RESEARCH

We work to understand and address the social determinants of ill health.

We implement and evaluate health programs with a goal of advancing health equity and access to care and social services especially for impoverished communities. We have a special interest in delivery of health care, food insecurity, emerging infectious diseases, public health, and comprehensive ways to eliminate the transmission of cholera. We use quantitative and qualitative methods.

View all publications on Google Scholar.

  • Two men in red ball caps wearing t-shirts with public health slogans written in Haitian Creole sit in a room. One is writing in a registry
  • three healthcare workers wearing facemasks stand in discussion in a patient room
  • a compilation of four group photos: one has a large team of people, two have people sitting around a board room table, one has a man talking at a presentation
  • long wooden beds with holes in the middle of them
  • a group selfie of four women and one man smiling. one woman wears a mask, one woman holds fingers in a peace sign
  • Healthcare providers in personal protective equipment review a chart
image of a hospital building with a woman walkng towards the entrance

Rift Valley Fever — The Need for an Integrated Response

Rift Valley Fever is an important emerging infectious disease that is under-resourced. We describe an integrated, community-based approach to control and prevention.   Authors:  Nelson Wandera, M.B., Ch.B., Peter Olds, M.D., Rose Muhindo, M.Med., and Louise Ivers, M.D.

Poor Sensitivity of Stool Culture Compared to Polymerase Chain Reaction in Surveillance for Vibrio cholerae in Haiti, 2018–2019

Our research in Haiti demonstrates that stool culture missed many cases of cholera raising the question of whether stool culture alone is sufficient for cholera surveillance in waning epidemics.   Authors: Yodeline Guillaume, Meti Debela, Damien Slater, Kenia Vissieres, Ralph Ternier, Molly F Franke, Jason B Harris, Louise C Ivers

image of a hospital building with a woman walkng towards the entrance

First Mile program: North-South partnership experience with health system strengthening in Mbarara, Uganda

From 2018 to 2024 I led a donor-funded program to support clinical care and capacity building in south-west Uganda. This paper dives into the impact of the North-South partnership between Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH). We co-designed the program, with Prof Celestino Obua as partner, to strengthen the regional health system in southwestern Uganda. Guided by local priorities, the program aimed to improve access to care, enhance clinical capacity, expand medical education, and promote research and innovation.

Authors: Peter Olds, Stephen Asiimwe, Annet Kembabazi, Andrew Ainomugisha…etc