JH-IIRU Shares Evaluation Findings with Michael Phelps Foundation

On May 16, 2019, leadership and faculty from the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) traveled to St. Charles, Illinois to share assessment findings and initiate a new phase of its partnership with the Michael Phelps Foundation.

JH-IIRU Director Dr. Abdul Bachani and Research Associate Priyanka Agrawal were on hand to share their assessment of MPF’s “IM” Program, which launched in 2010 and includes swim instruction and drowning prevention lessons. The evaluation assessed the program’s effectiveness in training more than 20,000 children across nearly 40 Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

“Through our evaluation of the IM Program, we found significant success in terms of access and reach,” said Dr. Bachani. “Nearly 4,500 additional families had access to swim training that otherwise would not have had any. And the program helped participating children overcome a number of different obstacles, including fear, anxiety, and depression.”

Dr. Bachani and the JH-IIRU team will continue to work with the Foundation through the next phase of evaluations, when they’ll conduct a systematic evaluation focusing on the program’s impact.