The urgent and growing need for accessible rehabilitation and assistive technology  in Uganda is clear, but services remain an unfunded priority. ReLAB-HS conducted a qualitative analysis to understand the prioritization of rehabilitation in Uganda and to identify entry points for elevating rehabilitation in national and district health agendas. The study included a document review and… Read more

Technologies such as tablet-based assessment tools, centralized databases, and tools for supported decision-making are playing an important role in many community interventions, including health, rehabilitation, and inclusive development. The use of technological innovations for physical rehabilitation in low-resource settings is an under-researched area. One encouraging example is the use of an innovative digital technology to… Read more

By Rosemary Morgan, Lillian Asiimwe, Amanda L. Ager, Zuhra Haq, Linda Thumba and Diana Shcherbinina Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)—both during times of war and peace—can have impactful negative social and health outcomes. Reports of rape being used as an act of war in Ukraine are drawing global attention to the need for specialized care… Read more

Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems is designed to drive change in the physical rehabilitation sector, maximize opportunities for integrating rehabilitation in health systems, and respond to the growing need for rehabilitation and AT. It consists of six international partners with expertise in health systems, implementation science, and service delivery innovations.

Gender shapes access, use, adherence and outcomes of rehabilitation services. Available evidence describes lower participation rates, worse rehabilitation outcomes, and a disproportionate burden of caregiving among women and girls compared to men and boys. From what very limited data is available, gender minorities’ experience of accessing health shows frequent exposure to stigma and discrimination, and… Read more

The need for accessible rehabilitation and assistive technology services is urgent and growing in Uganda. As in many low-income countries, Uganda is struggling to implement World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for establishing rehabilitation and assistive technology as essential components of quality health services within the framework of universal health coverage. Meanwhile, a rise in both… Read more

Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) is a new USAID funded project, to drive significant change in the physical-rehabilitation sector, maximising opportunities for integrating rehabilitation in health systems, and responding to the growing need for assistive technology (AT). This is a new USAID award of $39.5m over five years, financed through… Read more

Sex and gender matter in interventions and research for rehabilitation within health systems because females, males, and intersex people have different biologies—and women, men, and gender minorities have different gendered social experiences—that affect their health behaviors, opportunities, and outcomes.

Through research, education, and practice, we’re working to address the chronic consequences of disease, including injuries and noncommunicable diseases across the lifespan in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). ReLAB-HS provides us with a unique opportunity to bring together a multidisciplinary consortium of exceptional partners who will work collectively to develop holistic, systems-based solutions to expanding… Read more

MiracleFeet is on a mission to eliminate a major cause of physical disability by creating widescale access to its treatment. Worldwide, over two million children live with untreated clubfoot, a common birth defect causing one or both feet to turn inward and upward. We envision a world in which everyone born with this condition receives… Read more