The purpose of the Training for Health Professional-2 (THP-2) study is to improve sexual and reproductive health care in Tanzania by strengthening how future health professionals are trained to address sexual health outcomes. We do this by evaluating a culturally grounded sexual health curriculum developed for medical, nursing, and midwifery students. Findings from this study will be shared with educators, policymakers, researchers, and health institutions in Tanzania and beyond.
An NIH-funded study led by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and carried out in partnership with Tanzanian health universities.
Conducted in collaboration with:
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)
University of Dodoma (UDOM)
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College (KCMC)
State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)
Focused on training health professional students and faculty in sexual and reproductive health care.
Designed to evaluation both medium- and long-term outcomes and real-world implementation of a sexual health curriculum.
Led by Principal Investigators Dr. B. R. Simon Rosser and Dr. Dickson Mkoka as part of an international research partnership.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: 2R01HD092655-06
Reviewed and approved by the University of Minnesota IRB: STUDY00019076; Tanzania MUHAS Ethical Clearance: MUHAS-REC-10-2023-1934; and The United Republic of Tanzania Ethical Clearance: NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol.IX/4487.
In Part 1, we build on what we learned in the earlier THP-1 study. In 2024, we conducted a randomized, single-blinded trial of the Afrocentric sexual health curriculum against a waitlist control arm. In 2024 – 2026, we are assessing the effects on sexual health knowledge, attitudes, and sexual history and counseling skills at medium (6-) and long-term (12 and 24 months) follow-up.
In Part 2, we focus on developing the tools needed to disseminate the sexual health curriculum across Tanzania. We work with faculty from multiple health universities in Tanzania to identify training needs, develop teaching resources, and pilot a train-the trainer program. The goal is to prepare faculty to deliver the curriculum independently and sustain it beyond the research study.
In Part 3, we evaluate the real-world effectiveness of the sexual health curriculum when it is taught by local faculty under routine teaching conditions at additional Tanzanian universities. We assess student learning outcomes and follow participants over time to determine whether the curriculum produces similar short-, medium-, and long-term effects outside of a controlled trial setting.