Awards
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 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 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…)
May 20, 2024
New grant supports scaling up integrated PrEP delivery to Kenyan pregnant and postpartum women
Categories: Awards, HIV, Implementation Science, Research
Pregnancy is a high risk time for acquiring HIV. PrEP is a safe and effective prevention strategy to reduce women’s risk of acquiring HIV in pregnancy and postpartum and consequently vertical HIV transmission, improved health outcomes for both mother and child. In Kenya, this daily oral medication is being delivered in some regions during these life stages integrated into maternal and child (MCH) clinics, but scale-up has been sub-optimal.
Researchers from Global WACh and Kenyatta National Hospital have co-led implementation science studies focused on delivering integrated PrEP in routine MCH care, testing strategies to optimize delivery in western Kenyan counties. These represented the first and largest projects to deliver PrEP integrated into MCH clinics. Integrated PrEP delivery is now ready for scale up more broadly, which will require new implementation strategies to facilitate scale up. (more…)
March 6, 2024
New study aims to promote perinatal mental health screening and reduce the burden of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in Kenya
Categories: Awards, HIV, Mental Health, Research
Multiple Principal Investigators Drs. John Kinuthia, Amritha Bhat, and Keshet Ronen
February 27, 2024
MIND collaborators convene in Nairobi to advance childhood development and mental health research in Kenya
Categories: Awards, HIV and Co-Infections, Mental Health
MIND Program collaborators at the Palacina Suites Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Mugo Mureithi)
In January, nearly 40 collaborators affiliated with the Drug, microbiome, and immune determinants of birth and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with exposure to HIV infection (MIND) grant attended a two-day convening in Nairobi, Kenya. Launched in early 2023, the project leverages three ongoing childhood development studies in Kenya and supports two core groups that provide access to technologies, services, training, and consultation to successfully execute the studies. The meeting provided a forum to share progress and discuss future directions of research collaborations from UW/Global WACh, Kenyatta National Hospital, University of Nairobi, Emory University, Fred Hutch, and Makerere University. (more…)
February 15, 2024
New project aims to expand access to sexual and reproductive health care in South King County
Categories: Awards, Contraception, Family Planning
January 26, 2024
Announcing the 2023-2024 UW Rising Star Award Recipients
Categories: Awards, Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
The Global WACh and Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study (housed within the center) are pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2023-2024 Rising Star Award cycle. A goal of the award program was to identify highly talented junior investigators from institutions in low-middle income countries (LMIC) who are committed to a career in research in woman, adolescent, and child health broadly, and in pediatric enteric and diarrheal disease. To learn more about the award program and previous recipients, visit our informational webpages on the Global WACh and EFGH study sites. Meet our Rising Stars!
June 14, 2023
New study aims to identify barriers to implementing national sickle cell disease management guidelines in Kenya
Categories: Awards, Gut Health and Child Survival, Implementation Science, Research, students
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a multi-system, life-threatening condition characterized by chronic anemia, frequent episodes of painful vaso-occlusive crises, organ infarction and eventually widespread organ damage. Over 80% of the 240,000 children born with SCD in sub-Sahara Africa each year die before their fifth birthday. Despite the existence of evidence-informed guidelines around the use of disease modifying interventions necessary for the management of SCD, guideline implementation in the region is suboptimal leading to preventable morbidity and mortality. (more…)
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