The Acute Care and Emergency Referral Systems (ACERS) Project is a three-year, USAID-funded implementation research and capacity building project that aims to contribute to the improvement in maternal and newborn survival rates by increasing care-seeking behavior, strengthening emergency referral and dispatch systems, and providing high quality emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) services in the Northern and Oti Regions of Ghana.

ACERS is implemented in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Columbia University (CU) sidHARTe Program - Mailman School of Public Health, and University of Ghana Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS). As an official program of the Government of Ghana, ACERS is fully integrated into the GHS' Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) program as well as GHS health centers and district and referral hospital system to streamline EmONC services in each cadre of care.

This is an UNPAID research project.

Faculty Advisor

  • Professor: Rachel T. Moresky
  • Department/School: MSPH / Department of Population and Family Health
  • Location: 60 Haven Avenue
  • sidHARTe - Strengthening Emergency Systems is part of the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City. We promote locally driven and evidence-based solutions for health systems in countries with limited health resources. Partnering with national governments, universities, local associations, NGOs, and institutions, we help the integration of complex adaptive health emergency care systems with robust primary health care systems to reduce morbidity and mortality. We accomplish this through implementation support and science, technical exchange, frontline provider capacity building, data-driven governance, and policy support.

Project Timeline

  • Earliest starting date: 3/1/2021
  • End date: 9/30/2021
  • Number of hours per week of research expected during Spring 2021: ~10
  • Number of hours per week of research expected during Summer 2021: ~20

Candidate requirements

  • Skill sets: Quantitative and/or Qualitative analysis and tool development, Microsoft Office Suite required, excellent writing and communication skills, flexibility, and humility
  • Student eligibility: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, master’s
  • International students on F1 or J1 visa: eligible
  • Academic Credit Possible: No