CHASE Africa Showcases Surveys at Hot Topics in Global Health Conference
CHASE Africa presented a new survey to understand the health status, needs and attitudes of over 3,000 households in rural, pastoralist communities in Kenya at this year's Hot Topics in Global Health conference.
Held on 4–5 June 2026 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, the conference brings together doctors, researchers and global health professionals to explore the challenges shaping health worldwide.
CHASE Africa was represented by one of our advisors, Dr Helen Carr, and one of our Programme Managers, Jo McClellan, who attended after submitting a poster outlining recent comprehensive surveys carried out by three of our long-standing partners: Big Life Foundation, SORALO and The Maa Trust.
Attendees at the Hot Topics in Global Health conference
Showcasing Our Surveys
The poster presented a summary of the recent surveys that we have conducted on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and access to health services.
Carried out across the three partner organisations between November 2025 and February 2026, the surveys will help us measure the impact and progress of our partners’ programmes over the past 3 years, as well as act as baseline for the next programme phase. The data will also enable more evidence-based targeting of activities, having identified areas where the need is higher and health indicators are poorer.
A Community Health Worker with a community member
The rich data consists of 3,048 household surveys, 105 key informant interviews and 55 focus group discussions. Household surveys were administered in person by trained staff. Key informant interviews with community leaders and health facility staff added further depth, alongside routinely collected health data from local Ministry of Health facilities.
Notably, although the three surveys were carried out in different locations, all the communities involved share a pastoralist way of life. This gives CHASE Africa and our partners a valuable, comparable dataset to learn from.
At the end of the first day, CHASE Africa was invited to discuss the poster with members of the conference panel, generating valuable feedback and discussion.
The poster shows a summary of the recent surveys
Why We Were There
Dr Helen Carr explains the thinking behind CHASE Africa's involvement:
CHASE Africa wants to be able to examine and demonstrate the effectiveness of its programmes in a more robust manner. We would therefore like to form research partnerships with global health academics interested in women's and planetary health. The acceptance of a short abstract for a poster presentation at the Hot Topics in Global Health conference in London is a good starting point for showcasing our work and starting to network among interested researchers. We hope to make use of further networking opportunities at other global health events and conferences later in the year.
Our partner SORALO contributed to the surveys
Jo McClellan also reflected on the value of attending:
The conference provided an excellent platform for sharing ideas, showcasing the work of CHASE Africa and our partners, and discussing our ongoing work with researchers and clinicians working in global health.
Looking Ahead
The conference sparked the interest of several young doctors. We would welcome new collaborators for similar surveys and research across our other programmes. We are keen to hear from academics interested in women's health, planetary health, or the links between health and conservation programmes.
We look forward to building on these connections at further global health events later this year. If you are a researcher interested in collaborating with CHASE Africa, we would love to hear from you, please get in touch.