Skip to content

I-TECH Collaborates with Africa CDC to Enhance Public Health Informatics Capacity

From left to right: Bonheur Dounebaine, Senior Technical Officer for Public Health Workforce Development at Africa CDC; Anne Njoroge; Nancy Puttkammer; and Robert Oboko. Photo credit: DIGI/UW

In partnership with PATH, the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) and Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) at the University of Washington (UW), are providing technical assistance to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (Africa CDC) African Epidemic Service Public Health Informatics (AES-PHI) Fellowship.

The two-year fellowship will gather mid-career professionals working in computer science, information systems or public health  practice. Fifteen African fellows will be selected for the first cohort after a call for applications from Africa CDC.

“If recent epidemics of COVID-19, cholera, and mpox have taught us anything, it’s that diseases can easily cross borders and that decision makers and heath leaders in every country need information at their fingertips that allows them to take action to protect the health of their populations,” said Dr. Puttkammer.

“We need data systems that are robust, based on standards, that collect timely and accurate data and allow for the integration and visualization of these data so that it can feed into public health decision making,” she continued. “To get there, we first need the people who can lead and manage these systems.”

The AES-PHI fellowship is a part of three tracks: applied field epidemiology, public health informatics, and leadership in laboratory science. These fields are critically important to respond to both epidemics within countries and pandemics that cross borders—the fellowship will address working across these disciplines so that the best information can be brought to bear in solving public health challenges.

The PHI curriculum includes topics such as data collection methods, data systems, interoperability, data science and machine learning. The innovative training model is 80% practical and 20% instructional, delivered through virtual sessions and in-person training at Africa CDC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Practical learning intervals will be hosted at designated sites, including in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, and Zambia. Each fellow will be placed within a national health institute or ministry of health and have opportunities to apply their learning in practice.

The fellowship structure and curriculum are built on a series of consultative planning workshops with a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) convened by Africa CDC. The AES-PHI TAG includes representatives from Africa CDC, the Pan African Health Informatics Association (HELINA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PATH, UW, Resolve to Save Lives, the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), and numerous faculty members from African universities.

“Health informatics is a novel field of study in most African countries,” said Anne Njoroge, project lead for the DIGI/UW team and Africa TAG member. “As such, there is a clear gap in the number of highly skilled health informatics professionals, especially in the public sector. Accelerating the pipeline for these professionals through AES-PHI will be critical for digital transformation of public health in Africa.”

DIGI has worked with the TAG, Africa CDC workforce development team, PATH, and CDC to standardize competencies and develop and validate the AES-PHI curriculum for in-person and virtual learning. DIGI has also supported hosting of the curriculum within Africa CDC’s online learning management system, the AES-PHI application process, faculty recruitment, host site and mentor orientation, and program monitoring and evaluation.

“I have seen such great excitement among my colleagues across the African continent,” said Robert Oboko, faculty in the Department of Computing and Informatics at the University of Nairobi and Africa TAG member. “These trained professionals will lead the way toward strengthening health information systems across the African continent.”

 

I-TECH Attends 25th IAS International AIDS Conference

Representatives from I-TECH, I-TECH Ukraine, I-TECH India, and Zim-TTECH attend the 25th IAS AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany.
Representatives from I-TECH HQ, I-TECH Ukraine, I-TECH India, and Zim-TTECH attend the 25th IAS AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany. Photo Credit: I-TECH

The International AIDS Society (IAS) hosted the 25th International AIDS Conference on 22–26 July 2024 in Munich, Germany, and virtually. The theme this year was “put people first” to emphasize the importance of “thinking of solutions from the point of view of those most affected.” The conference brings together HIV researchers and experts for presentations and discussions on a wide range of HIV- and AIDS-related topics.

This year, representatives from the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) presented findings from I-TECH-supported programs in Côte d’Ivoire and Ukraine:

Côte d’Ivoire

Ukraine

Additionally, representatives from I-TECH India, PLC, and the Zimbabwe Technical Assistance, Training, and Education Center for Health (Zim-TTECH)—two of I-TECH’s partner network organizations—as well as their program partners presented findings from I-TECH-supported programs being implemented in India and Zimbabwe:

India

Zimbabwe

Note: Bolded names represent I-TECH authors and an asterisk (*) indicates the presenting author

I-TECH Network Presents at End-of-Year Conferences

Yao He at GDHF 2023

It was a busy fall season for teams throughout the I-TECH Network, several of which had robust representation at end-of-year conferences including the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2023 the Global Digital Health Forum (GDHF) 2023.

Welcome additions to I-TECH’s regular lineup of conferences were Infectious Disease Week (ID Week) 2023 and the 40th Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference, attended by representatives of I-TECH’s new network partner, the UW Center for Stewardship in Medicine (CSiM).

Representatives from the network presented more than a dozen posters, spoke at panels and discussions, and led an interactive workshop. Read below for more details (links to presentations will be posted as they are made available).

ICASA 2023, 4-9 December, Harare, Zimbabwe

The theme of this year’s conference was “AIDS is not over: Address inequalities, accelerate inclusion and innovation.” I-TECH Network partner the Zimbabwe Technical Assistance, Training, and Education Center for Health (Zim-TTECH) and its partners Pangaea Zimbabwe AIDS Trust (PZAT) and Zvandiri presented several posters representing their work to innovate and improve access at the training and community levels.

Zim-TTECH:

  • Gloria Gonese at ICASA 2023

    Romana R Katekwe, Edson Chidovi, Frances Petracca, Batsirai Makunike, Gloria Gonese, Kerry Thomson, Zwashe Bangani, Haddi Cham, Mirriam Mugwise, Emmanuel Govha, Stefan Wiktor, “Improving Access to Quality Improvement Training through Off-line Electronic Learning: A Case Study from Zimbabwe”

  • Langalokusa Sibanda, Peace Ntini, Richard Mashapa, Gloria Gonese, Rickie Malaba, Tendayi Mharadze, Ralph Makuyana, Methembe Ndlovu, Ruth Levine, Vivian Bertman, Abigail K. Korn, Kerry A. Thomson, Owen Mugurungi, Tsitsi Apollo, Getrude Ncube, Mirriam Mutseta, Beauty Nyamwanza, Batsirai Makunike-Chikwinya, Stefan Wiktor, “DREAMS Ambassadors Increase HIV Self-Testing Uptake by Male Partners of Young Women in Zimbabwe”
  • Anjali Vasavada, Phibion Manyanga, Sandra Murwira, Lucia Gondongwe, Ponesai Nyika, Batsirai Makunike-Chikwinya, Gloria Gonese, Stefan Wiktor, George Mamire, Kerry A. Thomson, “Acceptance of Free Cervical Cancer Screening Among Zimbabwean WLHIV: Implications for Integration of HPV Testing into Routine HIV Care”
  • Rumbidzai Dhliwayo, Lennox Dziva, Ponesai Nyika, Chiedza Mupanguri, Gloria Gonese, Tsitsi Apollo, Owen Mugurungi, Talent Maphosa, Haddi Jatou Cham, Batsirai Makunike-Chikwinya, Stefan Wiktor, “Assessing Implementation and Outcomes of Screening for Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) Among Persons Living with HIV in Five Provinces of Zimbabwe”
  • Gloria Gonese, “High HIV disease burden among older clients aged ≥50years attending selected health facilities in Zimbabwe, Oct 2020 through March 2023”

PZAT:

  • Precious Moyo, Joseph Murungu, Shamiso Nyakuwa, Casper Hera, Imelda Mahaka, Blessing Mushangwe, Phibion Manyanga, Gloria Gonese, Batsirai Makunike, Takunda Sola, Getrude Ncube, Tendayi Mharadze, Rickie Malaba, Stefan Wiktor, “Key Populations Outreach Activities for Scaling Up HIV Prevention Care and Treatment Services in Harare, Zimbabwe”
  • Precious Moyo, Joseph Murungu, Shamiso Nyakuwa, Casper Hera, Imelda Mahaka, Blessing Mushangwe, Phibion Manyanga, Gloria Gonese, Batsirai Makunike, Takunda Sola, Getrude Ncube, Tendayi Mharadze, Rickie Malaba, Stefan Wiktor, “Layering Enhanced Economic Strengthening Interventions to Reduce Vulnerabilities Among Sexually Exploited Minors and Young Women Selling Sex in Zimbabwe”
  • Sitshengisiwe Ruzibe, Casper Hera, Precious Moyo, Joseph Murungu, Shamiso Nyakuwa, Imelda Mahaka, Langalokusa Sibanda, Peace Ntini, Gloria Gonese, Batsirai Makunike, Mirriam Mutseta, Getrude Ncube, Tendayi Mharadze, Rickie Malaba, Kerry A. Thomson, Stefan Wiktor, “Services for Sexually Exploited Minors and Young Women Selling Sex Enrolled in DREAMS program, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe”

Zvandiri:

  • Vivian Chitiyo, Tanyaradzwa Napei, Billiart Tapesana, Ann Selberg, Edson Chidovi, Gloria Gonese, Kerry Thomson, Talent Maphosa, Haddi Cham, Ngwarai Sithole, Tsitsi Mutasa-Apollo, Nicola Willis, Stefan Wiktor, “Minimizing Interruption in Treatment (IIT) through Peer Connections of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV in Zimbabwe”

 

GDHF 2023, 4-6 December, Washington, D.C.

The Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI), and others from I-TECH, presented their work in a number of ways at this year’s Global Digital Health Forum. GDHF is a leading global public health industry conference for technology vendors, donors, researchers, government representatives, and implementing organizations working in low- and middle-income countries.

Hannock Tweya and Caryl Feldacker at GDHF 2023

Posters:

  • Feldacker C, Murethi M, Ndhlovu D, Bisani P, Kathumba D, Samala B, Oni F, Wagaba K, Kagereki E, Wassuna B, Tweya H, “Mobile Electronic Medical Record Systems: The Community-based ART Retention and Suppression (CARES) App Design for High-Quality, Integrated Antiretroviral Therapy in Lilongwe, Malawi”
  • He Y, AbuShweimeh R, Kouabenan YR, Assoa PH, Puttkammer N, Gloyd S, Wagenaar BH, Komena P, Kamelan N, Iiams-Hauser C, Pongathie A, Kouakou A, Hoffman N, Flowers J, Abiola N, Perrone LA, “Determinants of Routine Implementation for Electronic Laboratory Information Systems in Côte d’Ivoire: a Mixed-Methods Implementation Science Study”
  • He Y, Kouabenan YR, Assoa PH, Puttkammer N, Gloyd S, Hoffman N, Wagenaar BH, Komena P, Kamelan N, Iiams-Hauser C, Pongathie A, Kouakou A, Flowers J, Abiola N, Perrone LA, “Perceptions and Experiences of Data-Driven Decision-Making and Data Dashboard for HIV Viral Load Testing and Early Infant Diagnosis in Côte d’Ivoire”
  • Gadabu O, Manyiyo B, Yiga H, Chigoriwa C, Chirowodza L, White C, Mankowski P, Mutesasira M, Gita C, Maxwell L, Muserere C, Flowers J, “A FHIR Training Workshop to Facilitate Interoperability Between the IMPILO EHR and the LIMS System in Zimbabwe”
  • Secor, A, presented by Patric Prado, “Electronic Medical Record Data Missingness and Interruption in Antiretroviral Therapy among Adults and Children Living with HIV in Haiti: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study”

Virtual Panel:

  • “Building Next-Gen Digital Health Solutions On FHIR With Open Health Stack” Presenter: Patric Prado

Individual Presentations:

  • “Efficiently Leveraging Individual-level Health Data For Population-level Data For Decision Making: A Call To Action For FHIR-based Secondary Data Use” Presenter: Piotr Mankowski
  • “Implementation of An Online Course By MOH For Health Workers In Kenya: Strategies And Lessons For Success” Presenter: Robert Oboko
  • “Applying Critical Reflection To Reimagine Global Digital Health Interventions: Introducing The (Re)imaginator” Presenter: Beth Dunbar
  • “Advancing National Health Information Systems Maturity: Lessons Learnt On Implementing The Informatics-Savvy Health Organization (ISHO) Assessment And Action Planning Framework For Health Leaders In Zambia” Presenter: Kendi Mburu
  • “Online Learning as an Innovation And Sustainability Initiative In Digital Health In Low And Middle Income Countries” Presenter: Robert Oboko

Topic Lounge Discussions:

  • “Perceptions On The Quality Of Electronic Medical Records In LMIC” Presenter: Jan Flowers
  • “Bringing Into Production A Health Information Exchange Architecture In Côte D’Ivoire: Using Open Standards And Software To Enable Cross-site Patient Histories And Real Time Dashboarding. Côte D’Ivoire HIE” Presenter: Casey Iiams-hauser

Interactive Workshop:

  • “Creating, Leading, And Managing Informatics-Savvy Health Organizations (ISHO): Concept, Principles, And Application”

 

ID Week 2023, 11-15 October, Boston, Massachusetts

IDWeek is the joint annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP). This year, CSiM presented:

  • “Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Underestimates True Inappropriate Prescribing for Non-Urinary Tract Infections” Presenting author: Whitney Hartlage, PharmD

 

40th Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference, 11-13 October, Sunriver, Oregon

For this year’s Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference, Rupali Jain, PharmD, and Natalia Martinez-Paz, CSiM Manager, shared lessons learned in Cohort 2 of their Intensive Quality Improvement Cohort (IQIC) program and how Critical Access Hospitals can approach QI in the post-COVID-19 healthcare environment.

  • Session title: “Case Study: Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Quality Improvement Projects in Critical Access Hospitals”

Digitizing HIV Case Management to Support Patient-Centered Care in Jamaica

In collaboration with the Caribbean Training and Education Center for Health (C-TECH), Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness, JASL, and technical working group members, the Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) is supporting the development and implementation of a mobile health client engagement tool in Jamaica. 

The tool facilitates communication between clients living with HIV and their healthcare providers in between their care visits, through a digital case management system and two-way text messaging services. The tool gives clients anytime access to a text-message-based health library and the ability to ping their care team for telemedicine services.  This digital health intervention seeks to strengthen the therapeutic alliance and enhance patient medication adherence.

This digital health intervention is made possible through funding and support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) via a sub-award granted to the Caribbean Training and Education Center for Health (C-TECH) and DIGI through the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH). 

Nurses Complete Infectious Disease Specialization with CHARESS Support

This story was first reported in Vant Bèf Info.

With the support of the Haitian Center for Health System Strengthening (CHARESS), I-TECH’s primary partner in Haiti, 17 clinical nurses recently completed specialty training in infectious diseases.

The initiative, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMP) of the Université d’État d’Haïti, aims to contribute to the strengthening of human resources in health, increasing the number of qualified clinicians in Haiti. The year-long training comprises theoretical and practical components; this cohort’s practica took place at seven different university hospitals and other health institutions around the country.

“Haiti faces a serious problem of shortage of human resources in health, due in part to the ‘brain drain’ abroad,” says Dr. Jean Guy Honoré, Executive Director of CHARESS. “In some health facilities located in remote parts of the country, there are no physicians, and patients are seen by nurses who sometimes have limited knowledge of the management of infectious pathologies. This training aims to improve the skills of these nurses.”

This aptly fits the vision of CHARESS, which is “to be the reference center, in terms of training, research and technical assistance, allowing populations to receive quality care, with humanity,” says Dr. Honoré. Two other cohorts of nurses have already started this specialized training.

Dr. Bernard Pierre, Dean of the FMP, expressed a wish to strengthen the collaboration between the FMP and CHARESS to extend similar specialized training to doctors — in particular, general practitioners.

I-TECH and its partners have been working in Haiti since 2006, delivering training, clinical mentoring, health information systems, and other health systems strengthening interventions.

Nancy Puttkammer Selected for WomenLift Leadership Journey

Dr. Nancy Puttkammer

Nancy Puttkammer, MPH, PhD, was recently selected to the third cohort of the Leadership Journey at WomenLift Health. The initiative, which runs from March 2022 to February 2023, is designed to support women through the challenges and opportunities of leadership positions in global health, with the ultimate goal of expanding its network of talented women leaders.

Dr. Puttkammer is Principal Investigator at the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) and Assistant Professor in the University of Washington (UW) Department of Global Health (DGH). She also serves as Program Director for the Doctor in Global Health and Leadership Practice (DrGH), and her project for the Leadership Journey will focus on augmenting the emphasis on women and leadership within the DrGH curriculum and program.

“I am thrilled to be part of the 2022 US Leadership Journey cohort—an amazing, diverse group of 30 women leaders,” says Dr. Puttkammer. “The participants come from prominent US universities, the World Bank, USAID, CDC, non-profits, and others. They each come with compelling stories, experience, and interests. Although the process has just launched, I am already grateful for the personal insights and the network I am gaining.”

As part of the Leadership Journey, each participant works on a focal project with support from senior mentors and peers. Dr. Puttkammer’s focal project will enhance the DrGH educational framework and curriculum to bring a gendered lens to leadership development, as well as develop mentorship opportunities for students to work with women leaders within and outside of UW.

“I am confident that participating in the Leadership Journey will not only enrich me,” says Dr. Puttkammer, “but will also really help me to enhance the value of the DrGH program for the next generation of global health leaders—both women and men—who join the program.”

The DrGH advances leadership development, including skills to plan evidence-based strategies and programs, catalyze resources, build partnerships across organizational boundaries, motivate teams, strengthen national policies, and manage and lead effective programs in a variety of settings. The DrGH program includes an initial year of didactic courses at UW in Seattle, followed by experiential learning rotations of 6-12 months in three different types of host organizations, such as Ministries of Health, bilateral and multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations, and private sector companies. UW has recently extended offers of admission for the second DrGH cohort.

 

 

 

Mauritius

Since 2020, the Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) has worked closely with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to optimize and improve workflows across health systems in Mauritius to ensure the rapid processing and notification of COVID-19 test results.

In collaboration with the Mauritius MOHW, DIGI deployed OpenELIS, an open-source electronic LIMS, to increase capacity at the national reference laboratory and optimize the workflow between regional flu clinics and reference labs.

DIGI also digitized the COVID-19 screening declaration form that is used for all passengers arriving at the Mauritius International Airport and supported MOHW in opening a COVID-19 reference laboratory at the airport to rapidly process tests and notify passengers of their COVID-19 test results. Since opening in December 2020, the airport reference laboratory has returned over 250,000 tests and continues to process thousands of tests daily.

DIGI continues to support MOHW with LIMS training, LIMS maintenance, and national laboratory strengthening.

Program Highlights

No posts found.

Creating a Data Warehouse to Support COVID-19 Surveillance in Mauritius

The Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) worked closely with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to implement a national laboratory information system (LIMS) using OpenELIS and expanded it to create a national-level data warehouse.

The data warehouse captures all the information that has been input into OpenELIS by the two reference labs and all ten regional flu clinics and creates real-time, easy-to-read data dashboards. These dashboards are used by the MOHW staff and public health officials to track national COVID-19 cases numbers and trace ongoing and potential outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

DIGI continues to support MOHW with LIMS training, LIMS maintenance, and national laboratory strengthening.

Implementing a National Laboratory Information System in Mauritius

Since 2020, the Digital Initiative Group at I-TECH (DIGI)  has worked closely with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to deploy a national laboratory information management system (LIMS) using the OpenELIS platform. The LIMS connects the national reference laboratory to regional laboratories and flu clinics around the country to quickly process COVID-19 tests, as well as send results notifications to patients via text message or email.

The OpenELIS system, while implemented to support COVID-19 surveillance, was also designed to be able to support most routine lab workflows, including HIV viral load testing and other other infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, Ebola, Zika, Chikungunya), which ensures MOHW can quickly trace, respond to, and manage cases.

DIGI continues to support MOHW with LIMS training, LIMS maintenance, and national laboratory strengthening.

Optimizing the COVID-19 Testing Process at the Airport in Mauritius

As a measure to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Mauritius began requiring that all arriving passengers submit to COVID-19 health screenings upon arrival in Mauritius. To rapidly process the influx of tests and quickly notify passengers of their results, the Digital Initiatives Group at I-TECH (DIGI) worked closely with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) to digitize the COVID-19 screening declaration form for all passengers arriving to the Mauritius International Airport and supported MOHW in opening a COVID-19 reference laboratory at the airport to rapidly process the tests and send notifications of COVID-19 tests passengers.

The airport laboratory is connected to the National Reference Laboratory via OpenELIS, which allows all the data captured on the digital form, such as passenger information and COVID-19 screenings/test results, to assist public health officials from all over Mauritius to carry out surveillance and contact tracing efforts.

Since opening in December 2020, the airport reference laboratory has returned over 250,000 tests and continues to process thousands of tests to passengers and citizens of Mauritius daily.