Peers for Progress

Peers for Progress
Name	Peers for Progress
Formation	2004
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	United States
Focus	Peer support for chronic disease

Peers for Progress

Peers for Progress is an international nonprofit initiative focused on peer support for chronic disease management that engages networks similar to World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. The initiative builds collaborations across institutions like World Bank, United Nations, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Partners In Health, and Clinton Health Access Initiative to scale community-based models used in contexts such as India, South Africa, United States, Mexico, and Uganda.

Background and History

Peers for Progress originated from programmatic research linking peer support models pioneered in projects associated with Diabetes Prevention Program, Stanford University, University of North Carolina, Mayo Clinic, and Massachusetts General Hospital to global health priorities articulated by World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization. Early studies drew on evidence from interventions in settings like Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Thailand, and incorporated methodologies from trials run by teams at Johns Hopkins University, University of California, San Francisco, Emory University, and Columbia University. Founding collaborations involved actors such as American Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Federation, Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, and philanthropic partners including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mission and Programs

The mission emphasizes peer support models for conditions such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hypertension, and mental health disorders informed by practice from Community Health Workers Program, Project HOPE, Partners In Health, Médecins Sans Frontières, and academic programs at Yale School of Public Health. Core programs include training linked to curricula used by Harvard School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Toronto, University College London, and toolkits adapted from initiatives like CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program. Programmatic activities work with local implementers such as BRAC, Kaiser Permanente, Kheth'Impilo, Society for Community Health Awareness Research and Action and integrate monitoring systems developed with partners like RTI International, ICF International, and Abt Associates.

Structure and Partnerships

Organizationally, the initiative functions through networks of academic partners including University of California, Los Angeles, University of Washington, University of Sydney, Monash University, and National University of Singapore alongside civil society organizations like FHI 360, PATH, CARE International, Oxfam, and Red Cross. It operates through advisory input from figures associated with World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, European Commission, and national agencies such as National Institutes of Health and CDC. Collaborative linkages extend to funders and implementers including Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and multilateral lenders like Asian Development Bank.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluation strategies employ randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and implementation science frameworks used by teams at Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Karolinska Institutet to measure outcomes for diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, depression, and maternal health. Reported impacts cite improved clinical measures documented in studies from Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, India, and Uganda and published in journals associated with The Lancet, Nature Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, BMJ, and PLOS Medicine. Independent evaluations have involved evaluators from RAND Corporation, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Medicine, and consultancy groups like Deloitte and PwC.

Funding and Governance

Funding streams combine grants from philanthropic organizations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Ford Foundation with contractual support from multilateral agencies including World Health Organization, World Bank, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and bilateral agencies like United States Agency for International Development and UK Department for International Development. Governance arrangements have drawn on board and advisory models found at Harvard University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California system, and nonprofit standards promoted by Independent Sector and Council on Foundations.

Notable Projects and Initiatives

Notable initiatives include peer support projects adapted for diabetes care in Mexico and India with implementation partners like Partners In Health and research partners such as Stanford University and University of North Carolina. Other projects targeted HIV/AIDS adherence support in South Africa and Uganda in collaboration with Clinton Health Access Initiative, Médecins Sans Frontières, and national programs coordinated with Ministry of Health (Uganda), South African National Department of Health, and academic partners like University of Cape Town and Makerere University. Mental health peer support pilots were linked to work by WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme, Beyond Blue, Sangath, and Karuna Trust while tobacco cessation and cardiovascular risk reduction projects collaborated with American Heart Association and World Heart Federation.

Category:Non-profit organizations