CHP PhD Completion Seminar - Ebony Verbunt

Title: Improving the management of anaemia in pregnant women: a case study of Bangladesh

Zoom link: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/rsn2

Location: Seminar Room 516, Level 5, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton

Supervisors: Dr Khic-Houy Prang, Evaluation and Implementation Science Unit, Centre for Health Policy; Professor Meghan Bohren, Gender and Women’s Health Unit, Nossal Institute for Global Health; Professor Cathy Vaughan, Nossal Institute for Global Health

Bio: Ebony Verbunt is a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant in the Evaluation and Implementation Science Unit, Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. She completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne in 2018, specialising in global health and program evaluation. She has also undertaken postgraduate training in implementation science at the University of Washington.

Abstract: Anaemia in pregnancy is a major public health issue, disproportionately affecting women in low- and middle-income countries. My PhD aimed to improve its management by addressing key research gaps. The first part explored anaemia globally; the second focused on a case study of Bangladesh. I conducted a qualitative evidence synthesis, secondary survey analysis, and a multi-phase, mixed-methods primary study. Based on my findings, I proposed three recommendations: integrate socio-cultural context into programmes, adopt an intersectionality approach, and invest in strengthening health system structures.