Associate Professor Rohina Joshi

Strengthening the health workforce for cardiovascular disease prevention and control

Associate Professor Rohina Joshi, University of New South Wales

2018 Future Leader Fellowship

Years funded: 2019-2023

Millions of people worldwide do not have access to quality health care for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and control due to health workforce shortages. In response to this workforce crisis, strategies for task-sharing between physicians and trained non-physicians have been developed for maternal and child health and infectious diseases, though very few models exist to address CVD.

My research on task-sharing strategies has demonstrated that trained non-physician health workers (including allied professional health workers and community health workers) can contribute significantly towards CVD prevention and control.

My program of research has three themes:

1. Evaluate models of collaborative care between physicians and non-physicians for cardiovascular disease management using two randomised controlled trials in Australia and India. This suite of randomised controlled trials will generate much needed evidence about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of collaborative models of care for CVD management.
2. Provide the evidence to support the use of Community Health Workers for CVD prevention and control. This theme will generate detailed understanding about the role of community health workers in CVD prevention and management and highlight the policy-implementation gaps in CHW programs.
3. Train physicians and non-physicians to improve health information systems in order to prioritise CVD prevention programs.

This multi-country implementation study will strengthen the health workforce to provide accurate and reliable information about the impact of CVD.

This cutting-edge program of research will increase access to affordable healthcare and improve the lives of millions globally.