August 29, 2024
New study aims to evaluate a novel pediatric TB diagnostic tool and treatment response
Categories: Awards, HIV and Co-Infections, Research
Investigators Dr. Sylva LaCourse (UW), Dr. Tony Hu (Tulane University), and Dr. Vidalis Nduba (KEMRI CRDR)
A new five-year study titled “CRISPR-TB for pediatric TB diagnosis and treatment response” funded by the National Institutes of Health will support an evaluation of a CRISPR-based technology to target and detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The study’s findings may provide a deeper understanding of its potential to diagnosis pediatric TB early and accurately and improve treatment responses. (more…)
August 27, 2024
New award will support building pre-award research administration capacity at Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya
Credit: Karolina Kaboompics/Pexels
Congratulations to the research administrative team at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and UW/Global WACh for receiving a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) G11 award to build pre-award grants management processes at KNH by leveraging an over 30 years long collaborative research partnership between KNH and UW. (more…)
August 26, 2024
Register for the DeWorm3 Study’s Primary Results Webinar on September 25, 2024
Categories: Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
Please join the DeWorm3 Study for a special scientific webinar to hear primary results on September 25th, 2024 from 1-3 PM UTC.
DeWorm3 has contributed a significant body of research on the feasibility of interrupting soil-transmitted helminth (STH) transmission through community-wide mass drug administration (cMDA) in Benin, Malawi and India. Visit their website to learn more about the objectives, team members, and publications.
Registration is required to receive the webinar link. Click the flyer or scan the QR code below to register today! (more…)
August 23, 2024
Dr. Ruchi Tiwari receives NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the association of maternal factors and child neurodevelopment in Kenya
Categories: Awards, Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
Congratulations to Dr. Ruchi Tiwari for receiving an NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship Award that aims to enhance the research training of promising postdoctoral candidates who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators. This funding will allow her to continue training at Global WACh under the mentorship of Dr. Christine McGrath (Associate Professor, Global Health and Adjunct Associate Professor, Epidemiology) and faculty within the Gut Health and Child Survival scientific priority area.
Dr. Tiwari plays a leading role in pediatric studies on gut health and malnutrition in Kenya alongside investigators at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). These studies involve understanding the effects of breast-milk derived nutrition supplements (human milk oligosaccharides or HMOs) on infant health outcomes. She will leverage her skills to assess how maternal factors that can be changed or controlled (e.g. stress, infection, and inadequate nutrition during and after pregnancy) influence child neurodevelopment at 2 years of age, with an important focus on the difference in the composition of HMOs by those factors. (more…)
August 16, 2024
Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) leverages international research consortium to train and mentor investigators across career stages
Categories: Gut Health and Child Survival
The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) research consortium, supported by faculty and staff at Global WACh, is an exemplary model of advancing institutional efforts to support research mentorship. The objective of EFGH is to establish the incidence and consequences of Shigella diarrhea in Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Pakistan, Peru, and The Gambia. EFGH also has a mission to ensure that the values, standards, and practices of science are effectively shared to the next generation of global health researchers.
Early-career investigators from EFGH partner institutions identified a need for seed funding, protected time, and support for scientific writing, data analysis, and mentorship to further advance their research careers. In response, EFGH developed structured programs to address those unmet needs. In September 2023, EFGH initiated a 16-month Manuscript Writing Certificate Program on the research-to-publication process and launched a second round of its Rising Star Program to support highly-talented junior scientists in becoming independent investigators. (more…)
August 9, 2024
Researchers present the latest science at the International Workshop on Pediatric HIV and AIDS 2024 in Germany
Categories: Awards, HIV, mHealth, PrEP, Research
Global WACh researchers attended the 25th International AIDS Society Conference (AIDS 2024) held from July 22-26 in Munich, Germany. This year’s theme was “Put people first” — a call on the global HIV response to unite behind this simple principle and think of solutions from the point of view of those most affected. Researchers also attended the 16th International Workshop on HIV Pediatrics, a pre-conference event focused on the prevention and treatment of paediatric HIV infection with the overall objective to stimulate research that will advance prevention and treatment strategies for infants, children, and adolescents.
15 poster abstracts and one oral presentation from collaborative University of Washington and University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital studies featured the latest evidence related to health outcomes among children with different exposures to HIV, influential factors to early child neurodevelopment outcomes, key considerations for mobile reproductive health services for women living with HIV, implementation strategies for PrEP, and more. In addition to presenting research findings, some members received acclaimed awards at the conferences. (more…)
August 1, 2024
Dr. Arianna Means lends expertise at NICHD staff training on best practices in implementation science research methods
Categories: Implementation Science
A key trait of Global WACh researchers is their willingness to lend their expertise and share what they know to support academic, scientific, and personal development of scientists, fellows, and students at all levels. Dr. Arianna Means, Assistant Professor in UW Global Health, who is a trained epidemiologist and implementation scientist, was one of three speakers invited to present on fundamentals of implementation science methods at an internal staff training at the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD). (more…)