Students Align with Global Menstruation Hygiene Management (MHM) Agenda to Advocate for National Priorities in School Health

The Northwestern University Program in Public Health congratulates MPH student Anya Patel and undergraduate global health studies student Chloe Wong for their research efforts to advocate for Menstruation Hygiene Management (MHM) in school and public health policy, research and evaluation agenda.

Both students were invited to present their MHM research at the Elena M. Sliepcevich Centennial Symposium on the Future of School Health the weekend of April 6-7. Patel presented her findings from a national-wide MHM policy analysis and Wong presented her findings from a qualitative study focused on understanding primary school teachers' views of MHM in Kenya.  Both students are working with Dr. Leah C. Neubauer, assistant professor of Preventive Medicine to understand MHM programming and policy in school-based settings in the USA and Kenya.  Neubauer's research team explores intersections of health, curriculum development, evaluation and capacity-building in formal and nonformal education settings. 

“It’s an exciting time to be working in MHM," said Dr. Neubauer. "Our students are engaged in innovative, advocacy-oriented public health research. They have the pleasure of learning through the work of leaders in the field Penny-Phillips Howard from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Marni Sommer from the Mailman School of Public Health who’ve been working in this field for over a decade." 

The two-day symposium fostered critical dialogues among school and public health leaders to identify the future priorities of school health. Speaker included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, George Mason University, Indiana University, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, Nova Southeastern University, University of Maryland School of Public Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine.

(published April 15, 2019)