Publications
This publications list features all of the articles from bulletins, magazines, and journals in which Positive Deviance has been published. All of the publications on the list which are highlighted in green provide a link to the actual document.
- Generic PD
- Nutrition
- Maternal Health and Child Health
- Healthcare
- Public Health
- MRSA
- Child Protection
- Business
Generic PD
- Brown T., and Wyatt J. Design Thinking for Social Innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter, 2010: 30-35.
- DeGroat B. Understanding the Impact of Positive Deviance in Work Organizations: Positive deviance may help scholars understand and promote positive behaviors in the workplace. University of Michigan Business School Newsroom. April 7, 2004.
- Day A. The Answer Is on the Ground. Stanford Social Innovation Review. 2009;7(4): 63-64
- Dorsey D. Positive Deviant. Fast Company. 2000;41:284.
- Dudman, Jane. Model Families: Copycat behaviour. The Guardian. September 23, 2009.
- Gertner J. 8th Annual Year in Ideas: Positive Deviance. New York Times. December 12, 2008.
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Lewis J. Positive Action. Quality World. September, 2007: 40-46.
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Lapping K, Marsh DR, Rosenbaum J, et al. The positive deviance approach: Challenges and opportunities for the future. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):128-135.
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Marsh DR, Pachon H, Schroeder DG, et al. Supplement: The Postive Deviance Approach to Improve Health Outcomes: Experience and Evidence from the Field. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):3-135.
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March DR, Schroeder, DG, Dearden KA, Sternin J, Sternin M. The power of positive deviance. Brit Med J. 2004; 329:1177-1179.
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Mattosinho SG, Lovel H, Ebrahim GJ. Positive deviance. J Trop Pediatrics. 1996;42(4):247-248.
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Saco R. Good Companies: organizations discovering the good in themselves by using Positive Deviance as a chance management strategy. December, 2005.
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Save the Children US. Positive Deviance: A community Based Approach to Solving Community Problems. Positive Deviance Bulletin. 2004;1(2).
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Snow P. Staring Us in the Face.Templeton Views. Summer, 2007:6-7.
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Sparks D. From Hunger Aid to School Reform: An interview with Jerry Sternin. Journal of Staff Development. 2004;25(1):46-51.
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Sternin J. On the Front Lines. Science & Spirit. July/August, 2005.
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Sternin J, Pascale RT. Your Company’s Secret Change Agents. Harvard Business Review. May, 2005.
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Sternin, J. Positive Deviance: A new paradigm for addressing today's problems today. Journal of Corporate Citizenship. 2002;5:57-62.
- Sternin J, Choo R. The Power of Positive Deviance. Harvard Business Review. January/February, 2000:14-15.
- Tuhus-Dubrow, R. The Power of Positive Deviants: A promising new tactic for changing communities from the inside. Boston Globe. November 29, 2009.
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Walzer J. It takes a village. Tufts Nutrition Magazine. Fall, 2002:19-21.
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Whitworth D. When Deviants Save the Day. The Times. June 26, 2006.
Nutrition
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ACC/SCN. 4th Report on the World Nutrition Situation. Geneva, International Food Policy Institute, January, 2000.
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Berggren G, Tuan T. Evaluation of the Save the Children Foundation (SCF) Poverty Alleviation/Nutrition Program (PANP). Than Hoa Province, Vietnam: Save the Children Foundation, 1995.
- Berggren G. Nutritional Education and Rehabilitation Program: A Save the Children Project in Vietnam, Save the Children, 1995.
- Berggren WL, Wray JD. Positive deviant behavior and nutrition education. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):7-8.
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Bhat D. What makes the difference? Applying the positive deviance approach to improve pregnancy outcomes. Fourth Annual Abraham Horowitz Lecture. SCN News UN Standing Committee on Nutrition. December 2000.
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Bolles K, Speraw C, Berggren G, Lafontant JG. Ti Foyer (hearth) community-based nutrition activities informed by the positive deviance approach in Leongane, Haiti: A programmatic description. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):9-15.
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Bonetti, Umberito. Gam beretto dei miracoli. Panorama. 22 Aprile 2004 XLII N.17 (1983) p. 110-116. www.panorama.it.
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CORE Group. Training of Trainers Workshop: Positive Deviance and Hearth: Mechanisms for Community-Based Management of Malnutrition. The Core Group/ USAID/ Counterpart India. Lead trainer: Donna Sillan. December 8-12, 2003.
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CORE Group. Positive Deviance/ Hearth for Nutrition Technical Advisory Group Meeting. Washington, DC. December 5, 2002.
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Cribbin M. Application of a Positive Deviance Inquiry in the Oruro Altiplano. A thesis submitted to the Department of International Health Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, 2000. A summary of the work that led to this paper can be found on Emory's website.
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Dearden KA, Quan LN, Do M, et al.. Work outside the home is the primary barrier to exclusive breastfeeding in rural Viet Nam: insights from mothers who exclusively breastfed and worked. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):99-106.
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Dearden KA, Quan LN, Do M, et al. What influences health behavior? Learning from caregivers of young children in Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):117-127.
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Dickey V, Pachon H, Marsh DR, et al. Implementation of nutrition education and rehabilitation programs (NERPs) in Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):75-82.
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El-Sayed N. Assignment Report on Evaluation of Positive Deviance: A Pilot Nutrition Intervention in Minia Governorate. UNICEF and Save the Children. May, 1999.
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Ha PB, Bentley ME, Pachon H, et al. Caregiver styles of feeding and child acceptance of food in rural Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):92-98.
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Hendrickson JL, Dearden K, Pachon H, An NH, Schroeder DG, Marsh DR. Empowerment in Rural Viet Nam: Exploring changes in mothers and health volunteers in the context of an integrated nutrition project. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):83-91.
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Lapping K, Schroeder D, Marsh D, Albalak R, Jabarkhil MZ. Comparison of a positive deviant inquiry with a case-control study to identify factors associated with nutrition status among Afghan refugee children in Pakistan. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):26-33.
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Levinson FJ, Ahrari M. Quantitative and Qualitative Assessments of Positive Deviance-Based Nutrition Interventions in Minia Governorate. Save the Children Egypt. March, 2000.
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Levinson FJ, Barney J, Bassett L, Schultink W. Utilization of positive deviance analysis in evaluating community-based nutrition programs: an application to the Dular program in Bihar, India. Food Nutr Bull. 2007;28(3):259-265.
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Mackintosh UAT, Marsh DR, Schroeder DG. Sustained positive deviant child care practices and their effects on child growth in Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):16-25.
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Marsh DR, Pachon H, Schroeder DG, et al. Design of a prospective, randomized evaluation of an integrated nutrition program in rural Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):34-44.
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Mattosinho SG, Lord H. Positive Deviance. J Trop Pediatrics. 1996;42(4):247-248.
- National Hearth Nutrition Workshop Report. Dabola Prefecture, Faranah Regions, Guinea, West Africa with support from USAID/Guinea, UNICEF/Guinea, Prefectoral Department of health and the Regional Department of Health-Faranah. February 2000.
- Nti CA, Lartey A. Influence of care practices on nutritional status of Ghanaian children. Nutrition Research and Practice. 2008; 2(2): 93-99.
- Pachon H, Schroeder DG, Marsh DR, Dearden KA, Ha TT, Lang TT. Effect of an integrated child nutrition intervention on the complementary food intake of young children in rural North Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):59-66.
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Pryer JA, Rogers S, Rahman A. The epidemiology of good nutritional status among children from a population with a high prevalence of malnutrition. Public Health Nutr. 2004;7(2):311-7.
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Range SKR, Naved R and Bhattarti S. Child care practices associated with positive and negative nutritional outcome for children in Bangladesh: A descriptive analysis. IFPRI Discussion Paper No. 24. February 1997.
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Save the Children. Positive Deviance Pilot Project, Nutrition Program, Gomphy, Zhemgang. Bhutan Program, Himalayan Field Office, Save the Children/USA, February 1998.
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Save the Children US. What is Positive Deviance? (Written in Bahasa Indonesia and English). Positive Deviance Bulletin, Vol 1 No.1 October 2003.
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Schroeder DG, Pachon H, Dearden KA, Ha TT, Lang TT, Marsh DR. An integrated child nutrition intervention improved growth of younger, more malnourished children in northern Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):50-58.
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Shekar M, Habicht JP, and Latham MC. Is positive deviance in growth simply the converse of negative deviance? Food Nutr Bull. 1991;13(1):7-11. This article is available from the Food and Nutrition Bulletin web site.
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Shekar, M, Habicht JP, Latham MC. Use of positive-negative deviant analysis to improve programme targeting and services: an example from the TamilNadu Integrated Nutrition Project. Int J Epidemiol. 1992;21(4):707-13.
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Sillan D. DRAFT: The Field Cookbook for the HEARTH Nutrition Model and Using the Positive Deviance Approach. Sponsored by the CORE Group and CSTS. September 2000.
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Sripaipan T, Schroeder DG, Marsh DR, et al. . Effect of an integrated nutrition program on child morbidity due to respiratory infection and diarrhea in northern Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):67-74.
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Sternin M, Sternin J, Marsh D. Designing a Community-Based Nutrition Program Using the Hearth Model and the Positive Deviance Approach - A Field Guide. Save the Children, December 1998.
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Sternin M, Sternin J, Marsh D. Rapid, sustained childhood malnutrition alleviation through a positive deviance approach in rural Vietnam: preliminary findings. In Wollinka O, Keeley E, Burkhalter B and Bashir N (eds), The Hearth Nutrition Model: Applications in Haiti, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Arlington, VA: BASICS, 1997.
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Vazir S. Behavioral aspects of development of eating behavior and nutrition status. Nutr Rev. 2002;60(5-2):S95-101.
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Vossenaar M, Mayorga E, Soto-Mendez MJ, et al.. The positive deviance approach can be used to create culturally appropriate eating guides compatible with reduced cancer risk. J Nutr. 2009;139(4):755-62.
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Wishik SM, Van der Vynckt S. The use of nutritional "positive deviants" to identify approaches for modification of dietary practices. Am J Public Health. 1976;66(1):38-42.
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Zeitlin M. Nutritional resilience in a hostile environment: positive deviance in child nutrition. Nutr Rev. 1991;49(9):259-68.
Maternal Health & Child Health
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AED. Report from the Mini Summit on Vietnam and Breastfeeding. August 1-2, 2000. Washington DC.
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Ahrari M, Kuttab A, Khamis S, et al. Factors associated with successful pregnancy outcomes in upper Egypt: a positive deviance inquiry. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(1):83-8.
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Ahari M, Houser RF, Yassin S, et al. A positive deviance-based antenatal nutrition project improves birth-weight in Upper Egypt. J Health Popul Nutr. 2006;24(4): 498-507.
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Aruna M, Vazir S, Vidyasagar P. Child rearing and positive deviance in the development of preschoolers: a microanalysis. Indian Pediatr. 2001;38(4):332-9. This article is available from the journal website.
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Fowles ER, Hendricks JA, Walker LO. Identifying healthy eating strategies in low-income pregnant women: applying a positive deviance model. Health Care Women Int. 2005;26(9): 807-20.
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Guldon GS, Zhang MY, Zhang YP, et al. Weaning Practices and Growth in Rural Sichuan Infants: A Positive Deviance Study. J Trop Pediatrics. 1993;39:169-175.
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Hendrickson JL, Dearden K, Pachon H, An NH, Schroeder DG, Marsh DR. Empowerment in Rural Viet Nam: Exploring changes in mothers and health volunteers in the context of an integrated nutrition project. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):83-91.
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Mackintosh UAT, Marsh DR, Schroeder DG. Sustained positive deviant child care practices and their effects on child growth in Viet Nam. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):16-25.
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Mustaphi P, Dobe M. Positive Deviance – the West Benegal experience. Indian J Public Health. 2005;49(4): 207-213.
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Marsh DR, Sternin M, Khadduri R, et al. Identification of model newborn care practices through a positive deviance inquiry to guide behavior-change interventions in Haripur, Pakistan. Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):107-116.
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Save the Children US. Positive Deviance: A community Based Approach to Solving Community Problems. (Written in Bahasa Indonesia and English). Positive Deviance Bulletin, Vol 1 No. 2 April 2004.
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Schooley J, Morales L. Learning From the Community to Improve Maternal-Child Health and Nutrition: The Positive Deviance/Hearth Approach. J Midwifery Wom Heal. 2007;52: 376-383.
- Sethi V, Kashyap S, Aggarwa S, Pandey RM, Kondal, D. Positive deviance determinants in young infants in rural Uttar Pradesh. Indian J Pediatr. 2007;74(6): 594-5.
- Sethi V, Kashyap S, Aggarwa S, Pandey RM, Kondal, D. Learning Local Wisdom of Rural Communities for Breastfeeding Behaviour Promotion.
- Sethi V, Agarwal S, Srivastava K, et al. Positive Deviance in Nursing Low Birth Weight Newborns in Urban Slum-homes of Indore, India
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Tuan T, Marsh DR, Ha TT, et al. Weighing Vietnamese children: How accurate are child weights adjusted for estimates of clothing weight? Food Nutr Bull. 2002;23(4):45-49. (Link to: weighing Vietnamese Children.pdf)
Healthcare
- Bradly E, Curry L , Ramanadhan R, et al. Research in action: using positive deviance to improve quality of health care. Implementation Science. May 2009: 4:25.
- Kim YM, Heerey M, Kols A. Factors that enable nurse-patient communication in a family planning context: a positive deviance study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2008;45(10):1411-21.
- Singhal, A. Communicating What Works! Applying the Positive Deviance Approach in Health Communication. Health Communication. 2010; 25: 605-606.
Public Health
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Awofeso N, Irwin T, Forrest G. Using positive deviance techniques to improve smoking cessation outcomes in New South Wales prison settings. Health Promot J Aust. 2008;19(1):72-3.
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Friedman SR. Mateu-Gelabert P. Sandoval M. Hagan H. Des Jarlais DC. Positive deviance control-case life history: a method to develop grounded hypotheses about successful long-term avoidance of infection. BMC Public Health. 2008;8:94.
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Naimoli JF, Challa S, Schneidman, M, Kostermans K. Toward a grounded theory of why some immunization programmes in sub-Saharan Africa are more successful than others: a descriptive and exploratory assessment in six countries. Health Policy Plann. 2008;23(6):379-89.
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Walker l, Sterling B, Hoke M, Dearden K. Applying the Concept of Positive Deviance to Public Health Data: A Tool for Reducing Health Disparities. Public Health Nurs. 2007;24(6):571-576.
MRSA
- APIC. Guide to the Elimination of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Transmission in Hospital Settings. APIC March 2007
- Awad S., Palacio C., Subramanian A., et.al. Implementation of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) prevention bundle results in decreased MRSA surgical site infections. The American Journal of Surgery. 2009; 198: 607-610.
- Bradley E, et al. Research in action: using positive deviance to improve quality of health care. Implement Sci. 2009;4(25):1-11.
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Buscell P. The MRSA Issue Emerging. Winter, 2006:1-24.
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Buscell P. More We Than Me: How the fight against MRSA led to a new way of collaborating at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Plexus Institute. Deeper Learning. 2008;1(5).
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Buscell P. Pathways to Prevention. Prevention Strategist. Autumn, 2008:41-45.
- DELMARVA Foundation. Regaining Control of MRSA Matching the Solution to Problem by Applying a Social Change Approach.
- Krebs V, Holley J. Building Smart Communities Through Network Weaving. 2002.
- Lindberg C, Clancy T. Positive Deviance: An Elegant Solution to a Complex Problem. Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA). April 2010; 40 (4): 150-153.
- Lindberg C, Lloyd J, Buscell P. RWJF Final Report, Plexus Institute. October, 2008
- Lindberg C, Norstrand P, Munger M, DeMarsico C, Buscell P. Letting Go, Gaining Control: Positive Deviance and MRSA Prevention. Clinical Leader. 2009;2(2):60-67.
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Lloyd J, Buscell P, Lindberg C. Staff-Driven Cultural Transformation Diminishes MRSA. Prevention Strategist. Spring, 2008:10-15.
- Macklis R. Successful Patient Safety Initiatives: Driven from Within. Group Pract J. 2001;50(10).
- Marra A., Guastelli LR, Pereira de Arau´jo CM, et.al. Positive Deviance: A New Strategy for Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance. Infect Cont Hosp Ep. 2010;31(1):12-20.
- Marra A., D'Arco C., Bravim A., et. al. A controlled trial of measurement and feedback of hand hygiene in step-down units (SDUs). Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. 2007.
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Singhal A, Buscell P. From Invisible to Visible. Plexus Institute. 2009.
- Singhal A, Greiner K. Do What You Can With What You Have Where You Are. Plexus Institute Deeper Learning. 2007;1(4).
- Singhal A, McCandless K, Buscell P, Lindberg C. Spanning Silos and Spurring Coversations: positive deviance for reducing infection levels in hospitals. Performance. 2009;2(3):78-83.
Child Protection
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Barker G. Gender equitable boys in a gender inequitable world: Reflections from qualitative research and program development with young men in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 2000;15(3):263-282.
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Bradford Q, McClure K. Qualitative Analysis of the Role of Human Rights Language in Effort to Stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt. John F. Kennedy School of Government. April 1, 2003.
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Masterson J, Swanson J. Female Genital Cutting: Breaking the Silence, Enabling Change. CEDPA. 2000. (Link to: breaking the silence.pdf)
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McCloud P, Aly S, Goltz S. Ending Female Genital Cutting: A Positive Deviance Approach in Egypt. Cairo: CEDPA, 1999.
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Mackie, G. Ending Foot binding and Infibulations: A Convention account. Am Sociol Rev. 1996;61:999-1017.
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Masterson J, Swanson J. Female Genital Cutting: Breaking the Silence, Enabling Change. International Center for Research on Women (ICWR) and the Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). Washington, DC. 2000.
Business
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DeGroat B. Understanding the Impact of Positive Deviance in Work Organizations: Positive deviance may help scholars understand and promote positive behaviors in the workplace. University of Michigan Business School Newsroom. April 7, 2004.
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Lewis J. Positive Action. Quality World. September, 2007:40-46.
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Resource Spotlight:
Letting Go, Gaining Control: Positive Deviance and MRSA Prevention
This article, recently featured in Clinical Leader, discusses healthcare-associated infections and outlines the specific steps of the PD process that some pioneering hospitals are taking to reduce transmission.

