Patience Afulani

Dr. Afulani conducts research on the social and health system factors underlying disparities in reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH). Her research has extended the evidence on how RMNCH outcomes are shaped by quality of care in health facilities as well as by social determinants. In addition, she has contributed to improved measurement of person-centered reproductive health care, and to the development of evidence-based interventions to improve RMNCH outcomes and reduce disparities.

Dr. Afulani’s prior work examined sources of disparities in quality of antenatal care and how this affects use of skilled birth attendants and birth outcomes in Ghana and Burkina Faso. In addition, she led the development of the person-centered maternity care (PCMC) scale and supported the development of a person-centered family planning scale, both of which were validated in Kenya and India. She also conducted research into sources of disparities in PCMC and barriers to providing PCMC in Kenya. In addition, she has worked on projects to design and evaluate interventions to improve quality of care including PCMC in Ghana, Kenya, and India.