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I-TECH

Category: eLearning/Distance Learning

Global Health Security Agenda in Kenya

Post categories: eLearning/Distance Learning Global Health Security Health Information Systems Human Resources for Health John Lynch Kenya Laboratory Systems Peter Rabinowitz Surveillance
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I-TECH Kenya’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)-funded programs aim to advance the GHSA goals of preventing , detecting, and responding to disease threats to health security.

For the past 8 years, I-TECH Kenya has had a cooperative agreement with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work closely with the Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH) on multiple projects related to health security. The key objectives of these activities are preventing and reducing the likelihood of disease outbreaks, improving the efficiency and accuracy of the detection of communicable diseases, strengthening surveillance capacity and national and county levels for a rapid and effective response, enhancing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices to prevent the emergence and spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

Prevention

Use IPC practices to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and other microbial threats:

  • Building capacity for IPC in health care facilities is a critical part of disease outbreak and AMR preparedness and prevention. In Kenya, I-TECH has partners with the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease and Kenya MOH to support two model hospitals in developing capacity for quality improvement measures for strengthening evidence-based IPC practices, infrastructure, and tools including hand hygiene, waste management, injection safety, surgical site infections, and antimicrobial stewardship. As part of this IPC work, I-TECH created and piloted e-learning modules for IPC. The modules aim to build clinical skills and technical knowledge in infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship among health care workers in low-resource settings, and have now been adopted by WHO.
  • With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I-TECH Kenya was able to play a leadership role in the country in assessing and improving facility readiness at the national and local level to handle COVID-19 cases and maintain the health care workforce.
  • Current IPC activity is focused on surveillance for surgical site infections, an important cause of hospital acquired infections (HAIs).

Disease Prevention through Immunization Program Strengthening:

  • I-TECH collaborated with the Kenya MOH, CDC Global Health Protection Division, and the CDC Global Immunization Division, to build and roll out an online mobile platform for capturing immunization data at the point of care.

Detection

Laboratory Information Systems Strengthening:

  • In Kenya, I-TECH collaborated with the MOH and National Public Health Laboratory Services to enhance and strengthen laboratory information systems at the facility and national levels to improve timeliness and efficiency of testing and reporting results, specifically for AMR testing.

Response

Disease Surveillance and Response:

  • I-TECH supports the Kenya MOH Surveillance Unit in the rollout of trainings for health care workers to routinely and consistently use the real-time surveillance reporting system in Kenya.

Improving HIV Care and Treatment across the Caribbean

Post categories: Best Practices Caribbean Clinical Mentoring Differentiated Care eLearning/Distance Learning HIV Care and Treatment Key Populations Quality Improvement
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I-TECH supports a variety of activities aimed at improving HIV care and treatment in the Caribbean region, such as on-site clinical mentoring, development of training curricula, and providing clinical support materials to improve care and treatment for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region.
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Continuous Quality Improvement Collaborative in the Caribbean

Post categories: Best Practices Caribbean Clinical Mentoring Differentiated Care eLearning/Distance Learning HIV Care and Treatment Key Populations Lydia Chwastiak Quality Improvement Transition & Sustainability
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Since 2013, I-TECH has led quality improvement (QI) collaboratives in the Caribbean region, enabling multidisciplinary teams at health facilities to work toward a common goal of improving care and treatment for HIV-positive patients.
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Gabrielle O’Malley

Gabrielle O’Malley, MA, PHD, is I-TECH’S Director of Implementation Science. Dr. O’Malley has worked as an applied research and evaluation professional for over 25 years. Her experience includes a wide variety of international and domestic programs including child survival, private agricultural enterprise, medical education, community technology, reproductive health, HIV prevention (PrEP), and care and treatment as well as applied research for private industry. Her research interests include innovative practices for program evaluation and improvement, formative research, qualitative methods, and the relationship of gender and health.

Dr. O’Malley received her PhD from UW, an MA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Smith College.

Program Highlights

Facility-Based HIV Testing Services in Namibia
As a key component of I-TECH's support to HIV care continuum strengthening in Namibia, I-TECH supports the Ministry of Health and Social Services in efforts to achieve the UNAIDS target of “90% of people living with HIV will have a known status.” I-TECH supports above-site HIV testing activities at region-and ...
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Field Epidemiology Training Program in Malawi
The Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Program (Frontline FETP) enhances the capacity of HIV and AIDS surveillance and strengthens health systems. The program contributes to a sustainable response to HIV by training health professionals in basic field epidemiology that can support responsiveness to HIV surveillance needs.  ...
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Health and Wellness National Survey of Youth in Namibia
Since 2017, I-TECH worked closely with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Ministry of Health and Social Services, UNICEF, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Namibia Statistics Agency to implement a nationally representative survey on youth experiences as well as HIV incidence and prevalence. Survey results ...
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HIV Drug Resistance Surveillance in Malawi
The World Health Organization recommends countries routinely implement nationally representative HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) surveys among people infected with HIV to measure the level of drug resistance. The results of HIVDR surveys are a critical component of HIV programs and can guide changes to pediatric and adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) ...
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Peter Rabinowitz

Peter Rabinowitz, MD, MPH, directs the Center for One Health Research and has multiple faculty appointments including Professor, Global Health, at UW. The “One Health” center explores linkages between human, animal, and environmental health. Dr. Rabinowitz has expertise in zoonotic infectious disease; diseases of animal workers; microbiome sharing between humans and animals; emerging infectious disease; antimicrobial resistance animal sentinels of environmental health hazards; and noise and hearing loss.

Dr. Rabinowitz also directs the Canary Database, an online resource for evidence about animals as sentinels of environmental health threats from both toxic and infectious hazards. He was a visiting scientist at the Global Influenza Program of the WHO, and also in the Animal Health Division of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He completed a Family Medicine residency through the University of California San Francisco, and completed fellowships in General Preventive Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine.

Program Highlights

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Quality Improvement (QI) of HIV Care and Treatment, and Expanded Clinical Mentoring in Mozambique

Post categories: Ann Downer Clinical Mentoring eLearning/Distance Learning HIV Care and Treatment Monitoring & Evaluation Mozambique Quality Improvement
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I-TECH provides assistance to MISAU in implementation of the national Quality Improvement for HIV Services (QIHS) Strategy, with the goal of improving HIV clinical care through the training of clinicians in QI cycles (Plan-Do-Study-Act) and mentoring to improve weak performance indicators. To expand the impact of its programming, ART Committees and distance learning have been used to reach health workers in more rural settings.

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Training through Distance Learning in Namibia using the Project ECHO Model

Post categories: Clinical Mentoring eLearning/Distance Learning Gabrielle O'Malley HIV Care and Treatment Human Resources for Health Namibia
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I-TECH in Namibia spearheaded use of distance learning for HIV care and treatment through the establishment of a digital video conferencing network to link Windhoek with training sites and hospitals throughout the country starting in 2008. Building off that foundation, Namibia became the first country in Africa to implement the Project ECHO model, a tele-health platform started at the University of New Mexico, whereby clinicians in remote areas connect with rotating subject matter experts and clinicians a robust virtual community of practice to build health care worker capacity, support peer-to-peer cross-facility learning and reduce feelings of professional isolation.

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