Rachel L Berkowitz
I am passionate about collaborative, community-driven design and research that broadly engages with upstream determinants of health, community structures, and social relationships which impact health and wellbeing, encompassing a multitude of specific health outcomes. I have had the opportunity to work with projects and partners within the United States as well as in Latin America and Kenya, and I am committed to endeavors that focus on locally driven innovation and multisectoral partnerships to create effective and sustainable programs. I am particularly interested in building on and supporting the training of others in participatory learning and action (PLA) methods, community-based participatory research (CBPR), community transformation methodology, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method research and analysis, social/interorganizational network analysis, mapping, program monitoring and evaluation, strategic program and project planning, and human-centered design/design thinking processes.
Address: Oakland, California, United States
Address: Oakland, California, United States
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Papers by Rachel L Berkowitz
Objective: The objective of our study was to understand the patient experience beyond standardized satisfaction measures.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study, interviewing 19 patients from the clinic (English-, Spanish-, or Mien-speaking patients).
Results: Some themes, such as the desire to feel confident in their doctor, emerged across language groups, pointing to institutional challenges. Other themes, such as distrust in care being provided, were tied distinctly to speaking a language different from one’s provider. Still other themes, such as a sense of powerlessness, were related to cultural differences and to speaking a language (Mien) not spoken by staff.
Conclusions: Findings illuminate the need to understand cultural behaviors and interactional styles in a diverse patient population to create a high-quality medical home.
The purpose of this report is to document and discuss the asset-based work of Mukuru on the Move (MOTM), a program developed in collaboration between the Interfaith Health Program (IHP) at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA and St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya. This report analyzes work carried out by MOTM from 2008- 2012, synthesizes and summarizes earlier reports, and describes findings from research carried out in Mukuru in 2012. The narrative that follows shows the evolution of the project and the diverse work of the MOTM team.
The primary findings featured in this report present a picture of the capacity of the Mukuru community in terms of organizational partnerships while identifying areas for future strengthening. Key findings from this report include:
• The economic, political, and policy factors that influenced the development of informal settlements such as Mukuru, especially since the late 1980s, have had substantial health consequences on the residents of informal settlements.
• HIV is a significant health concern for the residents of Mukuru, with psychosocial and structural factors such as poverty, poor infrastructure, drug use, land use policies, and urban migration affecting HIV prevention, treatment, and support services.
• Faith-based organizations (FBOs) offer distinctive resources to the residents of Mukuru. FBOs provide organizational capacity, infrastructure, sustainable programs, and linkages to outside partners; in less tangible ways, FBOs draw on and help sustain trust and a framework of shared values.
• FBOs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs) fulfill essential and complementary roles in service provision and allocating much-needed resources to the residents of Mukuru.
Effective and sustainable community health promotion and development requires
engaging communities as agents of change. One useful approach to that engagement is understanding the existing assets within a community. Partnerships between organizations in a community are a key dimension of community capacity. For decades, governments and funders have sought to promote and support inter-organizational relationships, networks, and coalitions to promote community health. MOTM has always sought to identify, align, and mobilize the assets and community capacity within Mukuru. In 2012, a new partnership was formed with Lea Toto Community Outreach (Lea Toto), a program within the faith-based organization Children of God Relief Institute, which aligned its work on addressing the issues of HIV- positive adolescents with that of MOTM.
The MOTM projects have made Mukuru’s community assets and resources visible while emphasizing collaboration with other communities to better understand the difficulties of fully utilizing available resources. While Mukuru’s strengths are invaluable, the challenges and gaps illuminated by the Partnership Project provide guidance for future efforts that seek to build on the existing community capacity within the settlement.
Ethical considerations and limitations also point toward the need for additional community-based participatory research and project development to ensure an accurate, holistic, and inclusive understanding of key next steps. MOTM has laid the foundation for such efforts and stands as a testament to the strength and potential of community-academic collaboration, asset-based work, and partnership.
Objective: The objective of our study was to understand the patient experience beyond standardized satisfaction measures.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study, interviewing 19 patients from the clinic (English-, Spanish-, or Mien-speaking patients).
Results: Some themes, such as the desire to feel confident in their doctor, emerged across language groups, pointing to institutional challenges. Other themes, such as distrust in care being provided, were tied distinctly to speaking a language different from one’s provider. Still other themes, such as a sense of powerlessness, were related to cultural differences and to speaking a language (Mien) not spoken by staff.
Conclusions: Findings illuminate the need to understand cultural behaviors and interactional styles in a diverse patient population to create a high-quality medical home.
The purpose of this report is to document and discuss the asset-based work of Mukuru on the Move (MOTM), a program developed in collaboration between the Interfaith Health Program (IHP) at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA and St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya. This report analyzes work carried out by MOTM from 2008- 2012, synthesizes and summarizes earlier reports, and describes findings from research carried out in Mukuru in 2012. The narrative that follows shows the evolution of the project and the diverse work of the MOTM team.
The primary findings featured in this report present a picture of the capacity of the Mukuru community in terms of organizational partnerships while identifying areas for future strengthening. Key findings from this report include:
• The economic, political, and policy factors that influenced the development of informal settlements such as Mukuru, especially since the late 1980s, have had substantial health consequences on the residents of informal settlements.
• HIV is a significant health concern for the residents of Mukuru, with psychosocial and structural factors such as poverty, poor infrastructure, drug use, land use policies, and urban migration affecting HIV prevention, treatment, and support services.
• Faith-based organizations (FBOs) offer distinctive resources to the residents of Mukuru. FBOs provide organizational capacity, infrastructure, sustainable programs, and linkages to outside partners; in less tangible ways, FBOs draw on and help sustain trust and a framework of shared values.
• FBOs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations (CBOs) fulfill essential and complementary roles in service provision and allocating much-needed resources to the residents of Mukuru.
Effective and sustainable community health promotion and development requires
engaging communities as agents of change. One useful approach to that engagement is understanding the existing assets within a community. Partnerships between organizations in a community are a key dimension of community capacity. For decades, governments and funders have sought to promote and support inter-organizational relationships, networks, and coalitions to promote community health. MOTM has always sought to identify, align, and mobilize the assets and community capacity within Mukuru. In 2012, a new partnership was formed with Lea Toto Community Outreach (Lea Toto), a program within the faith-based organization Children of God Relief Institute, which aligned its work on addressing the issues of HIV- positive adolescents with that of MOTM.
The MOTM projects have made Mukuru’s community assets and resources visible while emphasizing collaboration with other communities to better understand the difficulties of fully utilizing available resources. While Mukuru’s strengths are invaluable, the challenges and gaps illuminated by the Partnership Project provide guidance for future efforts that seek to build on the existing community capacity within the settlement.
Ethical considerations and limitations also point toward the need for additional community-based participatory research and project development to ensure an accurate, holistic, and inclusive understanding of key next steps. MOTM has laid the foundation for such efforts and stands as a testament to the strength and potential of community-academic collaboration, asset-based work, and partnership.