting efforts to fight pneumonia could avert nearly 9 million child deaths from pneumonia and other major diseases, a new LiST analysis has found. The findings, shared today at the opening ceremony of the first ever Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia in Barcelona, were generated in partnership with Save the Children and UNICEF.

Pneumonia, a leading cause of childhood deaths worldwide, claimed the lives of 800,000 children last year, or 1 child every 39 seconds. Although some types of vaccine-preventable pneumonia can be easily treated with low-cost antibiotics if properly diagnosed, tens of millions of children are still unvaccinated – and one in three children with symptoms do not receive essential medical care.

The LiST analysis models the impact of nineteen health and nutrition interventions that are effective for reducing deaths from childhood pneumonia. Of the nearly 9 million lives that could be saved if these interventions were scaled up over the next decade, 5.5 million are non-pneumonia deaths from diseases like diarrhea and sepsis (Figure 1) – showing that pneumonia control has the potential to be one of the most efficient strategies for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This week’s Global Forum will bring together leaders in global child health to collaborate to address this deadly but neglected disease; for more information, visit the Every Breath Counts Coalition’s website at StopPneumonia.org.

Introducing LiST Online  

19 January 2021- Have you ever wanted to use a web-based version of the Lives Saved Tool? It's here now! LiST Online is a user-friendly, web-based version of the Lives Saved Tool developed in collaboration with Avenir Health and funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Since 2018, we have been working with LiST users like you to develop LiST Online. After multiple rounds of testing, we’re now ready to present it. Entirely online, it doesn’t require users to download any software. It is also designed to decrease the learning curve on how to use the software. Along with most of the functionalities that you may be familiar with from the desktop version, this version also contains expanded new features based upon the feedback that you’ve provided, including:

• The Explore Data panel, which allows users to look at past historical trends and view all the data in our model without creating a projection.

• The Missed Opportunities panel, which allows users to quickly view key interventions ranked for prioritization

To learn how to use these new functionalities, you can review short videos to see how to explore data, how to use missed opportunities and to learn how to create a projection. If you want a refresher on how LiST works more generally, feel free to visit our video archive.

Vous parlez français? Vous utiliser le logiciel LiST Online en français en cliquant sur l’icône en haut à droite pour sélectionner la langue. Certaines vidéos sont aussi disponibles en français!

Go to LiST Online

The Lancet: Vaccines against 10 diseases prevented 37 million deaths in low- and middle-income countries in the last 20 years 

2 February 2021- Vaccine programmes in low- and middle-income countries have prevented 37 million deaths in the last 20 years alone – 36 million of which would have been in children aged under-five. These are the findings of the most comprehensive study of the impact of vaccination programmes yet undertaken, published in The Lancet.

The research, led by The Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium (www.vaccineimpact.org), shows the success is predicted to continue, with a further 32 million deaths predicted to be prevented by vaccination programmes by 2030 (28 million deaths prevented in under-5s), if progress is sustained.
 
These estimates focused on deaths averted by vaccination against 10 diseases in 98 low-and middle-income countries, in the period 2000-2030. These countries include over two thirds of the world’s population. The 10 diseases in question were hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), human papillomavirus (HPV), Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningitis A (Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A), pneumococcal disease (Streptococcus pneumoniae), rotavirus, rubella, and yellow fever.

The Lives Saved Tool was one of the models used to calculate the impact of Hib, Pneumococcal and Rotavirus vaccines in reducing meningitis, pneumonia, and diarrhea mortality and morbidity.

A data visualisation tool is available at https://montagu.vaccineimpact.org/2020/datavis.

LiST Online training series with WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA

In March 2021, the LiST team held a three week workshop virtual workshop series for regional and country teams of UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF. This included a review of the theory of LiST in English, French, and Spanish during the first week. The second week focused on getting practice with the tool by carrying out practical exercises using LiST Online. The third and final week looked at different ways that LiST has been used to model the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first formal training using the new LiST Online platform at such a large scale (150+ participants), and it gave us an opportunity to explore possibilities for remote trainings - which became particularly helpful given travel restrictions currently in place.

The recording from the first week’s training are available below in their respective languages:

LiST Training Recording – English

LiST Training Recording – Español

LiST Training Recording - Français

LiST training in Niger

From June 8-9 2022, two LiST team members travelled to Dosso, Niger to lead a training focused on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. Task team members of Countdown to 2030 from the Ministry of Health, National Institutes of Statistics, and the Global Financing Facilities participated to familiarize themselves with LiST, especially it uses for maternal, neonatal and child health. Over the course of two days, participants learned the methodology of LiST, did practice scenarios adapted to their current work with Countdown, and brainstormed ways in which they could utilizes LiST for their strategic planning and evaluation efforts. Technical areas included maternal, neonatal, child, nutrition, and family planning modeling at national level.

 LiST Training in Burkina Faso

From June 23-24 2022, two LiST team members travelled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to lead a training focused on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. Task team members of Countdown to 2030 from the Ministry of Health, Higher Institute of Population Sciences, NGOs, and the Global Financing Facilities participated to familiarize themselves with LiST, especially it uses for maternal, neonatal and child health. Over the course of two days, participants learned the methodology of LiST, conducted a scenario adapted to their current work with Countdown, and brainstormed ways in which they could utilizes LiST for their strategic planning and evaluation efforts. Technical areas included maternal, neonatal, child, nutrition, and family planning modeling at national level.

LiST Training in Mali

From June 29-30, two LiST team members travelled to Bamako, Mali to lead a training focus on the potential applications of LiST for maternal and child health. Task team members of Countdown to 2030 from the Ministry of Health, Ministry in charge of planification, and the University of Sciences, Technics and Technology of Bamako participated to familiarize themselves with LiST, especially it uses for maternal, neonatal and child health. Over the course of two days, participants learned the methodology of LiST, conducted a scenario adapted to their current work with Countdown, and brainstormed ways in which they could utilizes LiST for their strategic planning and evaluation efforts as well as publish their work. Technical areas included maternal, neonatal, child, nutrition, and family planning modeling at national level.

Regional: Francophone Africa

On July 13-14, 2022 the Department of Education and Research in Public Health (DERSP) at the University of Bamako, Mali in collaboration with the LiST technical group at JHU hosted virtual training sessions to present LiST and its fields of application to French-speaking audience. More than 60 participants including actors from ministries in charge of health; researchers, project and program planners and evaluators, and public health students were introduced to use LiST online and guided through a series of practical exercises.

 LiST training for Niger NIPN Team

2-12 May 2023 - The National Nutrition Information Platform Niger offered to strengthen local capacity to use the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to assess the potential impact of achieving the coverage of nutrition interventions planned in the national nutrition security policy on the survival and stunting of children under 5 years of age. Capacity for Nutrition - National Information Platform for Nutrition (C4N-NIPN) agreed to mandate a C4N-NIPN consultant (Youssouf Keita) to conduct a training to equip NIPN actors in Niger with skills to support the formulation of country nutrition action plans by assessing the context, causes of death, trends in indicators, effectiveness of interventions, etc., to enable better allocation of resources for greater impact.

The introduction to LiST on day 1 was attended by more than 20 people. Throughout the technical part of the training, 13 participants from key sectors participated and evaluated all training sessions. The analysis of the nutrition plan allowed to estimate its impact on children under five-year survival and stunting from 2021 to 2025. It also showed that most of the effective nutrition interventions weren't included in the plan and for those that were, the objectives seemed to be set arbitrarily. These shortcomings in the plans led to actionable and relevant recommendations.