Research Projects

Current Projects

Past Projects

• 2016-2018
  Title: Citizen-Led Accountability: Applying Systems Thinking to Understand and Strengthen Health System Responsiveness to Marginalized Communities (principal researcher)
  Applied research project aiming to develop and adapt different tools for network analysis and participatory planning applied to grassroots organizations from rural indigenous areas. Funded by MRC-UK. Total grant: 150,000 sterling pounds.
  
  
• 2013-2015
  Title: Consolidating the Community of Practitioners in Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH) as a knowledge-generation and dissemination community
  A capacity-building grant (24 months) aimed to further develop and expand the Community of Practice in Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH) Funded by Open Society Foundation. TOTAL GRANT USD 407,000
  
  
• 2012-2014
  Title: Enhancing participation of indigenous people to address discrimination and promote equity in health systems (Principal Researcher)
  A participatory-action research project (36 months) aimed to build capacity in community-based organizations from 20 rural indigenous municipalities in Guatemala. The project is testing the hypothesis that a human rights-based approach empowers indigenous citizens to demand democratic governance, accountability and a reduction on discriminatory practices. This project is funded by IDRC. TOTAL GRANT CAD 624,600
  
  
• 2012
  Title: Launching and strengthening the community of practice on accountability and social action in health (COPASAH)
  A capacity-building grant (12 months) aim to establish a community of practice with more than 30 members from Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Funded by Open Society Foundation. TOTAL GRANT USD 2014,000
  
  
• 2011-2013
  Title: Empowering indigenous citizens to implement participatory monitoring for accountability in 10 rural municipalities of Guatemala (Principal Researcher).
  A participatory-action research project (30 months) aimed to support indigenous communities in ten rural municipalities in Guatemala to hold local authorities to account for their health-related commitments, and generate evidence on how participatory monitoring can advance social change. This project is funded by the Open Society Foundation.
  TOTAL GRANT USD 206,337
  
  
• 2008-2009
  Title: A Participatory Action-Research Approach to Assessing and Monitoring the Right to Health in Guatemala (Principal Researcher)
  An 18-month project supported by the University of Umea, Sweden. The objectives of the project were: 1) assess whether the public health system is delivering essential services needed to guarantee the right to health 2) to document the negative impact of non-delivery of public services on the survival of rural indigenous families and 3) developing a system to monitor progressive realization of the right to health at both municipal and national level. TOTAL GRANT: USD 120,000
  
  
• 2006-2010
  Title: Strengthening Health Systems Governance in Latin American countries through improvements in equity and accountability (Principal Researcher)
  Three-year research project implemented in Guatemala, Colombia and Brazil addressing issues of governance, equity and transparency in health care systems. This project is funded by IDRC-Canada. TOTAL GRANT: CAD 415,000
  
  
• 2000-03
  Title: Strengthening public health programmes within health sector reforms in Latin America (co-applicant)
  Three years research project aimed to assess the impact of ongoing health sector reforms upon public health programmes in 5 Latin American countries. This project is funded by the European Union and DFID.
  
  
• 2000-02
  Title: Monitoring equity in health and health care at sub-national level(co-applicant)
  Two-year project aimed to develop tools to monitor the effects of policies/interventions aimed to reduce health inequities at regional/district level. Field work is carried out in 5 developing countries. This project is funded by the British Department for International Development (DFID)
  
  
• 2000
  Title: Gender aspects influencing access to malaria treatment (co-applicant)
  One year research project aiming to assess gender issues that play a role in access to treatment in children with malaria. Field work was carried out in Ghana, South Africa. Funded by TDR-WHO, Geneva.