Charlotte Hemingway

Training Material Developer

Charlotte Hemingway supports research groups in the design and evaluation of health-related training and public engagement activities. While her work encompasses a wide range of communication platforms, she specialises in the use of digital games for health system benefit.

As a PhD candidate, she is exploring the use of mobile and gaming technology for health systems benefit in lower-and middle-income countries. She has developed novel methods in user-centred design and participatory research, ensuring the needs of the end user are met and the intervention provides a viable platform for learning and behaviour change.

Research Projects

Lessons in achieving broader health systems strengthening through disease-specific programme grants: Case studies from the Comic Relief/GSK ‘Fighting Malaria, Improving Health’ partnership (2018-2019)

Summary: The primary aim of this study is to better understand how the various ‘Fighting Malaria, Improving Health’ grantee activities have impacted (both positively and/or negatively) on the local and/or national health system. This may include the direct impact on malaria prevention and control efforts, but also any other areas where a grantee programme may have contributed to (or undermined) health systems strengthening.  The study will also explore those challenges that have prevented a programme from having greater positive impact on the local/national health system as well as perceived threats to sustaining positive programme impact beyond the end of the grant. 

Role: Research Assistant (Qualitative data collection & analysis)

Partners and Collaborators: Study led by LSTM in collaboration withCoffey International, CHAI Tanzania, and the University of Sierra Leone.

HIV GET Tested Project (2016-2019)

Summary: HIV Gaming, Engaging and Testing Project (HIV GET Tested) is a 3-year pilot study, exploring the feasibility of digital gaming and self-testing as a means to increase uptake of vital health services among adolescent and young key populations in the Philippines.

A primary output of the pilot study was a game titled Battle in the Blood, launched on the Google Play and App Store Dec 2017. Data generated demonstrated the game had a positive effect on attitudes towards HIV and HIV services and behavioural intention. As of March 2019, over 3,500 unique device installs of the game have been reported with a vast majority in the Philippines. The game has since been adopted by the National Governments HIV/STI Prevention Programme and continued to be promoted across the Philippines.

https://etch.lstmed.ac.uk/projects/hiv-get-tested

Role: Project co-ordinator & co-producer.

Partners and Collaborators: Implementing agencies of the HIV GET Tested project is the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, University of the Philippines, the Department of International Public Health, LSTM. Cooperating agencies are ETCH, Philippines Department of Health, LoveYourself Inc, Quezon City Local Government, Davao Local Government and EM Studios.

Publications:

Hemingway C, Baja ES, Dalmacion GV, Medina PMB, Guevara EG, Sy TR, Dacombe R, Dormann C, Taegtmeyer M. Development of a Mobile Game to Influence Behaviour Determinants of HIV Service Uptake Among Key Populations in the Philippines: User-centred Design Process. JMIR Preprints. 25/02/2019:13695 DOI: 10.2196/preprints.13695

Development and validation of a simulation game to improve understanding of insecticide resistance management strategies for malaria control (2014-2017).

Summary: ResistanceSim allows players to control key aspects of a vector control programme and witness the impact of their decisions on insecticide resistance and disease transmission. The game was developed through an iterative user-centred development process, with African malaria control program staff and government officials acting as informants and games testers.

In addition to use by malaria control programs in Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia, in 2018 ResistanceSim was adopted by the Elimination 8, a collaboration across southern African countries who aim to rapidly eliminate malaria transmission. The game was integrated into their entomology fellowship training program. ResistanceSim was also adapted for the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2016, to engage visitors in vector biology.

Role: Project co-ordinator & co-producer.

Partners and collaborators: Development of ResistanceSim was completed by LSTM and EM studios. Many organisations contributed to initial design ideas, including the WHO, University of Notre Dame, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines, AngloGold Ashanti, Abt Associates, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Witswatersrand University, Ministries of Health in Zambia and Ghana, Intellectual Ventures Laboratory, Nigeria Institute for Medical Research, and University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin.

Teaching

Teaches on the Trop 962 Sexual Health and Human Sexuality Master’s module.
Delivered bespoke training in disease data management at the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Science, Bihar India.
Delivered bespoke training in qualitative research methods for two large scale research consortia based in Africa.  

Selected publications

  • Thomsen EK, Hemingway C, South A, Duda KA, Dormann C, Farmer R, Coleman M, Coleman M. ResistanceSim: development and acceptability study of a serious game to improve understanding of insecticide resistance management in vector control programmes. Malar J BioMed Central; 2018;17(1):422. [doi: 10.1186/s12936-018-2572-2]