The UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is pleased to announce the 2024 Mentored International Investigator Award (MIIA) recipients. The purpose of the MIIA is to encourage international early stage investigators (at an advanced stage of training or recently independent) to conduct independent research with close mentorship from UW/Fred Hutch CFAR faculty. This research should ultimately lead to acquiring preliminary data to obtain funding to continue their HIV/AIDS research careers. Recipients are awarded $20,000/year (direct costs) for up to 2 years to conduct their project.
Congratulations to our 2024 CFAR MIIA awardees, Dr. Vernon Mochache Oyaro of GoldStar Kenya and Kenya Medical Research Institute, Dr. Irene Mukui of the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital, and Dr. Ivan Segawa of FHI360 and Premium Medical Services!
Vernon Mochache Oyaro, PhD, MBChB, MPH
Executive Director, GoldStar Kenya
Research Scientist, Kenya Medical Research Institute
Project Title: Integrating portable gynecological imaging at primary care to enhance naked-eye visual assessment of the cervix for the management of cervical pre-cancer among women living with HIV
Location: Nakuru, Kenya
Mentor: Dr. Scott McClelland (UW)
Collaborating Investigators: Dr. Thomas Odeny (Washington University School of Medicine)
Dr. Vernon Mochache Oyaro is a medical doctor and public health practitioner currently serving as the Executive Director of GoldStar Kenya, an indigenous non-governmental organization whose mission is to empower Kenyan communities for better health through impactful program implementation, monitoring evaluation and research. In 2012, he received a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology (International Health Track) from the University of Washington under the International AIDS Research Training Program (IARTP) and in 2020, a Doctor of Health Sciences from Ghent University in Belgium. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France within the Early Detection, Prevention and Implementation Group where he conducted formative reviews for the research proposed under this UW/CFAR Mentored International Investigator Award (MIIA). He plans to use findings from his MIIA pilot study to develop a hybrid, effectiveness-implementation randomized trial that will determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a screen-triage-treat approach for the detection of pre-cancerous cervical lesions among HPV/HIV co-infected women leveraging portable gynecological imaging in primary care setting. His MIIA will also support capacity building and institutionalization of systematic research processes within GoldStar Kenya’s Department of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning.
Profile: Dr. Vernon Mochache, GoldStar Kenya
Irene Mukui, PhD, MBChB, MPH
Research Fellow, University of Nairobi
Research Scientist, Kenyatta National Hospital
Project Title: Acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of using a paediatric antiretroviral medication dosing calculator to minimize medication errors
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Masyuko (UW)
Collaborating Investigators: Caroline Ngunu (Nairobi County Department of Health), Anthony Kiplagat (Nairobi County Department of Health), Carline Mwangi (National AIDS & STI Control Programme), Lilly Nyagah (Ministry of Health Kenya), Reson Marima (Fahari ya Jamii Project Director), Dalton Wamalwa (University of Nairobi)
Dr. Irene Mukui is a Kenyan physician and public health expert with nearly two decades of experience in managing and implementing large public HIV care, treatment, and prevention programs. Currently a PhD candidate in Global Health-Implementation Science at the University of Washington, she previously served as Head of Disease for HIV at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and managed Kenya’s national HIV care and treatment program for over eight years. Her research focusses on HIV treatment outcomes and prevention among young women and girls in SSA and health systems strengthening. With the CFAR Mentored International Investigator Award (MIA), she will conduct a study on pediatric ART prescription and dispensing errors, exploring associated factors and the effectiveness of an electronic dosing support tool in minimizing errors.
Ivan Segawa, BPharm, MSc
Catalyst Study Coordinator/Quality Improvement Advisor, MOSAIC Project, FHI360
Community Pharmacist, Premium Medical Servicees
Project Title: Optimizing Community-Pharmacy PrEP Delivery for Female Sex Workers in Uganda
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Mujugira (UW)
Collaborating Investigators: Katrina Ortblad (Fred Hutch), Agnes Kiragga (African Population Health Research Council), Herbert Kadama (Ministry of Health Uganda), Timothy Muwonge (IDI, Makerere University), Eva Laker (IDI, Makerere University), Rogers Nsubuga (IDI, Makerere University), William James Tamale (National Drug Authority), Diana Natukunda (Give a Hand Foundation)
Ivan Segawa is an epidemiologist, biostatistician, and research pharmacist, with a strong focus on HIV prevention research. His is currently a research associate at FHI 360, bringing extensive experience in clinical trials, implementation science, and project management. His long-term goal is to develop and implement scalable models for differentiated PrEP service delivery in Uganda. Through his CFAR-MIIA project, he aims to generate preliminary data supporting pharmacy-based PrEP delivery for female sex workers in Kampala, Uganda.
To learn more about about the CFAR Mentored International Investigator Award, click here or contact us at cfardev@uw.edu.