Research Program

The lines of research include:
> Women’s health
> Adolescence, health and rights
> Quality of care and efficiency of health care services
> Ideology of health care providers
> Health seeking behaviors
> Masculinity, sexuality, reproduction and health
> Political dimension of sexual and reproductive health and rights
> Health care systems
> Health sector reform and reproductive health
> Monitoring and Evaluation of health care programs and public policies

Women’s health
Research focuses on women’s health problems from an epidemiological and socio-cultural perspective: contraception, abortion, breast and cervical cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, pregnancy and delivery.
Research projects:

> Access to legal abortion in Argentina (2007-2009).

> Root cause analysis of maternal deaths occurred in Argentina during 2006 (2007-2008).

> Severe maternal morbidity in Argentina: Prevention and quality of care to reduce the incidence and adverse consequences of abortion (2005-2006).

> Maternal morbidity and non-institutional deaths of fertile-age women in Argentina (2004-2005).

> Reproductive history of the users of a gynecology service in a public hospital in the Province of Buenos Aires (2003-2004).

> Maternal mortality in Argentina: A diagnosis to reorient health policies and programs (2003-2004).
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Adolescence, health and rights
This line of work gathers information about a population with specific characteristics and needs regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. Research examines the perspective of both adolescents and health care providers and identifies institutional, ideological, and cultural barriers affecting access to health care services and quality of care.
Research projects:

> Reproductive health services for adolescents: quality of care as perceived by users (2004-2005).

> Risks in reproductive health. Improper use of Misoprostol by pregnant adolescents. Hospital Argerich (2003-2004).

> Pregnancy in adolescence: A diagnosis to reorient public health policies and programs (2003-2004)

> Adolescent reproductive health: Argentina 1990-1998 (2000).

> Reproductive health programs for adolescents: the cases of Buenos Aires, Mexico D.F. and San Pablo (1998-2000).

> Gender identity of female adolescents (1996-1997).

> Adolescent pregnancy: situation diagnosis and guidelines for intervention (1996).
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Quality of care and efficiency of health care services
Research focuses on the problems of assessing quality of care and efficiency of health care services, including the perspectives of users and providers, for the purpose of improving quality of care, sensitizing health teams about the needs and expectations of users, and qualifying the demand.
Research projects:

> Quality control in cytology labs of public hospitals of the province of Jujuy (2007-2008).

> Quality control of cytology labs in Argentina (2007-2008).

> Quality of care in sexual and reproductive health and rights: agreed methodology to elaborate a measurement  tool (2007-2008).

> Organization and quality of screening in public hospital labs in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (2007).

> Key health service and community determinants related to accessibility, compliance and control of tuberculosis treatment (2007-2008).

> Patient security: Hand washing and patient identification. Initial stage (2007-2008).

> Report of the Hospital Materno Infantil Dr. Ramón Sardá as best practice (2006-2007).

> Effectiveness of the implementation of the guides and procedures for normal birth labor in the maternity ward of the "J.M. Cullen" and "J.B. Iturraspe" hospitals of the city of Santa Fé, Argentina (2006-2007).

> Hemotherapy units and user services: improving blood donation processes (2004-2005).

> The WHO Global Data System for maternal and perinatal health (2004-2005).

> Quality of care in abortion-related complications: a public health and human rights challenge (2004-2006).

> Proposal to improve the quality of care of abortion-related complications (2004-2005).

> Cervical cancer: quality of care provided by the health care team and prevention through the media (2003).

> Total Quality in health care and user and provider satisfaction (2002).

> Quality of care: women’s perspectives on cervical cancer prevention services (2001-2002).

> Study on the physicians’ acceptability and women’s satisfaction with an intervention to reduce the number of Caesarean sections in Latin American hospitals (1999-2001).

> User satisfaction with ambulatory services (1991).

> Quality of care of hospitalized abortions (1991)
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Ideology of health care providers
Research focuses on a professional community that plays a central role in the field of sexual and reproductive health. It analyzes their perspectives, the changes in their social role, and their impact on quality of care and the promotion and the exercise of sexual and reproductive rights.
Research projects:

> Sexuality, science and profession in Latin America (2007-2008).

> Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of ObGyn regarding emergency contraception (2005-2006).

> Reproduction and contraception for people living with HIV/AIDS. A study based on health care teams and users of the public health care system in the City of Buenos Aires (2002-2004).

> The medical profession and reproductive issues: ObGyns, fertility regulation and sexual health. A study in public hospitals in the Buenos Aires Metropolitian Area (1998-2000).

> Analysis of the recent international experience of professional training at minor university careers and its relevance for curricular reform (1995-1996).

> Analysis of the relationship between women’s knowledge about pap smear, cervical cancer and pap smear test. A case-control study in the Hospital Eva Perón, San Martin Department (2008-2009).

> Heterosexuality, contraception and abortion: Colombia, Argentina and Brasil (2007-2008).

> National Risk Factors Survey: validation and application of the method (2003).

> Cultural and psychosocial factors in the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases: power, affection and pleasure in the negotiation between genders (1993-1996).

> Patterns in medicine consumption (1991-1992).

> Patients and families facing hospitalization for coronary symptoms (1991).

> Discourse and practices on abortion in distinct social sectors (1990).
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Masculinity, sexuality, reproduction and health
Research focuses on the role of men in sexual and reproductive health, the emerging transformations in masculinity and sexuality, and the factors that hinder male participation in health services and programs.
Research projects:

> Social representations of sexual pleasure: Masculinities and sexualities in the life narratives of middle class young adult heterosexual males from Buenos Aires (1998-2000).

> The male role in reproductive decisions: A study on the relationship perspectives of young women and men from middle and lower income urban sectors (1998-2000).

> The other half: A study on male participation in fertility control (1997-1998).

> Subjectivity and reproductive health: A study on the perspectives of men from extremely poor urban populations (1994-1996).
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Political dimension of sexual and reproductive health and rights
Research focuses on the political processes that give rise to cultural, legal, and normative changes in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Projects monitor the process of defining and strengthening such rights in Argentina, analyze the behavior of the State, civil society, and other social actors (women’s movement, Churches, judicial administration, health care providers, political parties, and the media) in public debate and political action, and study public opinion on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Research projects:

> Women in numbers: opinions and women’s situation in the City of Buenos Aires (2007).

> Situation of peole living with HIV in Argentina (2006).

> Accessibility, knowledge and social experiences regarding medication abortion in the City of Buenos Aires (2006-2007). 

> State of the art on public opinion studies on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Latin America: input for an advocacy strategy (2005-2006).

> Adding the teaching of sexualities to the academic curricula of universities in Asia, Africa and Latin America (2005-2007).

> Diagnosis of sexuality and human rights in Latin America: Argentina (2005-2006).

> Situation of public opinion on health care and sexual and reproductive rights (2003).

> South-South Dialogue. The impact of religious fundamentalisms on public policies concerning sexuality. Latin America and Indonesia (2002-2003).

> State-of-the-art on research on sexuality and sexual rights, Argentina 1990-2002 (2002).

> Mercosur actresses: Gender, nation, and region (1998-1999).

> Women’s movement, democracy, and citizenship. A potential exchange between Argentina and Brazil (1998-1999).

> Satisfaction and acceptability of a new model for prenatal care: users’ and providers’ opinions (1997-1999).

> Social and epidemiological diagnosis of reproductive health in Argentina (1997).

> Provision of contraceptive services within the context of the public health care services in Capital Federal (1995-1996).
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Health care systems
This research track includes comparative studies on the organization of the social security systems in Latin America and the Caribbean; the analysis of incentives and payment mechanisms in health care service provision; the design of monitoring and evaluation systems for reforms; studies on the impact of health care reforms, the different mechanisms for immunization programs, and the performance of the pharmaceutical sector.
For further information, see: Economics Department > Research > Applied Microeconomics and Public Policies
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Health sector reform and reproductive health
Research analyzes the opportunities and obstacles that the processes of health care reform bring about for the articulation of the reproductive health perspective and problems, with special emphasis on decentralization, public-private articulation, financing, integration of services and the definition of basic health care plans
Research projects:

> The promotion of reproductive health in health sector reform. The cases of Argentina and Chile (2002-2004).

> Initiative for sexual and reproductive rights in health sector reforms (2002-2006).
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Monitoring and Evaluation of health care programs and public policies
Research focuses on the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation models for policies, programs and interventions for rights promotion in the health field. Studies include recommendations to improve the design and implementation of public policies.
The evaluations carried out include:

> Improvement of the National Cervical Cancer Prevention Program (2007).

> Decentralization policies and reform of the Argentine health care system: impact on the prevention and control of the Chagas vector (2005-2006).

> Monitoring, diagnosis, and development of a fiscalization model for public policies on health care and sexual and reproductive rights in the City of Buenos Aires. Sexual and Reproductive Rights Control, Defense and Promotion Program (2003-2004).

> Monitoring reproductive health policies in the public health care services network of the City of Buenos Aires (2002-2004).

> Evaluation of the findings of PROMIN II. Elaboration of a base line: Population survey and postpartum survey (Subprojects: Bariloche, Oberá and Pilar), PROMIN/World Bank (2001).

> Evaluation of the findings of PROMIN II: Context diagnosis. Study on the opinion of health care providers. (Subprojects Bariloche, Oberá and Pilar), PROMIN/World Bank (2001).

> Evaluation of PROMIN I from the perspective of the actors involved. PROMIN/World Bank (2000).

> Term evaluation of the Center of Excellence for Transversal Cooperation in Reproductive Health (Mexico). Project South-South, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mexico (1998).

> Thematic evaluation: Safe motherhood initiative. Case study: Guatemala, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Guatemala (1997).

> Evaluation of nutrition and food programs of the Argentine State and the elaboration of a Nutrition and Food Social Plan. Social Development Secretariat, Argentina. Inter-American Development Bank (1995-1996).

> Evaluation of the Generic Medicine Program. Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires (1990-1991).
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