News
Strengthening Research on Adolescent Health: Our Team at the CAH-SSA Conference and ARISE Annual Meeting in Lagos
From June 23-26 2025 members of our team had the pleasure of participating in the Conference on Adolescent Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAH-SSA) and the Annual ARISE Network Meeting, held in Lagos, Nigeria. The event brought together researchers, practitioners, and policy actors from across the continent and beyond, all united by a common goal: to advance adolescent health and nutrition through collaborative, evidence-based approaches.
Exploring Impact Through Quasi-Experimental Studies – Pre-Conference Workshop
On the opening day, Jacob Burns, Stefanie Pechar, and Nathan Sivewright, with colleagues from the University of Ghana and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, led a pre-conference workshop on quasi-experimental study designs. The session offered an engaging and hands-on introduction to the use of Quasi-experimental methods in evaluating health and development interventions.
Over 25 participants from several African countries joined us for a day of in-depth discussions, real-world case studies, and collaborative learning. Together, we explored the strengths and limitations of various Quasi-experimental designs, such as difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity design, and interrupted time series, and reflected on how to apply these tools effectively in different African research contexts. In the afternoon, there was a hands-on practical session where participants implemented a difference-in-differences evaluation using Stata and R. The workshop fostered dynamic conversations about methodological rigor and practical implementation—key issues for researchers and policymakers alike.
Presentations and Posters
On the second day of the conference, Monica Machado delivered an oral presentation titled "Knowledge-Practice Gap in Adolescent Nutrition: A Qualitative Study from Ghana," on behalf of a lead co-author based at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, she presented a poster on her ongoing thesis work on adolescent health, titled "Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Patterns Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Seven Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa." Her contributions led to useful discussions and showed how our research connects with the broader topics addressed at the CAH-SSA conference.
Annual ARISE Network Meeting: Reflections and Future Directions
The final day of the event was dedicated to the Annual ARISE Network Meeting, with a special focus on the ARISE-NUTRINT and DASH projects. The meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past year, review collaborative outputs, and identify key next steps and milestones for the coming year. It was an energizing close to an event that underscored the value of cross-country, interdisciplinary collaboration in improving adolescent nutrition and health outcomes.
Looking Ahead
We have a busy and exciting year ahead, during which we will advance our ongoing research. Our participation in the CAH-SSA conference and ARISE network meeting reaffirmed our commitment to producing rigorous, policy-relevant research on adolescent health. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute, exchange ideas, and strengthen partnerships across regions.
We return from Lagos inspired, informed, and ready to take the next steps in our collaborative work.
