Savana Signatures

RESEARCH

At Savana Signatures, we firmly believe that making good use of evidence is essential to enhancing the way in which programmes and policies are implemented. With this background, our aim is to close the information gap between the information needed to generate creative ideas and its utilization for innovative solutions that furthers the attainment of our vision. 

By reviewing, synthesising, and encouraging the use of research evidence, we aim not only to promote the adoption and use of research evidence, but also to utilize them ourselves to initiate positive change among girls, women, youth and vulnerable populations of Ghana to facilitate their reproductive health and rights, quality education and livelihood and economic empowerment.

To achieve the above, and to also contribute to closing  the most pertinent and significant evidence gaps, we collaborate with other researchers, institutions and critical stakeholders to draw on a diverse range of research and evaluation methodologies and disciplines, depending on the research questions at hand.

The following constitutes our research portfolio:

  1. Research Fund

In 2017, Savana Signatures set up the Technology for Maternal and Child Health (T4MCH) Research Fund.  This was in partnership with Salasan Consulting, a Canadian organisation and was supported by Global Affairs Canada. The purpose of the T4MCH research fund was to provide financial support to Ghanaian researchers in the field of medicine, public/community health and social sciences to address issues relevant to MMR and NMR in Northern Ghana.

Research Project Title

Neonatal mortality, risk factors and maternal perceptions at the Upper West Regional Hospital and St Joseph’s District Hospital, Jirapa.

Lead Researcher

Dr Edem Tette

Institution

University of Ghana

Research Project Title

Leveraging lessons from practice and research to guide actions toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal for Neonatal Mortality.

Lead Researcher

Dr Amos Laar

Institution

Center for Learning and Childhood Development, Ghana

Research Project Title

A Multilevel mixed methods study of neonatal mortality in Ghana.

Lead Researcher

Shadrach Dare

Institution

University of Cape Coast

Research Project Title

An Empirical Analysis of the Causes and Trends in Maternal Mortality in Northern Ghana.

Lead Researcher

Salifu Mubarik

Institution

Zonzongili Development Associates Ltd

Research Project Title

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Cord Care Among Newborns by Mothers/Caregivers in the Volta Region.

Lead Researcher

Sybill Sory

Institution

Ghana Health Servic

Research Project Title

Assessing the Causes of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in Some Selected Districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Lead Researcher

Alexander Laar

Institution

           2. Research Partnership with Kennesaw State University and Notre Dame University

In 2018, Savana Signatures started a research partnership with the WellStar School of Nursing at the Kennesaw State University in the United States of America through Dr. Yenupini Joyce Adams who was at the time, an Assistant Professor at the Kennesaw State University.

In 2021, another relationship was started with the Eck Institute for Global Health of the University of Notre Dame. The University of Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH) serves as a university-wide enterprise that recognizes health as a fundamental human right and works to promote research, training, and service to advance health standards and reduce health disparities for all. Through the instrumental leadership of Dr. Yenupini Joyce Adams, the Global Maternal Research Lead of the Eck Institute for Global Health and the research team at Savana Signatures, the following research activities have been undertaken

Research Project Title

Focus Postpartum Care Among Women In Ghana

Name of Lead Researcher

Dr. Yenupini Joyce Adam

(Principal Investigator)

University of Notre Dame

Stephen Agbenyo

(Co-Principal Investigator)

Savana Signatures

Research summary

This is a clinical trial aimed at pilot testing and evaluating an innovative postpartum care, education, and support model in the northern Region of Ghana.

Research Project Title

Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Insecurity and Maternal-Newborn Health (MNH) in Tamale, Ghana

Name of Lead Researcher

Dr. Ellis Adjei Adams

University of Notre Dame

Research summary

The purpose of this study is to examine how water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) insecurity affects maternal and newborn health (MNH).

Research Project Title

Readiness For Discharge and Knowledge of Complications Among Postpartum Women in Ghana

Name of Lead Researcher

Elizabeth Hurt-Lau

Graduate Student

University of Notre Dame

Research summary

The purpose of this study was to assess postpartum women’s perceived readiness for discharge and their knowledge of postpartum complications prior to discharge from a healthcare facility.

Research Project Title

Health Choices Women make for their Newborns and Themselves and the Factors leading to these Decisions during the Postpartum Period

Name of Lead Researcher

Katherine Jenning

Undergraduate Student University of Notre Dame

Research summary

The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence women’s health choices during the postpartum period and its effect on health outcomes of maternal and newborn care in Northern Ghana.

Research Project Title

Social Support in Postpartum Care, Tamale - Ghana

Name of Lead Researcher

Mariama S. Dampha

Master of Global Affairs + Global Health Specialization Candidate

Keough School of Global Affairs

Research summary

This research aimed to examine the critical roles of postpartum women's social support networks (mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law) in the decisions and practices for recovery, self-care, newborn care, and access and utilization of health care services during postpartum and postnatal periods.

3. Other Research Assignments

ICT Landscape Assessment

This research was conducted as part of the FHI led USAID ASBC Activity in Ghana. The ASBC Consortium sought to understand the various ICT interventions available and how the existing ICT programming can be leveraged on to deliver healthcare services. This landscape assessment was conducted in across the 17 USAID priority districts in northern Ghana.

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