Featured Projects

Phia has worked in public health around the globe. Past and current projects include large-scale public health initiatives, harm reduction interventions, community empowerment programs, and epidemiological and social science research.

Improving engagement of underrepresented people in health research through equity-centered design thinking

  • Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

  • Phia supported Tulane in documenting the equity-centered design thinking (EDT) process used to engage underrepresented stakeholders in the process of public health research agenda setting.

    We immersed ourselves in a year’s worth of qualitative data collected throughout the project, analyzed and synthesized it, and produced a manuscript detailing the methods, findings, and implications of this work. We provided a window into the entire process and outcomes of this work that can be used by communities and health researchers interested in adopting EDT in different contexts and settings.

  • We became intimately familiar with methods that do an excellent job of equitably sharing power between researchers and community members in a co-design process of public health research agenda setting.

  • Read the paper in JMIR Formative Research.

Evaluating Michigan’s System for Opioid Overdose Surveillance (SOS) from an equity perspective

  • UNIFIED HIV Health & Beyond (in partnership with Washtenaw County Health Department)

  • Phia led an evaluation of the SOS utilizing the Equity Evaluation Framework to amplify the inputs and perspectives of people who use drugs in the assessment of the system.

    We partnered with UNIFIED staff to co-develop data collection methods and instruments with members of the community of people who use drugs.

    We conducted key informant interviews and supported UNIFIED staff and community members in conducting a survey and co-leading focus groups.

    We analyzed the data and produced a final report on the findings.

  • We had the opportunity to give voice to individuals often not at the table for the design, development and evaluation of public health tools and systems.

  • Check out the final report on the Washtenaw County Health Department website.

Exploring systems-level solutions to address health needs of older adults experiencing homelessness

  • Community Solutions and Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless (AHCH)

  • Phia supported AHCH in exploring systems-level solutions to addressing the health needs of older adults experiencing homelessness.

    We employed the Rapid Policy Assessment and Response( RPAR) framework and conducted stakeholder interviews across policy, legal, and clinical organizations at the national, state, and local level. We conducted matrix analysis of transcript data and pulled salient themes around systems-level solutions and key stakeholders to engage in coalition building.

  • We got to hear from experts across disciplines and fields about how to solve the looming crisis of the growing population of older adults experiencing homelessness. We were able to work with our client to identify a path forward for coalition building and working towards key goals for systems-level change..

  • Read the final report on the AHCH website.