Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Research Interests
Maternal, neonatal, and child health; Equity and social determinants of health; Mixed-methods research; Program evaluation; Behavioral and community-based interventions
Experiences & Accomplishments
My main research interests are in: 1) the design and evaluation of community-based interventions for maternal, neonatal, and child health in low-income countries; 2) the study of social determinants of health and equity of health programs. My research experience is in mixed-methods approaches for assessing interventions and evaluating health outcomes and equity. I have experience in designing and conducting qualitative research studies, assessing the quality of health services, and in conducting population-based survey research. I have worked on neonatal, child, and maternal health research projects in a variety of low-income settings, including two intervention design projects in Bangladesh and evaluations of large-scale maternal and child health interventions in Malawi, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
Honors & Awards
NIH Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research, 2012-2014 & 2014-2016
Faculty Pilot Grants in Global Health, Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, 2011
Finalist, Lancet and Global Forum Young Researchers for Health, 2010
Fellowship, Northwestern University, 2005-2006
Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, 2002
Highest Honors, University of Virginia, 2002
Echols Scholar Honors Program, University of Virginia, 1998-2002
National Merit Semifinalist and Scholarship Winner, 1998
Select Publications
Hunter, E. C., Callaghan-Koru, J. A., Al Mahmud, A., Shah, R., Farzin, A., Cristofalo, E. A., . . . Baqui, A. H. Newborn care practices in rural Bangladesh: Implications for the adaptation of kangaroo mother care for community-based interventions. Social Science & Medicine(0). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.101/j.socscimed.2014.10.006
Callaghan-Koru JA, Seifu A, Tholandi M, de Graft-Johnson J, Daniel E, Rawlins B, et al. Newborn care practices at home and in health facilities in 4 regions of Ethiopia. BMC Pediatrics 2013;13(1):198.
Callaghan-Koru JA, Nonyane BAS, Guenther T, Sitrin D, Ligowe R, Chimbalanga E, et al. Contribution of community-based newborn helath promotion to reducing inequities in healthy newborn care practices and knowledge: evidence of improvement from a three-district pilot program in Malawi. BMC Public Health 2013;13:1052.
Callaghan-Koru JA, Gilroy K, Hyder AA, George A, Nsona H, Mtimuni A, et al. Health systems supports for community case management of childhood illness: lessons from an assessment of early implementation in Malawi. BMC Health Services Research 2013;13(1):55.
Gilroy KE, Callaghan-Koru JA, Cardemil CV, Nsona H, Amouzou A, Mtimuni A, et al. Quality of sick child care delivered by Health Surveillance Assistants in Malawi. Health Policy and Planning 2012;28(6):573-85.