Text reminders to help girls finish the HPV vaccine series in Kampala
Official title: SEARCH: SMS Electronic Adolescent Reminders for Completion of HPV vaccination- Uganda
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11397404 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project sends SMS reminders to preteen and adolescent girls and their caregivers in Kampala, Uganda to help them complete all HPV vaccine doses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $115,974 |
| NIH project number | 3R33CA253604-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397404 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are preteen or adolescent girls in Kampala who are eligible for HPV vaccination and whose families have access to a working cell phone.
✕Less likely to help
Girls who live outside the Kampala area, lack reliable phone access, or have already finished the HPV series are unlikely to benefit from enrolling.
What this research studies
You or your daughter would receive periodic text-message reminders about upcoming HPV vaccine doses and where to get them. The work is carried out through three health centers and their linked schools and community immunization sites under Kampala Capital City Authority. The messages are designed to overcome common problems like school absenteeism, forgetting follow-up doses, and vaccine misperceptions by providing timely reminders and information. Researchers will follow vaccine records to see whether girls complete the required multi-dose HPV series.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more girls would complete the HPV vaccine series, which could lower their future risk of cervical cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Text-message vaccine reminders have improved vaccine uptake in studies from high-income settings, but this approach has not been well tested among preteens and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stockwell, Melissa S — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Stockwell, Melissa S
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.