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VIGH hosts workshop on best practices in teaching methods and mentorship

ridingkm — Thu, 18 May 2023 21:56:35 +0000

VIGH hosts workshop on best practices in teaching methods and mentorship

ridingkm Thu, 05/18/2023 - 16:56 RSS:

Focusing on strengthening master’s level courses and programs at Bayero University Kano (BUK) in Nigeria, a team from the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health developed a two-week intensive course on theories and best practices in teaching methods and mentorship. The course, “Improving Didactic Educational Approaches to Learning Methods” (IDEAL), was developed by Chase Stober, Elizabeth Rose, EdD, MPH, Marie Martin, PhD, MEd, and Megan Davis. Seven faculty members from BUK attended this immersive course at Vanderbilt and have begun revising courses in BUK’s Master of Science in Public Health (MScPH) program.

The IDEAL course and subsequent MScPH course revisions are part of the NIH Fogarty International Center D43 grant, “Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH)-Bayero University Kano (BUK)-Vanderbilt: Developing Future Leaders in Child Neurology and Epilepsy Research” (ABV). ABV aims to provide research training and mentoring to physician-scientists in northern Nigeria under the leadership of Edwin Trevathan, MD, MPH and Zubairu Iliyasu, MPH (Glasg.), PhD (Shef.), FMCPH, FWACP. Through ABV, Faculty Fellows are mentored in developing new courses and enhancing current courses to strengthen the BUK MScPH program in training future research leaders.

IDEAL trainees learn teaching and learning theories to maximize students’ knowledge uptake and retention, create an inclusive and inviting learning environment, and mentor students in professional and personal development. Furthermore, IDEAL prepares faculty to mentor ABV Scholars and ABV Executive Scholars.

The IDEAL course is divided into five workshops exploring selected topics in teaching, student learning, course planning, and mentoring. Each workshop is led by Vanderbilt faculty and staff members in a thematic area corresponding to their expertise. The workshops are designed to be an interactive learning experience that aids trainees in developing, revising, and honing a course. Course activities and assessments include pre- and post-course tests, developing a teaching philosophy, revising a course syllabus, daily review presentations, and a final presentation.

NIH Fogarty International Center grant D43TW011949 supports the Vanderbilt IDEAL Program.

Tags

Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital-Bayero University Kano-Vanderbilt: Developing Future Leaders in Child Neurology and Epilepsy Research -ABV , Nigeria, Elizabeth Rose, Marie Martin, Chase Stober, Non-Communicable Diseases

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Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training Program (PREVENT)

ridingkm — Wed, 10 May 2023 15:50:02 +0000

Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training Program (PREVENT)

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 05/10/2023 - 10:50 RSS:

While vaccination is the most efficient tool for the prevention of infectious diseases both in developed and developing countries, implementing effective vaccination programs is challenging. The development, introduction, and implementation of effective vaccination depend on the availability of locally generated evidence, especially data required by local regulatory authorities. An essential requirement is to have well-trained local researchers who understand the process behind vaccine development, vaccine introduction, and program implementation. There is a growing global need for training in vaccinology and the study of vaccine-preventable diseases encompassing the entire process from vaccine development to field implementation and program evaluation.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional (IIN) and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) are joining forces to establish the Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training Program (PREVENT). PREVENT aims to develop a cadre of researchers and educators equipped with modern knowledge and expertise to lead vaccine-preventable diseases research and training in Peru and encourage US-based researchers to engage in vaccination research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). PREVENT builds on the successful 14-year research partnership with the IIN and UPCH, the Vanderbilt Vaccine Training and Evaluation Unit, and the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology’s expertise in the study of vaccine-preventable diseases, training and mentoring.

Specifically, PREVENT aims to:

Train a cadre of researchers and educators (trainers) to conduct multidisciplinary vaccine-preventable diseases research and build training capacity in Peru.
Train scientists and future leaders in vaccine-preventable diseases research in Peru.
Ensure and document PREVENT’s long-term impact.

Drs. Carlos Grijalva and Leigh Howard from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Dr. Theresa Ochoa from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) and Dr. Claudio Lanata from the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional (IIN) will lead the project as co-principal investigators.

PREVENT is funded by the NIH/Fogarty International Center (D43TW012468)

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Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training Program-PREVENT, Leigh Howard, Carlos Grijalva, Vaccinology

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Pediatric Anesthesia Training in Africa (PATA)

ridingkm — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:30:19 +0000

Pediatric Anesthesia Training in Africa (PATA) ridingkm Thu, 04/27/2023 - 10:30 RSS:

The Pediatric Anesthesia Training in Africa (PATA) program aims to improve perioperative care for children by building education capacity for pediatric anesthesia training at teaching hospitals across the continent. The primary objective of PATA is to support the development of five new pediatric anesthesia fellowship programs in five African countries. Currently, PATA supports fellowships in Nigeria, Zambia, and Uganda.

An estimated 1.7 billion children globally lack access to safe, high-quality surgical care and anesthesia, most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many African countries cannot meet the recommended minimum physician-anesthesia provider ratio of 5 per 100,000 population. Most African countries have fewer than 0.5 providers per 100,000 population.

Investing in pediatric anesthesia training programs and educating future pediatric anesthesia leaders is vital to improving perioperative care for children in Africa. Training site initiatives include the development of a standardized context-appropriate pediatric anesthesia curriculum, including interactive e-learning modules and establishing pediatric anesthesia fellowship programs using a staged model in partnership with local training institutions and professional societies.

This five-year project is foundational to establishing a cadre of pediatric anesthesiology leaders working in country-specific educational hubs in Africa with the capacity to train new pediatric anesthesiologists.

Tags

Mark Newton, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, Pediatric Anesthesia Training in Africa

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Molemolemo: Building Research Administration Excellence in South Africa

ridingkm — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 22:28:53 +0000

Molemolemo: Building Research Administration Excellence in South Africa

Research-Training

ridingkm Mon, 02/06/2023 - 16:28 RSS:

Under the program, Molemolemo: Building Research Administration Excellence in South Africa, grant administrators from the Vanderbilt Institute for Global facilitate advanced research capacity through training and implementation of a structured grants management course with administrative leaders from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). A significant focus and output of the collaboration with Aurum is the in-house development of a structured grants management training course for non-US-based organizations, which includes essential and elective modules.

VUMC assists in providing a mixed-methods needs assessment of the research administration and management environment at Aurum and generates an action plan that will identify training needs, prioritize processes, and guide program implementation. With technical assistance and course materials from Vanderbilt, this program enhances and improves training in grants management and research administration.

In the second year of the practicum at Vanderbilt, Aurum administrators will create video training modules to streamline the standardized grants management training program across the different Aurum entities in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa. Molemolemo means 'excellence' in Setswana, one of the 11 official languages in South Africa and widely spoken in the geographies in which Aurum operates.

In addition to recorded modules, the Aurum grants management team regularly leads virtual and in-person classroom training workshops per the developed training curriculum on various administrative topics ranging from proposal development through award closeout.

The program enables the creation of a high-quality research administration environment at Aurum, our affiliates, and collaborating partners that is knowledgeable and compliant with sponsored research's fiscal and management standards.

Bringing the administrative capacity of research administration to a higher level will enhance Aurum’s excellence in the implementation of clinical trials in HIV, TB, and COVID-19. The Aurum Clinical Research Division has conducted more than 100 clinical research studies and has been involved in 16 NIH, and US Government funded clinical trials since June 2021, including a seven-year NIH grant for a Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) to drive the scientific agendas of two NIH HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks: the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). The CTU is implementing multi-center studies that could help accelerate progress in finding new HIV and TB prevention and treatment options as part of a comprehensive epidemic response. Clinical research and epidemiologic and basic science studies have been conducted on TB drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics; HIV vaccines and antiretroviral drugs; and COVID-19 vaccines.

The Molemolemo award also allows Aurum to build on the partnership with VUMC, which started in 2020 with the appointment of Aurum staff members in various adjunct positions within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

This program is supported by grant number G11AI169624.

Tags

Holly Cassell, South Africa, Infectious Disease , Capacity Building Research

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Martin Were joins team to develop point-of-care detection of jaundice in newborns for all skin tones

ridingkm — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 16:08:23 +0000

Martin Were joins team to develop point-of-care detection of jaundice in newborns for all skin tones ridingkm Thu, 10/20/2022 - 11:08 RSS:

https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/news/2022/audrey-bowden-receives-nih-funding-to-develop-point-of-care-detection-of-jaundice-in-newborns/

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Martin Were, Nigeria, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Biomedical Informatics

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Aurum awarded NIH grant to boost research administration

ridingkm — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 19:58:19 +0000

Aurum awarded NIH grant to boost research administration ridingkm Wed, 08/17/2022 - 14:58 RSS:

https://www.auruminstitute.org/component/content/article/28-blog/aurum-news/670-aurum-awarded-nih-grant-to-boost-research-administration?Itemid=101

Tags

Holly Cassell, Aurum, South Africa, Local is Global, Research Administration

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Vanderbilt-Zambia Cancer Research Training Program (VZCARE)

ridingkm — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 03:06:37 +0000

Vanderbilt-Zambia Cancer Research Training Program (VZCARE) ridingkm Wed, 04/27/2022 - 22:06 RSS:

In partnership with the University of Zambia (UNZA) and the Zambia Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH), the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center received $1.3 million for a five-year training grant funded by the National Cancer Institute to support cancer epidemiology research in Zambia.

Vanderbilt and UNZA are joining forces to build the Vanderbilt-Zambia Cancer Research Training Program (VZCARE). The VZCARE team is led by Xiao-Ou Shu, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine and Douglas Heimburger, MD, professor of Medicine from Vanderbilt and Wilbroad Mutale, PhD, MBChB, Assistant Dean for Research in the UNZA School of Public Health, lecturer in UNZA’s School of Public Health and Medicine and Violet Kayamba, PhD, MBChB, senior lecturer, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Zambia School of Medicine.

The overall goal of VZCARE is to develop a cadre of researchers and educators equipped with modern knowledge and expertise to lead cancer epidemiology research and training in Zambia and to encourage US-based researchers to engage in cancer research in low- and middle-income countries.

VZCARE builds on the successful 20+ year UNZA-Vanderbilt HIV Research Training Partnership and on the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center’s global cancer epidemiology expertise, resources, and research training in LMICs.

Zambia’s National Cancer Control Strategic plan (2016-2021) lists cancer as one of the four major non-communicable diseases causing disability and premature deaths. By 2040, the burden of cancer in Zambia is expected to increase by 122%. Except for HIV-related malignancies – primarily cervical and Kaposi sarcoma – that have benefited from HIV/AIDS funding, there has been very little investment in Zambian cancer research in general and cancer epidemiology in particular.

To develop effective prevention and treatment programs, well-designed studies are urgently needed to identify risk and prognostic factors for cancers, particularly those related to westernization, and for individuals living with HIV. At this time, however, such investigations in Zambia are challenging to implement due to a lack of well-trained investigators experienced in conducting large-scale epidemiologic studies using state-of-the-art methodologies and analysis techniques.

Zambia has no cancer epidemiology-specific research training programs to address this workforce gap. There is a pressing need for infrastructure and resource building, leadership development, training of experienced investigators, and development of research methodologies and protocols appropriate to Zambia to fight the country’s growing cancer burden.

VZCARE is supported by the NIH-National Cancer Institute D43CA270474.

Tags

Vanderbilt-Zambia Cancer Research Training Program-VZCARE, Douglas Heimburger, Xiao-Ou Shu, Wilbroad Mutale, Violet Kayamba, Cancer, Zambia, Fogarty Training, Non-Communicable Diseases

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Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat)

ridingkm — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 14:46:51 +0000

Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat)

Research-Training

ridingkm Tue, 03/22/2022 - 09:46 RSS:

Fellowship applications are open for this NIH collaborative research training grant focused on creating a cohort of highly skilled Nigerian biostatisticians with the capacity to lead and supervise high-level biostatistics activities for HIV research studies in West Africa.

Focus includes hands-on biostatistics training. Trainees will take biostatistics courses, become members of a team of biostatisticians doing HIV research at Vanderbilt, and will be assigned to HIV research projects using data from Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).

Junior investigators with a PhD or “all but dissertation” in statistics or related field, including mathematics and computer science
From PhD programs in northern Nigeria, especially Bayero University Kano (BUK) or Ahmadu Bello University
12 months of training at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Two semesters of coursework and mentoring at Vanderbilt University
Mentorship from faculty at AKTH/BUK and Vanderbilt
Provides tuition, school fees, roundtrip airfare to Nashville, living expenses while in Nashville

Interested persons should contact: Dr. Nafiu Hussaini, PhD | Bayero University Kano
email: nafiu_hussaini@yahoo.com

The Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH), the Vanderbilt Department of Biostatistics, and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), longstanding collaborating institutions in the U.S. and Nigeria, have partnered on a new Training Program from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training (VN-BioStat) program leverages other successful NIH-funded training and infrastructure programs in Kano, Nigeria (V-BRCH and V-RAMP), building upon a solid foundation of collaborations between Vanderbilt, AKTH, Bayero University Kano (BUK), and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Nigeria. The program seeks to create a cohort of highly skilled Nigerian biostatisticians with the capacity to lead and supervise high-level biostatistics activities for HIV research studies in West Africa.

Drs. Bryan Shepherd, Professor of Biostatistics at Vanderbilt; Nafiu Hussaini, Associate Professor of Mathematical Biology at BUK; and Muktar Aliyu, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at Vanderbilt and Associate Director for Research with the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH), serve as multiple-principal investigators (MPIs) of VN-BioStat.

The program will bring two Nigerian data scientists per year (total of 10 over 5 years) to Vanderbilt to immerse them in hands-on biostatistics training for one-year fellowships. Trainees will take biostatistics courses, become members of a team of biostatisticians doing HIV research at Vanderbilt, and will be assigned to HIV research projects using data from AKTH. The program will also host an annual workshop in Nigeria, team-taught by Vanderbilt and Nigerian investigators, to provide mid-level, hands-on biostatistics training in specific statistical techniques and their applications to HIV research. The workshops will be open to HIV researchers and data scientists from West Africa.

This work is supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1D43TW012268-01.

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VU Biostatistics, Bryan Shepherd, Muktar Aliyu, Nigeria, Infectious Disease

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Aima Ahonkhai receives grant to improve HIV care in Tennessee

ridingkm — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 17:38:51 +0000

Aima Ahonkhai receives grant to improve HIV care in Tennessee ridingkm Tue, 02/15/2022 - 11:38 RSS:

https://news.vumc.org/2022/02/24/ahonkhai-advances-in-national-challenge-to-improve-hiv-care-for-black-men-in-tennessee/

The Office of Minority Health announced phase one winners of The HIV Challenge, a national competition seeking innovative approaches to reduce HIV-related stigma and increase prevention and treatment among minority communities. The HIV Challenge provides an opportunity for individuals and organizations to develop novel, innovative approaches for implementation within their local communities. It consists of three phases for concept design, approach development, and refinement with small-scale testing.

Assistant Professor of Medicine and core VIGH faculty member Aimalohi "Aima" Ahonkhai, MD, MPH, was one of the 15 winners to receive a prize of $20,000 and will advance to the challenge's second phase. Her proposal focuses on novel strategies utilizing barbers and barbershops to improve HIV care outcomes for Black men with HIV in Middle Tennessee.

“Our partnership with Streetworks LLC and barbers in Middle Tennessee has been one of the most motivating research experiences I have had. Our community partners and the barbers themselves have helped me and my team to think outside of the box to meet the needs of young Black men living with HIV in our region, and I am very excited that the HIV challenge will allow me to explore and test these novel ideas” said Ahonkhai.

In the U.S., racial and ethnic minority populations have higher HIV diagnoses and lower prevention awareness, treatment initiation, and adherence rates. HIV-related stigma contributes to poor uptake of prevention tools and treatment. Reducing new HIV infections involves community engagement and mobilization strategies to address stigma among at-risk groups.

Tags

Aimalohi Ahonkhai, Leslie Pierce, Local is Global, Infectious Diseases, HIV

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Global Neurosurgery Program

ridingkm — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:29:08 +0000

Global Neurosurgery Program

Research-Training

ridingkm Mon, 01/24/2022 - 13:29 RSS:

https://www.vumc.org/neurosurgerydept/global-neurosurgery-research

Tags

Neurology/Neurosurgery, Non-Communicable Diseases, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia

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Primary Prevention of Stroke in Children With SCD in Sub-Saharan Africa II (SPRING)

ridingkm — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 20:56:15 +0000

Primary Prevention of Stroke in Children With SCD in Sub-Saharan Africa II (SPRING)

Research-Training

ridingkm Fri, 11/19/2021 - 14:56 RSS:

Strokes in sickle cell anemia (SCA), particularly in children living in Africa, are associated with significant morbidity and an increased risk of premature death. In the US, primary stroke prevention in children with SCA involves screening for elevated transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) velocity coupled with regular blood transfusion therapy for those with elevated velocities. However, regular blood transfusion therapy is not feasible in Africa due to inadequate supply of safe blood and the reluctance of parents to accept regular blood transfusion therapy for their children. Promising preliminary data from our feasibility trial in Kano, Nigeria (1R21NS080639-NCE, NCT01801423; October 2012 - August 2014) support the potential use of moderate dose hydroxyurea (HU) therapy of 20 mg/kg/day for primary prevention of stroke in children with SCA.

In the feasibility trial, we screened 331 participants; 92% (25 of 27) of participants with elevated TCD measurements elected to enroll and receive HU therapy. About 75% (210 of 280) of the screened participants with non-elevated TCD measurements agreed to be followed for a minimum of three years to assess the background rate of morbidity and mortality. Among those on HU therapy, 80% (20 of 25) of the participants who reached their third month on HU therapy dropped their elevated TCD value to below 200 cm/sec in both middle cerebral arteries. Based on the results from the recently completed Transcranial Doppler (TCD) With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea trial (NCT01425307), demonstrating that children with an elevated TCD measurement can be switched to HU therapy after one year of blood transfusion, coupled with our preliminary trial results indicating a decrease in TCD velocities in 2/3rds of the participants over 3 months, we propose a three center randomized partial double-blind Phase III clinical trial (1R01NS094041-01; September 2015 - July 2020) to test the following hypothesis: There will be a 66% relative risk reduction of primary strokes in children with SCA, and elevated TCD measurements (n=220), randomly allocated to moderate dose vs. low dose HU therapy (10 vs. 20 mg/kg/day) for 3 years.

The aims of the randomized partial double-blind Phase III clinical trial are to: 1) determine the efficacy of moderate vs. low dose HU therapy for primary stroke prevention; 2) determine the efficacy of moderate dose HU therapy for decreasing the incidence of all cause-hospitalization for any cause (pain, acute chest syndrome, infection, or other) when compared to low dose HU therapy; and 3) assess long-term safety of HU therapy (mean 6.5 years) in participants from the feasibility trial with an elevated TCD measurement (n=25), when compared to children with an initial normal TCD (n= 210, followed for at least 3 years). In preparation for this application, the teams from Nigeria have received 1 month of patient-oriented research training at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. This trial will help us to determine whether moderate dose HU therapy can prevent thousands of strokes in children at high risk in Africa, while simultaneously helping build research capacity among the next cadre of physician scientists in Nigeria.

Visit the Clinical Trials website for more information.

Tags

Michael DeBaun, Hematology/Sickle Cell Disease , Sickle Cell Disease, Nigeria, Ghana

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Stroke Prevention in Young Adults With Sickle Cell Anemia (SPIYA)

ridingkm — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 20:50:15 +0000

Stroke Prevention in Young Adults With Sickle Cell Anemia (SPIYA)

Research-Training

ridingkm Fri, 11/19/2021 - 14:50 RSS:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disease, affecting about 25 million people worldwide. Approximately 150,000 Nigerian children are born each year with sickle cell disease (SCD), making it the country with the largest burden of SCD in the world. Recent advancements in care for children with SCA have translated into improved survival of children in both high and low-resource settings. However, more complications of SCD are seen in those who survive to adulthood. Silent cerebral infarcts (SCI) and strokes are among the most devastating complications of SCD, affecting 40% and 10% of children, respectively.

The overall goal of this study is to extend the Investigator's successful capacity-building effort in the assessment of neurological morbidity in children with SCD living in northern Nigeria (Kano) to young adults with SCD living in the same region. About 50% of all adults with SCD live in Nigeria. Despite the high prevalence of SCD in Africa, the neurological morbidity is not well characterized, limiting opportunities for primary and secondary stroke prevention strategies. At least 50% of young adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA), the most severe form of the disease, will have SCIs and an estimated 10% will have strokes, based on studies in high-resource settings. In high-resource settings, screening for abnormal transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocities in children with SCA, coupled with regular blood transfusion has resulted in a 92% reduction of relative risk for strokes. Despite this effective strategy, regular blood transfusion therapy does not seem sustainable in sub-Saharan Africa due to shortages and the risk of transfusion transmissible infections. Additionally, there is a lack of evidence-based stroke prevention strategies in young adults with SCA, either in the high-income or in low-resource settings. Based on the foregoing, the Investigators propose to determine the prevalence of neurological injury (overt stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and silent cerebral infarcts) in young adults at the transition age from 16-25 years. The Investigators will also, for the first time, assess conventional risk factors of stroke in the general population to determine whether a different prevention strategy is required to reduce the incidence of neurological injury in this high-risk population.

Visit the Clinical Trials website for more information.

Tags

Michael DeBaun, Sickle Cell Disease, Hematology/Sickle Cell Disease , Nigeria

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TN Together: Opioid Abuse and Response

ridingkm — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:43:32 +0000

TN Together: Opioid Abuse and Response ridingkm Wed, 11/17/2021 - 09:43 RSS:

Tennessee anti-drug coalitions are working to reduce dependence on harmful and potentially lethal substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. In partnership with the Hamilton County Coalition, researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) collect and analyze program demographics and outcomes. The Nu-Start program provides access to treatment and recovery services for individuals and families overcoming opioid dependency.

Carolyn Audet, PhD, MSci, associate director of the Center for Clinical Quality and Implementation Research and associate professor of Epidemiology and Health Policy leads the VUMC research team.

The project is supported by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

In partnership with the Hamilton County Coalition, researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center collect and analyze provided this analysis of the Nu-Start program that provides access to treatment and recovery services for individuals and families overcoming opioid dependency.

The project is supported by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

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Carolyn Audet, Mariah Pettipiece-Phillips, Local is Global, Substance Abuse, Mental Health

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Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD)

ridingkm — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 22:53:51 +0000

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) ridingkm Tue, 11/16/2021 - 16:53 RSS:

This summer the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new flagship initiative, the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity, or AIM-AHEAD.

The initiative seeks to quell common biases that beset biomedicine and aims specifically to redress two glaring deficits identified by the NIH: a lack of diversity among artificial intelligence researchers and a lack of representation from various segments of society in the data available to support machine learning and the implementation of artificial intelligence in the health domain.

The Coordinating Center includes 14 investigators from around the country, among them Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Toufeeq Ahmed, PhD, MS, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics, who’s one of nine investigators for the center’s Leadership Core, and Bradley Malin, PhD, Accenture Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics and Computer Science, who’s one of three investigators for the center’s Infrastructure Core.

Under the leadership of Drs. Toufeeq and Malin, VIGH member Martin Were, MD, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics and Medicine will focus on software infrastructure to facilitate artificial intelligence and health disparities research.

Full VUMC Reporter Article

AIM-AHEAD Website

Tags

Martin Were, mHealth Biomedical Informatics

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Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia

ridingkm — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:31:33 +0000

Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia

Research-Training, Education and Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 23:31 RSS:

The University of Liberia College of Health Sciences is the leading educational institution for developing Liberia’s clinicians, researchers, health policymakers and innovators. As one of only two public universities in the country, it is poised to become a globally recognized leader in research utilization, meaningfully connecting academics with policymaking, innovation, and clinical practice. Devastated by civil war, the Ebola epidemic, and now COVID-19, Liberia’s health system has dealt with severe resource constraints, shortages in healthcare workers, and other systemic challenges including gaps in evidence-based medical training and practices.

The Vanderbilt Institute of Global Health (VIGH) partnered with Yale University and the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS) to establish a public-private-academic hub for research utilization in the Liberian health sector and an academic network to strengthen Liberia’s education and health sectors.

Funding for the Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia project comes from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bringing Research to Impact for Development, Global Engagement, and Utilization (BRIDGE-U) program. It will allow the three institutions to build on a longstanding partnership to create the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI) in Liberia.

This program builds off the successful implementation of capacity-building activities by the three institutions, including the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER Liberia) USAID grant designed to strengthen medical training, build subspecialty medical capacity, and enhance research training in Liberia.

The BRIDGE-U program will enhance ULCHS’s role as a national hub for research and interprofessional training by getting a Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation fully operational and connecting ULCHS faculty and students directly with policymakers, clinicians, and private-sector innovators to translate research outputs.

As an academic hub, CTLI will comprise an experiential learning and assessment lab, a health start-up incubator as well as initiatives to translate and implement existing research findings, and programming to impart research utilization competencies.

The BRIDGE-U program is part of USAID’s Higher Education Solutions Network. This network provides a platform for USAID to partner with higher education institutions from around the world to address critical development challenges, build local capacity and cultivate innovation.

Program objectives include:

Advancing research utilization in health and health sciences education for improved health outcomes and equitable economic growth in Liberia.
Building research utilization skills among Liberia’s current and future health sciences students, faculty, clinicians, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
Generating new knowledge about how to translate and utilize research findings more effectively to achieve development goals.

Funding for the project comes from award number 7200AA21CA00010.

Tags

Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia - AR4HL, Marie Martin, Ann Green, Troy Moon, Harriett Myers, Liberia, Capacity Building Research

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The Risk Of HIV Acquisition Among Traditional Healers In South Africa: Implementing Novel Strategies To Improve Protective Behavior

ridingkm — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:31:33 +0000

The Risk Of HIV Acquisition Among Traditional Healers In South Africa: Implementing Novel Strategies To Improve Protective Behavior

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 11:31 RSS:

Traditional healers, community-based partners with the national health system of South Africa, are exposed to patient blood an average of 1,500 times during their careers due to the practice of delivering herbal remedies via herbs rubbed into dozens of sub-cutaneous cuts. The purpose of this proposal is to compare two implementation strategies to increase consistent use of PPE: (1) a health care worker provided training program followed by 3 educational outreach and coaching visits at the healer's place of practice vs. (2) a training and educational outreach initiative led by a team of health care workers and healers who adopted and use PPE on their own (early adopters) to assess their effects on exposure to patient blood. With an HIV prevalence among healers well above that in the baseline population (30% vs. 19%) and HIV prevalence of 59% among those exposed to patient blood, this study will allow us to test a novel implementation strategy for delivering PPE training to prevent new HIV infections among a newly identified high-risk population in a region with the world's highest HIV prevalence.

VIGH News Article

NIH Grant Number R21AI150302

Tags

Carolyn Audet, Traditional Healers, HIV/AIDS, South Africa, University of the Witwatersrand, Infectious Disease , Mariah Pettipiece-Phillips

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An interactive, narrative intervention to address the mental health treatment gap among young people living with HIV in Nigeria

ridingkm — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:31:33 +0000

An interactive, narrative intervention to address the mental health treatment gap among young people living with HIV in Nigeria

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 11:31 RSS:

Young people living with HIV (Y-PLWH) have poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy and engagement in HIV care, making HIV the leading cause of death for African adolescents. Depression and psychological distress are much more common among Y-PLWH than in the general population, and are associated with significantly worse adherence to care and treatment when compared to Y-PLWH without these co-morbid conditions. Thus, untreated depression and severe psychological distress are important contributors to poor HIV outcomes in this population.

Nigeria is home to the 4th largest HIV population globally and 10% of Y-PLWH, but mental health screening is not routinely conducted in this setting, and less than 10% of those diagnosed have access to evidence-based care. Despite this treatment gap, few interventions have targeted the mental health needs of Y-PLWH in Africa. The World Health Organization recommends that caregivers of Y-PLWH adopt youth- friendly strategies and incorporate psychosocial services to meet their needs, and that task shifting to non- specialized health workers be used to overcome the dearth of trained professionals in low and middle-income countries. Task-shifted problem Solving Therapy (PST) has been effectively used by our team and others to treat both depression and psychological distress using a task-shifted approach.

However, PST is an intensive strategy (typically 6-15 weekly sessions) often delivered in-person and poor completion rates are associated with less effectiveness -- a concern further magnified during the current COVID-19 climate. Mobile health technologies may be uniquely suited to surmount some of the obstacles for effective PST delivery in Nigeria and novel digital game-based strategies, can be utilized to promote engagement in mental health interventions on a platform that is compelling for young people. Our team has developed, a preliminary prototype of a theory-grounded game, Change My Story, in which players navigate difficult experiences based on drivers of psychological distress and interact with a virtual environment to choose a narrative path toward the story's conclusion. In this proposal, we will finalize the prototype of Change My Story, and integrate this game into a comprehensive, task-shifted PST intervention delivered via mobile phone to optimize engagement in mental health care.

Through the R21 mechanism, we aim to: 1) finalize the Change My Story prototype to address key drivers of psychological distress among Y-PLWH in Nigeria and 2) establish the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of Change My Story among Y-PLWH with psychological distress in Nigeria. Through the R33 mechanism, we aim to 1) conduct a hybrid implementation-effectiveness pilot RCT for 80 Y-PLWH with depression or psychological distress, and compare feasibility, acceptability, engagement, satisfaction and preliminary effectiveness among individuals receiving PST alone or PST with Change My Story, and 2) use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to assess factors influencing engagement, acceptability, and satisfaction along with facilitators and barriers to implementation delivery.

Project Details: NIH Reporter

Tags

mHealth Biomedical Informatics, HIV/AIDS, Aimalohi Ahonkhai, Mental Health, Nigeria, Leslie Pierce

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HIV Mobility and Engagement in Care in TN

ridingkm — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:31:33 +0000

HIV Mobility and Engagement in Care in TN

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 11:31 RSS:

The project connects Vanderbilt researchers across disciplines in order to understand how often people living with HIV move within or outside of the state, and if this mobility is associated with HIV outcomes.

Dr. Ahonkhai’s current work aims to design novel care delivery interventions to improve quality of HIV treatment in resource-limited settings, especially vulnerable populations. Much of her research has focused on populations in Nigeria and South Africa to assess quality of HIV care. Dr. Clouse also has an extensive background in designing and implementing HIV studies, with an emphasis on population mobility and engagement in HIV care in South Africa.

VIGH News Article

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Aimalohi Ahonkhai, Kate Clouse, HIV, Tennessee Center for AIDS research, Local is Global, Infectious Disease , Leslie Pierce

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CareConekta: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a mobile health intervention to improve engagement in postpartum HIV care in South Africa

ridingkm — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:31:33 +0000

CareConekta: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a mobile health intervention to improve engagement in postpartum HIV care in South Africa

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 11:31 RSS:

South Africa has more HIV/AIDS patients than any other country and is home to the world’s largest antiretroviral program. According to the World Bank, as of 2018 the prevalence of HIV among South Africans ages 15 to 49 was 20.4%. Nearly one in three pregnant women attending antenatal care in South Africa is living with HIV.

As South Africans with HIV move around the country, there is a risk they will disengage from the health care system or otherwise become lost to follow-up care.

To study and address this risk, Kate Clouse, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Nursing and Medicine and part of the core faculty at the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, is working with researchers in South Africa and California on a randomized controlled trial of a smartphone app called CareConekta. Clouse devised CareConekta in collaboration with University of Cape Town researchers Tamsin Phillips, PhD, and Landon Myer, PhD, MBChB.

The app is designed to facilitate patient engagement with HIV care across the peripartum period, that is, shortly before, during and immediately after giving birth.

VUMC Reporter Article

Tags

Kate Clouse, South Africa, MHealth, Biomedical research informatics, mHealth Biomedical Informatics, HIV, Maternal and Child Health

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Cure Sickle Cell Initiative Data Coordinating Center

ridingkm — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:31:33 +0000

Cure Sickle Cell Initiative Data Coordinating Center

Research-Training

ridingkm Wed, 11/10/2021 - 11:31 RSS:

Project Details: NIH Reporter

Tags

Michael DeBaun, Non-Communicable Diseases, Hematology/Sickle Cell Disease , mHealth Biomedical Informatics, Nashville

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