Awards
February 23, 2021
Researchers receive award to explore low-cost hearing testing technology for universal hearing screening for children in Kenya
Dr. Irene Njuguna, Dr. Dalton Wamalwa, Dr. Sarah Benki-Nugent, Dr. Grace-John-Stewart
Being hearing impaired as a child can be an uphill struggle on top of the usual trials and tribulations of growing up, learning to make friends, and attending school. Globally, approximately 34 million children, many living in sub-Saharan Africa, have disabling hearing loss resulting from head trauma, illness, exposure to loud noises, or certain medical treatments. Early detection and treatment are crucial to prevent children from enduring delays in speech, language, social, and academic development. Due largely to the prohibitive cost of hearing screening equipment (~$7,000 for what is considered standard equipment), hearing screening is rarely conducted in children. (more…)
February 19, 2021
Linda Kizazi Study team receives award to examine benefits of postnatal home visits for HIV-exposed mother-infant pairs in Kenya
Categories: Awards, HIV, Research
Congratulations, Dr. Ednah Ojee (Tutorial Fellow and Pediatrician, University of Nairobi Pediatrics and Child Health) and the Linda Kizazi Study (LKS) research team for receiving a 2020 UW/Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) International Pilot Award to support a new project to help formulate a home-based postnatal intervention to improve neonatal health outcomes in Kenya. This project is a collaboration between investigators at the University of Washington, University of Nairobi, and Kenyatta National Hospital. (more…)
A new award funds a water purification system to improve testing quality at collaborative laboratories in Kenya
The importance of water quality and its role in generating reliable, consistent, and cost-effective laboratory analysis is often overlooked in research laboratories. Without high-quality pure water, very few tests would be possible. An effective water purification system can meet the needs of laboratories to remove contaminants that would interfere with specific tests or procedures.
With funding from a recent 2020 UW/Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) International Infrastructure Award, Dr. Bhavna Chohan (Clinical Assistant Professor, Global Health; Senior Research Scientist, Kenya Medical Research Institute) will purchase a water purification system with UV radiation treatment that will serve the UW-affiliated collaborative research laboratories in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa in Kenya. This proposal garnered the support of partnerships between the University of Washington and the University of Nairobi, and between Partners in Health and Research Development (PHRD) and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). (more…)
December 1, 2020
Researchers receive award to estimate COVID-19 prevalence, household transmission, and antibody response among pregnant women in King County, WA
Categories: Awards, COVID-19, Research
Dr. Alison Drake (Assistant Professor, Global Health and Epidemiology [Adjunct]) and Dr. Sylvia LaCourse (Assistant Professor, Medicine and Global Health) are the Principal Investigators of a new study to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in King County, WA.
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October 19, 2020
Researchers receive new award for pregnancy and breastfeeding PrEP adherence mHealth intervention
Categories: Awards, HIV, PrEP, Research
Congratulations to Dr. John Kinuthia (Affiliated Associate Professor, UW Global Health; Obstetrician Gynecologist, Kenyatta National Hospital) and Dr. Jillian Pintye (Assistant Professor, UW School of Nursing) for receiving a National Institute of Health R01 award! They are Multiple Principal Investigators of a new five-year randomized trial titled, “mWACh-PrEP: A SMS-based Support Intervention to Enhance PrEP Adherence during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding,” to evaluate the effects of a tailored two-way SMS communication tool on PrEP adherence among Kenyan women during the pregnancy and postpartum periods, when the risk of acquiring HIV is high. (more…)
October 14, 2020
UW, Kenyatta National Hospital, and University of Nairobi researchers receive award to develop HIV screening strategies in Kenya
Categories: Awards, Children, HIV, Research, Youth
As prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs globally continue to increase reach and effectiveness, fewer children are living with HIV, but a growing proportion has had HIV exposure. HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children in sub-Saharan Africa are a rapidly growing population in need of care to ensure their optimal health and well-being. Compared to HIV-unexposed children, HEU children are more vulnerable to risks of illness and death and may have poorer neurodevelopmental and growth outcomes. (more…)
September 28, 2020
Dr. Sarah Benki-Nugent with UW and University of Nairobi collaborators receive award to build environmental health research capacity in Kenya
Categories: Awards, Children, HIV and Co-Infections
There is very little data on air pollution exposures in sub-Saharan Africa, and even less is known about the impact of this important exposure on early childhood brain development. Dr. Sarah-Benki (Clinical Assistant Professor, Global Health) and a multi-disciplinary team of maternal-child health researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Nairobi lead the Kenya Healthy Home Healthy Brain Project (KHHOP), a research partnership focused on the impact of environmental pollutants on child neurodevelopment in urban Kenya. (more…)
September 16, 2020
Dr. Keshet Ronen and the Somali Health Board partner to increase COVID-19 testing equity in King County, WA
Categories: Awards, COVID-19, Research
Congratulation to Dr. Keshet Ronen (Acting Assistant Professor, Global Health) and Dr. Ahmed Ali (Executive Director, Somali Health Board) for receiving a COVID-19 Population Health Equity Grant from the University of Washington to increase access to COVID-19 testing among the Somali community in King County, WA. Led in partnership with the Somali Health Board, a Somali-led grassroots organization, this project aims to understand barriers to testing in this heavily impacted community and identify approaches to improve health equity in King County’s testing strategy. (more…)
August 26, 2020
Dr. Irene Njuguna receives NIH Emerging Global Leader Award to support HIV+ adolescents thrive in schools
Categories: Awards, HIV, Research, Schools
Congratulations to Dr. Irene Njuguna (Pediatric Infectious Disease Resarcher, Kenyatta National Hospital) for receiving a National Institutes of Health K43 Emerging Global Leader Award! Dr. Njuguna is currently involved in multiple University of Nairobi-Global WACh collaborative studies focused on pediatric and adolescent HIV. This five-year award supports her growing research career in this field. The new study titled “Understanding the role of schools in supporting HIV treatment outcomes among HIV infected adolescents,” — also known as TIMIZA, the Swahili word for “achieve” – focuses on the role of schools in supporting HIV treatment for adolescents in Kenya. (more…)
July 16, 2020
Dr. Arianna Means awarded NIH grant to develop strategies to improve pediatric treatment guideline adherence at healthcare facilities
Categories: Awards, Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
Primary causes of death for children under five include pneumonia and diarrhea, and nearly half of deaths are attributable to undernutrition. It is estimated that over half of these deaths are preventable with simple, existing, appropriately applied evidence-based interventions, synthesized within pediatric clinical treatment guidelines. Although health workers in low-and-middle-income countries are trained on pediatric treatment guidelines, adherence to guidelines is often low and there is a need to identify strategies to improve quality of care in settings with the highest burden of preventable child deaths.
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