Jimma University and Tulane University Collaboration
Purposing to build the capacity of the Ethiopian health system, Jimma University collaborated with School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University (USA), the Federal Ministry of Health (Ethiopia), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz, Brazil) on an innovative approach for a university based training in Monitoring and Evaluation. The Masters level training in Health Monitoring and Evaluation, organized at the beginning as a project housed under the Department of Health Services Management in Jimma University, was started in February 2006. To date, a total of 130 students have graduated in four cohorts of postgaraduate training in Health Monitoring and Evaluation of which 11 (8.5%) are international students from different African Countries.
This collaboration has enabled Jimma University to build its capacity for the MSc level training in Health Monitoring and Evaluation. Some of the areas on which the collaboration focused include:
- Development and regular revision of curriculum for the MSc in Health Monitoring and Evaluation
- Bringing international scholar evaluators from different universities in the United States and other countries to teach in Jimma University
- Getting external examiners with appropriate educational background and work experiences to examine Health Monitoring and Evaluation graduating class students
- Building the capacity of Jimma University staffs to enable them deliver courses and advise students in the field of Health Monitoring and Evaluation
- Organizing International Workshops on Evaluation
- Establishment of a mini-library with books on evaluation
- Establishment of a computer center which can accommodate 40 students at a time
- Financial support for student evaluation thesis work
- Key Project Personnel from Jimma University
- Kifle Woledemichael (MD, MPH), Principal Investigator from Jimma University
- Yibeltal Kiflie (BSC, MSc), Co-investigator from Jimma University
- Yohannes Hailemichael (BSc, MPH), Course Coordinator from Jimma University
- Key Project Personnel from Tulane University
- Dr Wuleta Lemma, Principal Investigator from Tulane University
- Professor Carl Kendall, Principal Investigator from Tulane University
- Dr Girma Azene, Course Coordinator from Tulane University – Ethiopia Program
The program has evolved as a center of excellence in the field under the College of Public Health and Medical Sciences with wider range of services including the MSc level training in Health M&E, researches on evaluation, short term trainings in M&E and consultancy services for evaluation clients.
For more information about the International Center for Monitoring and Evaluation (ICME – JU), visit the center’s website here.
Currently, ICME – JU has enrolled fifth cohort trainees composed of both national and international students. The center collaborates with different departments in Jimma University, Tulane University (New Orleans, USA), National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and other Ethiopian and US Based Universities to offer standard training in Program Evaluation applied to Public Health.