Abt Associates Opens Office in the United Kingdom

LONDON, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Abt Associates today announced the opening of its Abt U.K. office to better serve clients in the region, including the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

"Our London location allows us to be closer to our clients so we can more effectively partner with them and better meet their needs," said Abt President and CEO Kathleen Flanagan.  

To launch the new office, Abt hosted an event at the Impact Hub's Strategy Lab in London on how the private sector can support universal health coverage goals. Featured speakers included:  Julia Watson, Senior Health Economist, DFID/UK; Tosin Awosika,  Health Care International HMO/Nigeria; Catherine Connor, Health Finance and Governance Project, Abt Associates/US; Ramakrishnan Ganesan, Chief of Party, Abt Associates/India; and Caroline Quijada, SHOPS project/HANSHEP Health Enterprise Fund, Abt Associates/US.

This event is the first in a series entitled: "New Directions–A Knowledge Series on Global Development" that Abt will offer on global development issues. 

Abt Associates works on behalf of DFID on a number of projects, including:

• The Partnership for Transforming Health Systems Phase II (PATHS2), a project to improve Nigerian health care for women and children by fostering community ownership of pro-poor health projects and increasing cooperation between the public and private sector.
• The Scaling Up Family Planning project to improve family planning services in Zambia.
• The AgResults Evaluation, a food security initiative to evaluate the impact of three pilot agricultural innovations to solve problems in food security and agricultural development.

About Abt Associates
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 international development innovators.  The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in more than 40 countries. www.abtassociates.com