Submitted by: Arielle Hernandez

Administrative:

• Recruitment in progress for both NYC- and Ghana-based positions FLAIR:
• 2 faculty members from NYUGSOM, Ian Fagan and Kelley Groves, have traveled to Tamale to continue work on their pilot projects and cultural exchange
• Pediatrics:
  • Adolescent Working Group held first meeting

Care

Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Program:

• Had a successful review meeting with MOH/GHS on the progress, challenges, and lessons learned from implementation of the CDM program
• Goals and Key action points for 2025 were co-developed with GHS in a workshop, discussed CDM interventions that can increase impact on a national level
• Cervical Cancer Screening
  • Successfully completed monitoring and evaluation of CDM Cervical Cancer program to assess competency levels of cervical cancer service providers who were trained in the first and third quarters last year, as well as gaging gauging data quality related issues
  • Monitoring and evaluation report in progress
  • Planning has begun for third training cohort in April 2025

Sexual and Reproductive Health:

• MFM unit shared challenges and lessons learned implementing the high-risk pregnancy care model at TTH with MPH/GHS
• MFM Unit expansion approved by TTH management

Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory:

• Technical Working Group has begun regular meetings to discuss laboratory operations, equipment/reagent procurement and supply chain, and a training curriculum and schedule

Pediatrics:

• Pediatric Simulation case-based training for new TTH House officers was restarted with 2 sessions co-lead by US and Ghana Faculty, second session was completely lead by Ghana faculty

Education

Medicine:

• Amanda Klinger visited Tamale with 3 NYUGSOM residents to work on the internal medicine wards with the house staff teams over the next month

Medical Student Exchange:

• 14 UDS-SoM students, 7 women and 7 men, were short-listed based on test scores to apply for the exchange program
• All were interviewed and the final selection panel named the finalists (8 total: 2 to IU, 2 to Temple, 4 to NYUGSOM)

Off-Campus Clinical Training:

• Interviews/discussion held with faculty in Techima (current OCCT site)
• Formal qualitative tools to assess OCCT has been developed by UDS and will be deployed by end of February

TEACH:

• TSIM
  • NYSIM donated simulation supplies for TSIM training: IV trainings arms and 2 intubation airway task trainers
  • Planning for 14 faculty to attend NYSIM course in April 2025 ECHO
  • Mobilization strategies for monthly iECHO sessions implemented to increase participation in-person and remotely
  • TAMS-Pro lecture series concluded, all materials have been archived on ECHO platform
• Monitoring and Evaluation
  • 2 NYUGSOM students and 1 UDS MHPE student have joined the M&E team to help develop the data analysis plan
  • Conversations ongoing about the interprofessional survey dissemination plan TEACH Centre for Excellence
  • Meetings were held between TEACH Project management team and architects for the TEACH Building to discuss building design
• TEACH Pilot Projects 2024
  • Robin Klar (NYU College of Nursing), Peter Claver Bobrtaa (TTH) and David Salifu (TTH) conducted and OSCE session for their project: Using Human-Centered Design to Bridge the Chasm between Nursing Academics and Nursing Clinical Practice Toward Advancement of Novice to Advanced Beginner Nursing Personnel
  • Carolyn Pearce (Brown) and Annette Cournooh (TTH) scheduled POCUS and GUSI training for their upcoming visit to Tamale
  • Angelica Kottkamp (NYUGSOM) and Amos Bugri (TTH) completed TAMS-Pro lecture series, planning for next steps of pilot project
• TEACH Pilot Projects 2025
  • 5 Pilot Projects have been selected, 3 from NYU, and 2 from AMPATH Consortium(Temple University)
  • Initial meetings with awardees are ongoing to review Notice of Selection, project budgets, and other logistics

Research

Research Proposals (in development or submitted):

• NIH R01 NCD Risk Factors/Urban Gardening – T-CHANGE
  • Submitted to NIH/NHLBI on February 5th
• Family Planning Unit
  • Peer-to-peer youth-based counseling pilot project under development
• Pediatrics
  • Consultations of pediatric research projects were provided by University of Louisville PhD epidemiologist during recent visit to Tamale

Research Projects (Active, ongoing):

• • T-CHANGE Seed Grant
    • Received UDS IRB approval
    • Received notice of exemption from IRB review at NYU WSQ
  • CUGH
    • Data analysis completed for 1. patient survey (comparing care at ANC vs MFM);2. MFM patient interviews; 3. MFM staff interviews
    • Facilitated the logistical arrangement for the participants for the conference
  • Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Environmental Health Survey
    • Analysis plans being developed
  • Diabetes
    • Manuscript being finalized by Angela Aifah and Sophia Kpebu
  • Extreme Heat
    • Manuscript being revised, with plans to submit to Nature Communications in March 2025
  • MACH
    • Presenting poster at 2025 CUGH Conference
    • Manuscript submitted to Nature Communications, under review
  • Conferences:
    • 12 posters presented at CUGH at end of February

Partnerships/ Communication / Engagement

• Shipment of donated items from Afya Foundation arrived in Ghana, distribution plan with TTH, UDS, and GHS in development
• International Foundation grant awarded for $50,000 to support expansion of services and workforce of MFM at TTH, as well as pilot the MFM unit regional scale out at 3-5 GHS facilities
• Direct Relief contract signed and planning for a meeting between TTH, UDS, and Direct Relief last week of February 2025
• UDS and TTH leadership to participate in the upcoming AMPATH summit in Puebla, Mexico from April 3-4, 2025
• AMPATH Ghana Overview in development
• Year End Report 2024 disseminated to partners, donors, collaborators, and supporters
• Website updates: 3 news items in development; Year End report posted
• Collaborated to publish two news stories in AMPATH Global’s AMPATH Habari: MFM unit at TTH and nursing collaboration across AMPATH sites