Research

Research Approach

My work is grounded in the belief that better data leads to better health outcomes. By combining GIS and public health methods, I examine where and why inequalities in healthcare access exist, particularly for women and children. My research supports data-driven planning, helping decision-makers allocate resources more equitably and improve health service delivery.

My research sits at the crossroads of geographic data science and public health, with a particular interest in how location and distribution of quality health services influence health outcomes. I focus on:

Healthcare accessibility and utilisation

Maternal, newborn, and child health

Spatial health inequalities

Routine health data systems

Spatial epidemiology and mapping disease patterns

Current Projects

I’m currently involved in several collaborative research initiatives, including:

Countdown to 2030 – A multi-country effort working with health ministries and academic partners across more than 26 African nations. We use routine health facility data to track progress towards key health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CONTAIN Project– As a Co-Investigator on this UKRI-funded project, I work alongside a cross-disciplinary team exploring new ways to understand and manage the spread of infectious diseases through spatial and social analysis.

Collaborations & Impact

I regularly collaborate with government health agencies, NGOs, and international partners to turn research into real-world solutions. My work has informed health strategies across low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. My PhD, funded by the ESRC, was recognised nationally and locally for its impact on evidence-based policymaking and capacity development in Ghana.

Below is a video produced by the ESRC highlighting my research impact in Ghana.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  1. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Nilsen, K., Yankey, O., Ofosu, A., Ankomah, T., Tweneboah, E., … Wright, J. (2025). Spatio-temporal patterns of health service delivery and access to maternal, child, and outpatient healthcare in Volta region, Ghana: a repeated cross-sectional ecological study using health facility data. Global Health Action, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2513861
  2. Amouzou, A., Barros, A. J. D., Requejo, J., Faye, C., Akseer, N., Bendavid, E., Blumenberg, C., Borghi, J., El Baz, S., Federspiel, F., Ferreira, L. Z., Hazel, E., Heft-Neal, S., Hellwig, F., Liu, L., Munos, M., Pitt, C., Shawar, Y. R., Shiffman, J., … Boerma, T. (2025). Tracking progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition: the Countdown to 2030 for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health report. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00151-5
  3. Wariri, O., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Agbla, S. C., Jah, H., Janneh, M., Cham, M., Jawara, B. F., Nayassi, M., Marema, M., Sanneh, S., Kampmann, B., Banke-Thomas, A., Lawn, J. E., & Okomo, U. (2025). Beyond Proximity: Examining Stillbirth Rates in The Gambia and the Influence of Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Accessibility. BMJ Global Health. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-016579
  4. Sylla, E. H. M., Fall, N. A., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Sandie, A. B., Gueye, B. S., Senghor, D. B., Cissé, B., Bocoum, F. Y., Sy, I. O., & Faye, C. (2025). Beyond physical accessibility, bypassing health facilities offering cesarean section: a study based on women living in the slums of Dakar. BMJ Open, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088606
  5. Utazi, E., Olowe, I., Chan, H. M. T., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Wagai, J., Umar, J., Etamesor, S., Atuhaire, B., Fafunmi, B., Crawford, J., Adeniran, A., & Tatem, A. (2024). Geospatial variation in vaccination coverage and zero-dose 2 prevalence at the district, ward and health facility levels before 3 and after a measles vaccination campaign in Nigeria. Vaccines. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12121299
  6. Wariri, O., Utazi, C. E., Okomo, U., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Sogur, M., Fofana, S., Murray, K. A., Grundy, C., & Kampmann, B. (2024). Multi-level determinants of timely routine childhood vaccinations in The Gambia: Findings from a nationwide analysis. Vaccine, 43(2), Article 126500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126500
  7. Dwomoh, D., Iddi, S., Afagbedzi, S. K., Tejedor-Garavito, N., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Wright, J., Tatem, A. J., & Nilsen, K. (2023). Impact of urban slum residence on coverage of maternal, neonatal, and child health service indicators in the Greater Accra region of Ghana: an ecological time-series analysis, 2018–2021. Journal of Urban Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-023-00812-0
  8. Gausman, J., Pingray, V., Adanu, R., Bandoh, D. A. B., Barrueta, M., Blossom, J., Chakraborty, S., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Kenu, E., Khan, N., Langer, A., Nigri, C., Odikro, M. A., Ramesh, S., Saggurti, N., Vazquez, P., Williams, C. R., & Jolivet, R. R. (2023). Validating indicators for monitoring availability and geographic distribution of emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmoNC) facilities: a study triangulating health system, facility, and geospatial data. PLoS ONE, 18(9 September), e0287904. Article e0287904. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287904
  9. Nuhu, A. G. K., Dwomoh, D., Amuasi, S. A., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Kubio, C., Apraku, E. A., Timbire, J. K., & Nonvignon, J. (2023). Impact of mobile health on maternal and child health service utilization and continuum of care in Northern Ghana. Scientific Reports, 13(1), Article 3004. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29683-w
  10. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Tatem, A., Matthews, Z., Alegana, V. A., Ofosu, A., & Wright, J. (2023). Quality of maternal healthcare and travel time influence birthing service utilisation in Ghanaian health facilities: a geographical analysis of routine health data. BMJ Open, 13(1), e066792. Article e066792. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066792
  11. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Dwomoh, D., Asamoah, M., Gyimah, F., Dzodzomenyo, M., Li, C., Akowuaha, G., Ofosu, A., & Wright, J. (2022). Dam-mediated flooding impact on outpatient attendance and diarrhoea cases in northern Ghana: a mixed methods study. BMC Public Health, 22(1), Article 2108. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14568-w
  12. Dwomoh, D., Amuasi, S. A., Amoah, E. M., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., & Tetteh, J. (2022). Exposure to family planning messages and contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional program impact evaluation study. Scientific Reports, 12, Article 18941. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22525-1
  13. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Nilsen, K., Ofosu, A., Matthews, Z., Tejedor Garavito, N., Wright, J., & Tatem, A. (2022). Distance is “a big problem”: a geographic analysis of reported and modelled proximity to maternal health services in Ghana. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 22(1), Article 672. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-04998-0
  14. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Tatem, A., Matthews, Z., Alegana, V. A., Ofosu, A., & Wright, J. (2022). Delineating natural catchment health districts with routinely collected health data from women’s travel to give birth in Ghana. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 772. Article 772. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08125-9
  15. Aheto, J., Pannell, O. B., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Trimner, M. K., Tatem, A., Rhoda, D. A., Cutts, F. T., & Utazi, C. (2022). Multilevel analysis of predictors of multiple indicators of childhood vaccination in Nigeria. PLoS ONE, 17(5 May), Article e0269066. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269066
  16. Yu, W., Bain, R. E. S., Yu, J., Alegana, V. A., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Lin, Y., & Wright, J. (2021). Mapping access to basic hygiene services in low- and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional case study of geospatial disparities. Applied Geography, 135, Article 102549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2021.102549
  17. Utazi, C. E., Nilsen, K., Pannell, O., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., & Tatem, A. J. (2021). District‐level estimation of vaccination coverage: discrete vs continuous spatial models. Statistics in Medicine, 40(9), 2197-2211. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.8897
  18. Simo, L. P., Agbor, V. N., Temgoua, F. Z., Fozeu, L. C. F., Bonghaseh, D. T., Mbonda, A. G. N., Yurika, R., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., & Mbanya, D. (2021). Prevalence and factors associated with overweight and obesity in selected health areas in a rural health district in Cameroon: a cross-sectional analysis. BMC Public Health, 21(1), Article 475. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10403-w
  19. Rice, B. L., Annapragada, A., Baker, R. E., Bruijning, M., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Mensah, K., Miller, I. F., Motaze, N. V., Raherinandrasana, A., Rajeev, M., Rakotonirina, J., Ramiadantsoa, T., Rasambainarivo, F., Yu, W., Grenfell, B. T., Tatem, A., & Metcalf, C. J. E. (2021). Variation in SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks across sub-Saharan Africa. Nature Medicine, 27(3), 447-453. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01234-8
  20. Wariri, O., Onuwabuchi, E., Korem Alhassan, J. A., Dase, E., Jalo, I., Laima, C. H., Farouk, H. U., El-Nafaty, A. U., Okomo, U., & Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W. (2021). The influence of travel time to health facilities on stillbirths: a geospatial case-control analysis of facility-based data in Gombe, Nigeria. PLoS ONE, 16(1 January), Article e0245297. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245297
  21. Head, M., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Boateng, L., & Lartey, M. (2020). Healthcare-seeking behaviour in reporting of scabies and skin infections in Ghana – a review of reported cases. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 114(11), 830-837. https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/traa071
  22. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Tatem, A. J., Alegana, V., Utazi, C. E., Ruktanonchai, C. W., & Wright, J. (2020). Spatial inequalities in skilled attendance at birth in Ghana: a multilevel analysis integrating health facility databases with household survey data. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 25(9), 1044-1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.13460
  23. Semey, M., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Dzodzomenyo, M., & Wright, J. (2020). Characteristics of packaged water production facilities in Greater Accra, Ghana: implications for water safety and associated environmental impacts. Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 10(1), 146-156. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2020.110
  24. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Dwomoh, D., Alegana, V., Hill, A. G., Tatem, A., & Wright, J. (2020). The influence of distance and quality on utilisation of birthing services at health facilities in Eastern Region, Ghana. BMJ Global Health, 4(e002020), Article e002020. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002020
  25. Dzodzomenyo, M., Fink, G., Hill, A., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Wardrop, N., Aryeetey, G., Coleman, N., & Wright, J. (2018). Sachet water and product registration: a cross-sectional study in Accra, Ghana. Journal of Water and Health, 16(2). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2018.055
  26. Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Wardrop, N., Adewole, A. P., Thomas-Possee, M. L. H., & Wright, J. (2018). A cross-sectional ecological analysis of international and sub-national health inequalities in commercial geospatial resource availability. International Journal of Health Geographics, 17(14). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-018-0134-z
  27. Dzodzomenyo, M., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Lapworth, D., Wardrop, N., & Wright, J. (2017). Geographic distribution of registered packaged water production in Ghana: implications for piped supplies, groundwater management and product transportation. Water, 9(142). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3390/w9020142
  28. Bosomprah, S., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Aboagye, P., & Matthews, Z. (2016). Use of a spatial scan statistic to identify clusters of births occurring outside Ghanaian health facilities for targeted intervention. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 135(2), 221-224. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2016.04.016
  29. Bosomprah, S., Tatem, A. J., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Aboagye, P., & Matthews, Z. (2016). Spatial distribution of emergency obstetric and newborn care services in Ghana: using the evidence to plan interventions. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 132(1), 130-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.11.004

Global Report

1. United Nations Population Fund, International Confederation of Midwives, World Health Organization. State of the world’s midwifery 2021. New York: United Nations Population Fund; 2021. [Technical Contributor]