2009 News Archives
Scott Barnhart, MD, MPH, Joins Staff of I-TECH
I-TECH is pleased to announce that Scott Barnhart, MD, MPH, has joined the global management team of I-TECH as a Senior Clinical Advisor, based in Seattle at the University of Washington (UW). Dr. Barnhart will work closely with I-TECH Country Directors and the Seattle and San Francisco-based teams on the continuous quality improvement of their clinical and training programs. He will also provide management advice and global leadership across the I-TECH network.
Report on Distance Learning in Tanzania Now Available
I-TECH Tanzania recently completed an assessment of local capacities for undertaking distance learning as a means to train health care workers—of which there is a serious shortage—in that country. The assessment was conducted in Tanzania from May through August 2008 in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tanzania and the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), with funding from PEPFAR.
New Partnership to Strengthen the University of Namibia
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Program (CDC GAP) Namibia has awarded US$500,000 to I-TECH, representing the first year of a 5-year award to strengthen the master of public health degree program at the University of Namibia (UNAM). UNAM, as the only national public university in Namibia, is committed to its 10,000 strong student population and mandate to support a flourishing academic and research environment and home to future leaders.
New I-TECH Training in Kenya Focuses on Leadership and Management Skills
Kenyan health program managers focused on strengthening their leadership and management capacities during a training supported by I-TECH held in the last week of April. Held in Nyanza Province in Kenya, the first workshop of the Leadership and Management Training Initiative represents I-TECH's first formal step into leadership and management training—a key PEPFAR program area for furthering human resources for health.
I-TECH and Partners Build Capacity for Early Infant Diagnosis
By supporting health care workers and upgrading laboratories, I-TECH Ethiopia and partners are improving the lives of infants, children, and their families.
I-TECH Presenting at IAS Conference in Cape Town
I-TECH clinicians are attending the 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, in Cape Town, South Africa, 19-22 July 2009.
I-TECH Mozambique Completes HIV Reference Manual
Recently, the new Manual de Referencia (Reference Manual) on the clinical evaluation, care and management of an HIV positive patient has been approved by the Mozambique Ministry of Health (MISAU). The intended audience for this manual is the técnicos de medicina who have participated in the clinical mentoring program and for those taking the pre-service Disciplina de Avaliação e Manejo dos Doentes com HIV/ SIDA (formerly known as ATOMM – AIDS/TB/OI/malaria/malnutrition pre-service 4 week discipline). The reference manual is also for clinical mentors to use as a technical reference guide.
I-TECH Part of Winning AIDSTAR Consortium for Community Strengthening Work in Ethiopia
PATH has been awarded a 3-year contract, with an option for 2 additional years, to strengthen Ethiopian communities' abilities to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. PATH will receive up to $35 million from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and together with partners, will help non-governmental organizations in Ethiopia improve and coordinate their efforts to provide services for people affected by HIV/AIDS. This contract falls under USAID's AIDS Support and Technical Resources program, known as AIDSTAR. PATH is an AIDSTAR prime contractor.
I-TECH Helps Launch the Nyanza Leadership and Management Training Initiative in Kenya
On 27 April, the Nyanza Leadership and Management Training Initiative was launched in Kisumu, Kenya. The Provincial Health Management Team (PHMT), the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) of Nyanza Province, and I-TECH have teamed up to implement this program. Nyanza, near Lake Victoria (see map), is the province in Kenya affected most by HIV and AIDS.
I-TECH Botswana to Host Post-Bachelor Fellows from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
This summer, I-TECH Botswana will host three fellows from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) to assist with I-TECH Botswana's evaluation of lay counselors. IHME has a post-bachelor's degree fellows' program that provides recent college graduates who have strong quantitative skills with opportunities in research, training workshops, coursework, and field experience to produce the next generation of scholars and leaders in global health measurement and evaluation.
I-TECH Presents at PEPFAR HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting in Namibia
I-TECH had six presentations at the third annual HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting in Windhoek, Namibia. The conference, from 10 to 14 June, "gathers together program implementers to share best practices and lessons learned in the fight against global AIDS." The theme of this year's meeting was "Optimizing the Response: Partnerships for Sustainability."
I-TECH Namibia Wraps up Shooting for HIV Educational Film "Remember Eliphas 3"
The shouts of soldiers loading flood-relief supplies into the belly of a Namibian Defence Force helicopter last week were punctuated by a command not usually heard in the armed forces. "Action!" came the call from video director Ernst Steynberg and then, "Cut!" This mission was not, in fact, to provide flood relief, but rather to film the opening scene in "Remember Eliphas 3," a short movie about an HIV-infected soldier in the Namibian army.
Map Graphic Displays I-TECH's PEPFAR Activities Worldwide
I-TECH, a partner in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—the United States’ initiative to combat the global HIV and AIDS epidemic—has created a resource map to show what PEPFAR activities I-TECH is engaged in and where they are taking place. PEPFAR's scope of work addresses HIV prevention, care, and treatment, as well as health systems strengthening, quality improvement, and human capacity development, among other things.
Namibian Military Launches First HIV Care and Treatment Site
I-TECH is honored to have assisted the Namibian military to establish the Fountain of Hope, the military's first HIV care and treatment clinic. PEPFAR and US Department of Defense support via I-TECH has enabled the military to refurbish and equip the clinic and laboratory, establish an information management system, and train military staff.
Supporting Provider Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling in Tanzania
In Tanzania, a dedicated I-TECH team, together with collaborators, is helping health care providers in the Morogoro region provide HIV testing and counseling to patients.
