# Treatment of Health Complications due to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Tanzania: Curriculum Build, Implementation, and Evaluation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $608,507

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) affects girls and women throughout the world, with 3 million girls cut
each year. The highest rates of FGM/C are in East Africa. There are significant reproductive, sexual, and
mental health consequences for girls and women impacted by FGM/C. Healthcare providers (HCPs) require
training to meet these needs, yet globally there is a dearth of training programs. Effectiveness studies of
FGM/C training are even rarer. Tanzania has a high FGM/C rate, yet we found in preliminary studies that
healthcare students were unprepared to meet the need of these patients. The goal of the proposed study is to
develop training materials specific to the needs of HCPs within Tanzania, deliver a pilot intervention/training
program, and study the effectiveness of the program at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
(MUHAS). In order to meet that goal, it is critical that training materials are developed carefully, with attention
to both cultural and ethical concerns facing healthcare providers within the country. There are three specific
aims. In Aim 1 we will conduct a social ecological needs assessment of the healthcare needs of women in
Tanzania who have experienced FGM/C. The results of Aim 1 will be used to adapt a promising training
program to accomplish our second aim. In Aim 2 we will develop a FGM/C training tailored to the Tanzanian
context. A core component of Aim 2 will be to use a train the trainer program. In Aim 3 we will evaluate the
effectiveness of the training through a randomized, controlled, single blinded trial of the training (intervention)
against a waitlist control arm (n=200 students per arm; 400 in total). In Aim 3 we will assess medical, nursing,
and midwifery students’ improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and clinical skills. Development and testing of a
tailored training course about FGM/C for students in health care, if effective, has high potential to be integrated
into existing curriculum; and be widely adopted as a new standard of training for health professionals across
both low prevalence and high prevalence FGM/C areas.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10939199
- **Project number:** 1R01HD115567-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Jo Connor
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $608,507
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10939199

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10939199, Treatment of Health Complications due to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Tanzania: Curriculum Build, Implementation, and Evaluation (1R01HD115567-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10939199. Licensed CC0.

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