Julia Songok
Biographic Data
| ID | 4218077 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Julia Songok |
| GIVEN NAMES | Julia |
| FAMILY NAME | Songok |
| SIGNATURE | SONGOK J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Moi University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6431-0505 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
“There is a light that our wives had not seen before”
The Chamas for Change (Chamas) program is an innovative three-year community-based gender-responsive intervention in Western Kenya. During this period, the program provides peer support, microfinance initiatives, and health education to pregnant women. A randomized control trial demonstrated significant improvements in maternal and child health outcomes for program participants. This qualitative study explored community perceptions of the program…
Human-centered design of an adapted differentiated service delivery model for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in Kenya
Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (WLH) are lacking despite guidelines recommending DSD for this population. We used human-centered design (HCD) to develop a DSD model for pregnant and postpartum WLH at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) in Kenya. We conducted co-creation workshops with 11 postpartum women, 9 male partners and 9 providers from three AMPATH-affili…
Effects of a gender-responsive maternal, newborn and child health program on health and economic outcomes during Covid-19 in Kenya
The Chamas program effectively sustained maternal and child health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic through adapted CHW support but showed limited ability to protect members from economic hardship. This demonstrates both the resilience and limitations of community-based interventions during widespread crises. Our results highlight the need for robust governmental support and social protection measures to address underlying economic vulnerab…
Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on late postpartum women living with HIV in Kenya
Although an estimated 1.4 million women living with HIV (WHIV) are pregnant each year globally, data describing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on postpartum women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. To address this gap, we conducted phone surveys among 170 WHIV ≥18 years and 18–24 months postpartum enrolled in HIV care at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare in western Kenya, and assessed the effects of the…
Photo-Elicitation Technique
Photo-elicitation interview techniques, a method in which researchers incorporate images to enrich the interview experience, have been gaining traction in numerous spheres of research over the last two decades. Little is, however, written about the utility of the technique in studies involving vulnerable populations in clinical contexts. Drawing on research where researcher-generated photographs were used to elicit mothers' experiences of pain an…
Retention in care and viral suppression in the PMTCT continuum at a large referral facility in western Kenya
Medical records of pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV and their infants attending a large referral facility in Kenya from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed to identify characteristics associated with retention in care and viral suppression. Women were stratified based on the timing of HIV care enrollment: known HIV-positive (KHP; enrolled pre-pregnancy) and newly HIV-positive (NHP; enrolled during pregnancy). Associations with retention at 18…
A qualitative study of the barriers and enhancers to retention in care for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV
Retention in care is a major challenge for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (PPHIV) in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) continuum. However, the factors influencing retention from the perspectives of women who have become lost to follow-up (LTFU) are not well described. We explored these factors within an enhanced sub-cohort of the East Africa International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS Consortium. …
It was hell in the community’
We found that the impacts of strikes by health care workers in 2017 extended beyond negative health and economic effects and exacerbated fundamental inequities in the health system. While this study was conducted in one County, our findings suggest several potential avenues for strengthening maternal and child health care in Kenya that were highlighted by nationwide strikes in 2017
Improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes through a community-based women’s health education program
INTRODUCTION: Community-based women's health education groups may improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH); however, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. Chamas for Change (Chamas) is a community health volunteer (CHV)-led, group-based health education programme for pregnant and postpartum women in western Kenya. We evaluated Chamas' effect on facility-based deliveries and other MNCH outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cluster rand…
Leveraging the power of partnerships
BACKGROUND: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) has been a model academic partnership in global health for nearly three decades, leveraging the power of a public-sector academic medical center and the tripartite academic mission - service, education, and research - to the challenges of delivering health care in a low-income setting. Drawing our mandate from the health needs of the population, we have scaled up service deliv…
Photo-Elicitation Technique
Photo-elicitation interview techniques, a method in which researchers incorporate images to enrich the interview experience, have been gaining traction in numerous spheres of research over the last two decades. Little is, however, written about the utility of the technique in studies involving vulnerable populations in clinical contexts. Drawing on research where researcher-generated photographs were used to elicit mothers' experiences of pain an…
Leveraging the power of partnerships
BACKGROUND: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) has been a model academic partnership in global health for nearly three decades, leveraging the power of a public-sector academic medical center and the tripartite academic mission - service, education, and research - to the challenges of delivering health care in a low-income setting. Drawing our mandate from the health needs of the population, we have scaled up service deliv…
Improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes through a community-based women’s health education program
INTRODUCTION: Community-based women's health education groups may improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH); however, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. Chamas for Change (Chamas) is a community health volunteer (CHV)-led, group-based health education programme for pregnant and postpartum women in western Kenya. We evaluated Chamas' effect on facility-based deliveries and other MNCH outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a cluster rand…
A qualitative study of the barriers and enhancers to retention in care for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV
Retention in care is a major challenge for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (PPHIV) in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) continuum. However, the factors influencing retention from the perspectives of women who have become lost to follow-up (LTFU) are not well described. We explored these factors within an enhanced sub-cohort of the East Africa International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS Consortium. …
It was hell in the community’
We found that the impacts of strikes by health care workers in 2017 extended beyond negative health and economic effects and exacerbated fundamental inequities in the health system. While this study was conducted in one County, our findings suggest several potential avenues for strengthening maternal and child health care in Kenya that were highlighted by nationwide strikes in 2017
Retention in care and viral suppression in the PMTCT continuum at a large referral facility in western Kenya
Medical records of pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV and their infants attending a large referral facility in Kenya from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed to identify characteristics associated with retention in care and viral suppression. Women were stratified based on the timing of HIV care enrollment: known HIV-positive (KHP; enrolled pre-pregnancy) and newly HIV-positive (NHP; enrolled during pregnancy). Associations with retention at 18…
Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on late postpartum women living with HIV in Kenya
Although an estimated 1.4 million women living with HIV (WHIV) are pregnant each year globally, data describing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on postpartum women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. To address this gap, we conducted phone surveys among 170 WHIV ≥18 years and 18–24 months postpartum enrolled in HIV care at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare in western Kenya, and assessed the effects of the…
Photo-Elicitation Technique
Photo-elicitation interview techniques, a method in which researchers incorporate images to enrich the interview experience, have been gaining traction in numerous spheres of research over the last two decades. Little is, however, written about the utility of the technique in studies involving vulnerable populations in clinical contexts. Drawing on research where researcher-generated photographs were used to elicit mothers' experiences of pain an…
Human-centered design of an adapted differentiated service delivery model for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in Kenya
Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (WLH) are lacking despite guidelines recommending DSD for this population. We used human-centered design (HCD) to develop a DSD model for pregnant and postpartum WLH at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) in Kenya. We conducted co-creation workshops with 11 postpartum women, 9 male partners and 9 providers from three AMPATH-affili…
Effects of a gender-responsive maternal, newborn and child health program on health and economic outcomes during Covid-19 in Kenya
The Chamas program effectively sustained maternal and child health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic through adapted CHW support but showed limited ability to protect members from economic hardship. This demonstrates both the resilience and limitations of community-based interventions during widespread crises. Our results highlight the need for robust governmental support and social protection measures to address underlying economic vulnerab…
“There is a light that our wives had not seen before”
The Chamas for Change (Chamas) program is an innovative three-year community-based gender-responsive intervention in Western Kenya. During this period, the program provides peer support, microfinance initiatives, and health education to pregnant women. A randomized control trial demonstrated significant improvements in maternal and child health outcomes for program participants. This qualitative study explored community perceptions of the program…
Medicine (7 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (6 works) · Public health (6 works) · Environmental health (5 works) · Nursing (5 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (4 works) · Family medicine (4 works) · Population (4 works) · Qualitative research (4 works) · Community health (3 works)