Advisory Groups: From Informal to Formal Governance Structures

Advisory Groups were put in place to enhance horizontal and vertical linkages.  In the Kenyan program, a technical advisory committee brought several universities together with funding and policy partners.  Their joint planning resulted in efforts to embed the work of this committee in the community health technical working group of the  Health Ministry.  With respect to the nurses and HIV/AIDS program, National Advisory Committees proposed ways for the leadership hubs to be institutionalized and scaled-up within countries (e.g. integrating hub structures within National Nursing Association branches).  Factors that facilitated the shift from informal to formal governance structures will be discussed.