February
AMPATH Consortium Education
Submitted by: Debra Litzelman, MD, Jenny Baenziger, MD and Victoria Eder
GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION
Kenya Rotations
• Two IU med-peds residents, one Duke internal medicine resident, two IU pediatric residents, and one MSSM pediatric resident are finishing the second month of their clinical rotations at MTRH. They were joined this month by two IU psychiatry residents and one IU surgery resident, who will be completing a one-month clinical rotation.
• If your institution plans to send trainees to Kenya during this or the next academic year, please contact Victoria Eder (vneder@iu.edu) to confirm ward and IU House availability.
Moi Registrar Rotations in NA/EU
• With the AMPATH commitment to reciprocity, if your institution plans to send trainees to Kenya during this or the next academic year, please contact Victoria Eder (vneder@iu.edu) with your institution’s number of available rotation spots for Moi Registrars and/or your plan for when you expect to be able to host registrars.
Global Health Residency Track
• Sixteen residents from internal medicine, plastic surgery, emergency medicine, neurology, pediatrics, medicine-pediatrics, family medicine, OB/GYN, and neurodevelopmental disabilities were selected to join the IU Interdepartmental Global Health Residency Track. The selected applicants join 57 other residents currently in the track.
STUDENTS
AMPATH Consortium
• Ten IUSM students are finishing the second month of their clinical rotation at MTRH. They were joined at the end of last month by three additional IUSM students and 11 Linköping students (two physiotherapy, four medical (clinical), three medical (research), and two nursing).
• If your institution plans to send trainees to Kenya during the next academic year, please contact Victoria Eder (vneder@iu.edu) to confirm ward and IU House availability.
Moi Medical Student rotations in NA/EU
• Ranking of the rising fifth year MUSM students is to take place this week, with rotation assignments to be finalized shortly after. If you have not already confirmed the number of available rotation spots at your institution, please contact Victoria Eder (vneder@iu.edu) by Friday, February 24th.
AMPATH KENYA
• Dr. Bill Stauffer arrived in Eldoret in early February to serve as Executive Field Director.
AMPATH REPLICATION
The AMPATH Education Strategic Planning Replication Committee continues to meet on a monthly basis to build connections and assist each other in the AMPATH replication process. Topics discussed this month included education-related updates from each partner and a presentation on decolonizing global health curriculum, led
AMPATH Consortium Research
AMPATH Research Strategic Planning
- The research program will begin strategic planning for the next cycle (2024-2029) early next year. As in previous years, strategic planning will include SWOT-based surveys with AMPATH investigators, interviews with leadership and stakeholders, and culminate in an in-person strategic planning retreat in Eldoret. Surveys to AMPATH investigators will be sent out mid-2023, and the retreat will be held in January 2024.
AMPATH Semi Annual Report
- Thank you to investigators and coordinators for completing study reports for our upcoming Semi- Annual Research Report, July to December 2022. If you are yet to complete a report for your study (new and ongoing), please do so this week and reach out to the Research Program Office (RPO) so we can include your study and updates in our upcoming report.
Grant Writing Webinar Series Recordings Available
- NIH hosted a three-part grant writing webinar series designed for faculty and sponsored programs/research development personnel at institutions building research and research training capacity. In these recorded sessions, the NIH shared suggestions for navigating the process of seeking funding, considerations for determining a research idea, identifying grant opportunities for which to apply and more.
- The AMPATH Kenya Research Program Office (RPO) plans to hold a Q&A session soon to discuss any relevant questions you may have regarding the material covered in these recordings.
- >>>Action item: Access the recordings here.
AMPATH Professional Development Opportunity – UW eDGH Fundamentals of Global Health Research
- AMPATH Kenya is a course site for an upcoming University of Washington Global Health E-Learning course on the Fundamentals of Global Health Research, which will run from April 10th to June 18th. The course is sponsored by RPO and is available free of charge to up to 40 AMPATH-affiliated faculty, research coordinators and other research staff based in Kenya. Applications closed on February 16th.
- IU Center for Global Health Research Speaker Series with AMPATH investigator Dorothy Apedaile, MPH, March 14, 2023
- Mark your calendars and plan to join the upcoming IU Center for Global Health Research Speaker Series session on Tuesday, March 14th, at 12 pm EST / 7 pm EAT featuring Dorothy Apedaile, MPH. Dorothy Apedaile is a Ph.D student at the Dalla School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
- >>> Action item: To attend please register using this link.
- Moi University School of Dentistry – Interest in Research Collaboration
- There is growing interest among Moi University School of Dentistry faculty in collaborating in a research capacity with partners across the consortium. To this end, the AMPATH Kenya Research Program Office (RPO) is working to make meaningful connections across current working groups, projects and the consortium at-large.
- >>>Action item: If you, or someone on your research team, are interested in connecting, please reach out to RPO at research.manager@iukenya.org.
For more information on conferences and workshops, grants and training opportunities, and more, please subscribe to the AMPATH Research Newsletter to stay up-to-date.
- See the February 2023 AMPATH Research Newsletter available here.
Contact research.manager@iukenya.org to contribute updates that you would like included in the AMPATH Kenya Research Consortium update report.
AMPATH Ghana
Submitted by: Isabel Goldberger
ADMINISTRATIVE
- New Family Medicine TL joined the Ghana team.
PARTNERSHIPS/COMMUNICATIONS
- Ghana EFD/TL started bi-weekly sessions with Project ECHO launch team in preparation of piloting the inaugural ECHO. Identified and recruited a local core hub team.
- OB/GYN TL met with AMPATH Kenya Reproductive Health TLs to share mutual efforts, discuss ongoing reproductive health initiatives through AMPATH, and foster community.
- Infectious Diseases Molecular Diagnostics publicity working group discussed strategy and agreed on March 13th launch date in U.S and Ghana.
- Website updated with new content.
- Cervical cancer funding mechanism finalized.
CARE
- Continued OB/GYN inpatient care by OB/GYN TL.
- Continued medicine inpatient care by medicine TL.
- Started a new Diabetes clinic on Fridays led by Medicine TL and the Medicine HOD.
- CDM team engaged with Tamale Central Hospital to tour facilities and discuss strengths and barriers to care.
Identified priority areas including cervical cancer screening training, hypertension and diabetes care protocols, and mental health training as priority focus areas.
EDUCATION
- Continued to hold AMPATH Ghana Education focused meetings with faculty across NYU and Consortium members; discussed UDS-SoM medical students coming to NYU in Fall 2023
- Submitted TEACH proposal to sponsor. Working with faculty to prepare for a simulation training course at NYSIM in November 2023.
- Lecture series for clerkship students in Medicine, Surgery, Ob/Gyn, and Pediatrics have begun with support from the AMPATH Consortium over Zoom.
- AMBOSS free subscriptions will be renewed for all active students using the platform at UDS-SoM.
- Began application with NYU ACGME for inaugural OB/GYN resident to rotate at TTH in Summer of 2023.
- Began application for UptoDate access for UDS and TTH.
- Submitted Letter of Interest to the The International Foundation for “Formalized Ultrasound Training for Women’s Health Clinicians: A Strategy to Establish Standard of Care for Pregnant Women in Northern Ghana” for funding opportunity for ongoing ultrasound training curriculum.
- Finished OB/GYN ultrasound didactic lecture series, with the successful completion of 10 lectures.
- Launched OB/GYN ultrasound clinical/hands-on training sessions led by OB/GYN Head of Department and OB/GYN TL with 20 physicians and physicians in training at TTH.
- Engaged with new faculty at NYU to deliver a lecture series to the OB/GYN residents at TTH with successful completion of two lectures.
- Medicine TL piloting new case-based learning series in medicine clerkship (14 sessions completed so far).
RESEARCH
- Submitted “Piloting and Evaluating Feasibility of a Formalized Ultrasound Training for Women’s Health Clinicians as a Strategy to Improve Evidence Based Care for Pregnant Women in Northern Ghana” to TTH’s Research Department.
- Finalized survey instrument and starting data collection for resource assessment focused on resources for chronic disease care across health system levels.
- Pilot project entitled “Marketing of skin lightening creams in Ghana: A triple threat to adolescent health” was successfully awarded
Ongoing engagement with clinicians to create hypertension and diabetes management protocols based on training level. Have engaged with Ghana Heart Initiative who are interested in publishing finalized protocols on the nationally available Akoma app for cardiac care.
AMPATH Mexico
Submitted by: Beth Felker
ADMINISTRATIVE:
- We are navigating UT and BUAP financial policies and establishing our own processes for international funds transfers.
EDUCATION:
- Monthly seminars:
- January 26, 2023 5-6:30pm CT seminar, 142 attendees. Dr. Juan Antonio González-Barrios of BUAP and Dra. Caitlin Giesler of UT Austin reviewed heart conditions that require management during pregnancy and the post-partum period. Click here to view.
- Global Health Grand Rounds: January 20, 2023, Dr. Jay Lemery, MD, shared his expertise on “Climate Medicine and Health System Resiliency”. Click here to view.
- Pediatrics language elective in Puebla: Two residents returned from Puebla for three weeks (Jan 16-Feb 3) and two residents continue to prepare for departure in March. Exploring lessons learned, standardizing processes, and information.
- Education Exchanges: we have two third-year Dell Med students who have been involved in projects related to the evaluation of the Virtual Elective in Global Health and preparing for reciprocal exchange to receive trainees at Dell, 1 DMS visiting Puebla for 2 weeks in February to work with our Clinical Team Lead on his education leadership project.
- Looking for Faculty with Expertise Clinical Skills and Simulation: BUAP anticipates opening a large clinical skills and simulation center in 2023. If you have expertise in simulation/clinical skills training, speak Spanish, and are interested in getting involved with simulation curriculum develop or training medical school faculty in simulation, please contact rebecca.cook@austin.utexas.edu
RESEARCH:
- RIAT & SOPs: We continue to complete the RIAT and develop relevant SOPs.
- Mid-January 2023: Ricardo Ainslie, Director of Research and Education, visited Puebla to further understand BUAP’s research infrastructure and deepen relationships with key leaders to advance collaborative international research initiatives, including the BUAP Office of Vice President for International Relations and Research, med school’s bioethics (IRB) committee, leaders in the BUAP’s president’s office, Working Group counterparts, the Secretaria de Salud, and the Fundación Comunitaria de Puebla.
- Working Groups: Our team continues to support the six Working Groups to meet and plan their community projects.
- AMBIA seed grant applications:
- The AMBIA-funded project in Culturally-Appropriate Palliative Care is progressing well and our BUAP co-PI visited Austin Jan 21-27, 2023.
- For the second round of applications, the Mental Health Education, Mental Health Well-Being, and Evaluation grants have been approved. We have two additional working groups (Health Professions Education and Diabetes) with AMBIA proposals either under review or in development.
- Puentes 4 2023 collaborative research summit planning is underway: Jointly with BUAP, we have developed concept note and goals and are identifying a date (probably fall 2023).
CARE:
- Becca Cook, our Clinical Team Leader returned to Puebla Jan 16th, 2023 and has been working on several aspects of the care program development:
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- Becca has been onboarding the BUAP Clinical Coordinator, a BUAP physician who will support with the community health and primary care programs, co-supervise AMPATH/MAPAS Pasantes and and help to launch the project ECHO hub we are planning to launch in late 2023.
- AMPATH/MAPAS México Pasantes: Becca continues to teach classes and facilitate community health practicums for pasantes (final year medical students in their year of social service) assigned within the medical school. We have 8 pasantes who have been part of the program since August 2022, and have 5 new pasantes who just started in February 2023.
AMPATH Nepal
- Pilot Grant Update – We received 47 applications for the Nepal Pilot Projects 2023 RFP, which is almost 40% of the LOIs received. We have shortlisted 18 applications that have fulfilled all RFP criteria, and these have been sent to a panel of reviewers made up of faculty from Mount Sinai, Dhulikhel Hospital, and AMPATH.
- First Trainees Selected for Rotations in Nepal – Three students from Mount Sinai have been selected for a summer internship at Dhulikhel Hospital
- Education Visit to Nepal in March – We will have a contingent from AIGH, as well as Deb Litzelman from AMPATH visiting our partners in Nepal in March to discuss education opportunities, including potential for exchange programs with other AMPATH consortium institutions
- Follow us on our new Facebook & Twitter Accounts – AMPATH Nepal social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@AMPATHNepal) have been launched. We are in the process of launching the website as well.
Brown University
Submitted by: Daria Szkwarko
- The Brown FM GH fellowship team was invited to design a four-session series on decolonizing Global Health at AMPATH for all visiting trainees/faculty. The resources and curriculum they created for these courses are available here for AMPATH Consortium members. They want this material to be available to others at AMPATH, in our FM department at Brown, and other Brown departments involved in the Kenya collaboration so please feel free to share, use, and adapt these materials.
Their team would be more than happy to repeat some or all of these lectures at AMPATH, Brown FM, or elsewhere in the future so please let us know if this would be helpful. They are also aware that many of you are involved in similar work, and we are very open to future collaborations or suggestions on how to improve!
Duke University
CARE/TRAINING
- A number of individuals from the Duke CV and Education team spent time in Eldoret during January/February. This included cardiologists, hospitalist, nursing, research program leaders and administrators. Heavy emphasis on introducing new diagnostic services in the CCU including Transesophogeal Echos, Central Venous Pressure Monitoring, Arterial Lines and Swan Ganz catheters.
- Discussions underway between cardiology and CV surgery about conducting joint pre/post op surgery clinics.
- CV Family Conference Room official dedication took place.
RESEARCH
- Oriented new team member, Gretchen Sanders, Project Leader, to Eldoret/AMPATH
- Duke has an RFA for proposals addressing the intersection of infections and chronic disease. Anyone interested in collaborations in regards to chronic respiratory disease, please reach out to Neelima at nn12@duke.edu.
- Trainees presented lunch/learn research presentations for new DGHI Director.
OTHER INFORMATION
- Interventional Cardiologist and Family Medicine/Pop Health faculty from Duke to visit in August.
Indiana University
Palliative Care:
- Dr. Lindsay Dow from Mt. Sinai is in Eldoret supporting the palliative care team at MTRH. She is also assisting Dr. Hussein Elias in teaching the Clinical Officer Palliative Care trainees and the GYN Oncology fellows.
- The Clinical Officers will finish their 18-month training in April and will be the first in Kenya to be recognized as specialists in palliative care by the Kenyan Clinical Officers Board. We are currently advertising for the next cohort of trainees. One takeaway from the program design was a 50% increase in palliative care consults at MTRH, most of which occurred in the pediatric population where the number of consults doubled. Dr. Elias deserves the credit for this. He embedded the 7 students in medical, surgical, and pediatrics teams where they served as an important link between the ward teams and the MTRH Palliative Care providers. The students are currently finishing their research projects and rotating at Living Room International, Kimbilio Hospice and Webuye Hospital. Program and design and challenges has been published (Elias, H., Dow, L.A., Boit, J., Asirwa, C.F., Cornetta, K. Developing Palliative Medicine As An Accredited Medical Specialty In Kenya. JCO Global Oncology. 2022, https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/GO.22.00025 PMC9173565)
- In terms of our research activities, Drs. Elias and Cornetta had abstracts accepted for the 2023 South African Palliative Conference in April. Dr. Elias will present his findings on engaging Community Health Volunteers in providing home palliative care. Dr. Cornetta will present on Telehospice in cancer patients discharged from MTRH care. The paper describing the study was recently accepted (Cornetta, K., Nyariki, S., Manji, I., Kiplimo, I., Korir, M., Muinga, E., Busakhala, N., Elias, H. Telehospice for Cancer Patients Discharged from A Tertiary Care Hospital In Western Kenya. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.01.027).
- Drs. Clarissa Johnston and Cornetta will be visiting Eldoret this Spring to help with teaching and clinical activities.
Mt Sinai
- AMPATH Adolescent Health Summit Report – The AMPATH Adolescent Health Summit was held on February 6-8, in Eldoret, Kenya with more than 50 people in attendance. As part of the summit, participants helped identify priorities for advancing adolescent care, education and research and operational teams were created. The Adolescent Health Summit group will meeting quarterly moving forward, and will re-convene on May 1, at 9:00am EST/ 4:00pm EAT. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Ashley Chory, Senior Program Manager for Adolescent Health Programs at ashley.chory@mssm.edu. Attached is a detailed summary of the summit proceedings.
- Adolescent Health Interest Group Meeting – The next Adolescent Health Interest Group meeting will be on March 6, at 9:00am EST/ 5:00pm EAT— all are welcome to join; please reach out to Ashley Chory for the zoom link.
- New Adolescent Health Blog Article – Lonnie Embleton and team have published an adolescent health focused blog in BMJ Global Health! – https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjgh/2023/02/19/transformative-action-with- and-for-children-and-youth-in-street-situations/
- AIGH Research & Education Program Teams to Visit Kenya in March – A team that will include AIGH’s new Research and Education program teams along with staff that will be helping to replicate these programs in Nepal will be visiting AMPATH Kenya March 5-10. This visit will seek to introduce new team members to counterparts in Kenya and help strengthen AIGH’s ability to support our partnership engagements in Kenya, Nepal, and beyond. Please contact David Plater, david.plater@mssm.edu, for details on this visit.