Presentation of WASH in health care facilities in Malawi research at the UNC Global Water & Health conference

Sean Irwin was awarded Research and Professional Development funds for a research project on water, sanitation, and hygiene improvement plans in health care facilities in rural Malawi.

Improving WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) is an emergent and critically important challenge, particularly in the global South. It plays a key role in reducing the spread of hospital acquired infections, including Ebola and Covid-19, and has an outsized role in improving women’s health. In 2021-2022 we developed, implemented, and conducted research on an innovative approach to improving WASH in health care facilities in rural Malawi which was funded by the Fund for Innovation and Transformation. We intend to present the findings from this work at the top WASH conference in the world, Water and Health, at the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.