Sandra Olivia Frans
Thesis title
Exploring the experiences of Indonesian midwives in cervical cancer prevention: Insights from East Nusa Tenggara
Description of PhD Project
Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer among women in Indonesia, with increasing incidence and significant mortality. While early detection can improve treatment outcomes, inadequate implementation of screening programs, especially in low-resource areas, worsens the issue.
My PhD aims to explore the experiences of Indonesian midwives in providing CC prevention in two districts in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and determine how the realities of the health system contribute to these experiences. This study will involve in-depth interviews with midwives, focus group discussions with women, key informant interviews, and an evaluation of facility readiness in primary care clinics. The result of the study will offer new insights into the roles of midwives as providers of CC screening and demonstrate the importance of supporting them if CC prevention is to be successful in Indonesia.
Supervisors
Biography
Sandra is a public health practitioner from East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Her area of interest is women’s health, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, and strengthening the primary health care systems.
Sandra has a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne (Graduated 2016) and a Medical Doctor (MD) from the Faculty of Medicine, Brawijaya University, Indonesia (Graduated 2011).
Funding/scholarships
Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP)