2020 Leadership Journey Project: Peer Navigation to Improve Cervical Cancer Prevention Uptake in Western Kenya
Megan Huchko is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Global Health, and Director of the Center for Global Reproductive Health at Duke, with a research portfolio focusing on health care delivery for underserved and vulnerable women. I completed my residency at Columbia Presbyterian, followed by a research fellowship in Reproductive Infectious Disease at the University of California, San Francisco. During that fellowship, I moved to western Kenya, where I worked to integrate reproductive healthcare, specifically cervical cancer prevention, into an HIV-care program. I came to Duke in 2016, where I have the opportunity to teach undergraduates and Masters’ students, run the cervical cancer prevention program and direct the Center, which has offices in Durham and Kisumu, Kenya.
Currently, I am leading several large studies in Uganda and Kenya to evaluate implementation strategies for HPV-based cervical cancer screening in rural settings and investigate the impact of cancer-related stigma on uptake of services. I work in partnership with ministries and government officials in both places to develop and evaluate sustainable and context-specific prevention programs that include innovative technologies and delivery strategies.
