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Sara Rivenes Lafontan

Sara Rivenes Lafontan

Job title
  • Associate Professor
Visiting address
  • Kunnskapsveien 55, 2007 Kjeller
  • Office number: KB213
Phone
  • Office: +47 672 35 766
E-mail
  • sara.rivenes@oslomet.no
Affiliation

About

Sara Rivenes Lafontan is a registered nurse with a Master’s degree in International Community Health and a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo. Her doctoral research examined how skilled birth attendants and laboring women experience and perceive the use of new fetal heart rate technology in Tanzania. Her work centers on investigating the quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as equitable access to sexual and reproductive health services in both high- and low-income settings.

A member of the Safer Births research group—a global program dedicated to saving lives at birth—she teaches and supervises students at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. Sara has previously managed programs at UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) and UNICEF, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Central America, Liberia, Syria, Jordan, and Mozambique.

Sara serve as a member of the Gender and Rights Advisory Panel (GAP) at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Field of study

Reproductive health   Global Health   Migration health   Maternal health   Maternity care

Research groups

Publications and research

Scientific publications

Myrhaug, Hilde Tinderholt ; Mortensen, Berit ; Munabi-Babigumira, Susan Kyomuhendo; Kaasen, Anne; Pay, Aase Serine Devold ; Naab, florence; McFadden, Alison; Eri, Tine Schauer ; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2025). Midwives’ experiences and perceptions of midwife-led continuity of care models in low-and middle-income countries: A qualitative evidence synthesis. Midwifery.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2025.104565

Joranger, Pål ; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Brevik, Asgeir (2025). Evaluating a Large Language Model's Ability to Synthesize a Health Science Master's Thesis: A Case Study. JMIR Formative Research.
https://doi.org/10.2196/73248

Sørum, Silje; Lockertsen, Veronica ; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2025). Patient Experiences of Seeking Specialized Mental Health Care in Norway: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.
https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251350601

Kamala, Benjamin; Moshiro, Robert Deogratias; Kalumbu, Florence; Torgeirsen, Kjetil Djuve; Guga, Godfrey; Githiri, Beatrice; Samson, Justine; Chavala, Philimon; Qorro, Grace; Kayera, Damas; Kamala, Ivony; Massay, Catherine Safari; Mdoe, Paschal; Daudi, Vickfarajaeli; Mduma, Esto; Mwashemele, Shally; Bundala, Felix; Ersdal, Hege Langli; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2025). Practice, Experiences, and Facilitators of Simulation-Based Training During One Year of Implementation in 30 Hospitals in Tanzania. Sage Open Nursing. Vol. 11.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241309447

Massay, Catherine Safari; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Rogathi, Jane Januarius; Safari, Upendo; Sigalla, Geofrey Nimrod (2024). Intrauterine Device Use and Perceptions Among Women in Tanzania—A Mixed Methods Study. Sage Open Nursing. Vol. 10.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241305782

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Jones, Felicia; Lama, Niru (2024). Exploring comprehensive sexuality education experiences and barriers among students, teachers and principals in Nepal: a qualitative study. Reproductive Health. Vol. 21.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-024-01876-0

Mdoe, Paschal Francis; Mduma, Estomih; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Ersdal, Hege Langli; Massay, Catherine; Daudi, Vickfarajaeli Zebedayo; Kayera, Damas; Mwashemela, Shally; Moshiro, Robert Deogratias; Kamala, Benjamin (2023). Healthcare Workers’ Perceptions on the “SaferBirths Bundle of Care”: A Qualitative Study. Healthcare. Vol. 11.
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11111589

Jerpseth, Heidi ; Kaasen, Anne; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Eri, Tine Schauer (2023). Experiences of Norwegian co-parents during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions: A qualitative study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. Vol. 18.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2215578

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Hougaard, Peter Forde ; Knutstad, Unni ; Jensen, Kari Toverud ; Jerpseth, Heidi (2023). Caught in the Middle—Experiences of Student Peer Mentors in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study. Education Sciences. Vol. 13.
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030323

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes ; Kidanto, Hussein; Ersdal, Hege Langli; Mbekenga, Columba K.; Sundby, Johanne (2019). Perceptions and experiences of skilled birth attendants on using a newly developed strap-on electronic fetal heart rate monitor in Tanzania. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. Vol. 19:165.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-019-2286-7



See all publications


These publications are obtained from Norwegian Research Information Repository. The list may be incomplete.

Dissemination

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2025). Enhancing Midwifery Practice: Insights from the Safer Births Bundle of Care program. Global perspectives on Midwifery.

Mmao, Sabina; Munyaw, Yuda; Linde, Jørgen Erland; Sand, Anna; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2024). Perceptions and experiences of birthing women on vacuum assisted delivery. A descriptive qualitative study in Tanzania. ICM Regional Conference Africa and Eastern Mediterranean. International Confederation of Midwives.

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2022). Opportunities and challenges using a new fetal heart rate monitoring technology to improve maternal and fetal outcomes in Tanzania. 4th Health Research Conference: Health research for improved health policy and practice. Ministry of Health, The Gambia.

Mandt, Diana; Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2022). Opplevelser og erfaringer blant innvandrere i områder med høyt smittetrykk i Oslo under covid- 19 pandemien. Pandemi, mangfold og sosial ulikhet. Pandemisenteret Universitetet i Bergen.

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2019). "I was relieved to know that my baby was safe": Women´s attitudes and perceptions on using a new electronic fetal heart rate monitor during labor in Tanzania”. 11th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health.

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2018). Adaptation of a new strap-on electronic fetal heart rate monitor among birth attendants in Tanzania. Cooperation in Development of Health Services and Learning Environment First International Conference . Tanga International Comptence Center.

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2018). "I was relieved to know that my baby was safe": Women´s attitudes and perceptions on using a new electronic fetal heart rate monitor during labor in Tanzania. Health system strengthening: Health for all revisited . Folkehelseinstituttet.

Lafontan, Sara Rivenes (2018). “Who are you?” About experiences from a course in qualitative research. Blogpost Global Health Research School Norwegian University of Science and Technology.



These publications are obtained from Norwegian Research Information Repository. The list may be incomplete.
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