HIV
August 4, 2022
Researchers present latest scientific evidence at Pediatric HIV Workshop and AIDS 2022
Categories: Conferences, COVID-19, HIV, Research
Our researchers presented 12 poster abstracts and one oral presentation featuring the latest evidence from their studies, in relation to long-acting HIV treatment and prevention technologies, integrated and differentiated models of care, and monitoring and innovations in service delivery. Laurén Gómez, a Research Coordinator at UW, was selected as a winner of the Lange/van Tongeren Prize for Young Investigators (co-partnered with ANRS – France Recherche Nord & Sud Sida-HIV Hépatites) and the Prize for Research in HIV Prevention (co-partnered with MSD – Merck Sharpe & Dohme). Learn more about Laurén’s analysis that aimed to address safety gaps in the impacts of prenatal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on growth and development in early childhood. See a list of accepted abstracts for both scientific gatherings below.
March 29, 2022
New publication on implementation of HIV retesting guidelines for pregnant and postpartum women in Kenya
Categories: HIV, Publication, Uncategorized
The February 2022 edition of Global Health: Science and Practice features a new publication by UW Global WACh students, Monalisa Penumetsa (DGH MPH alumni) and Epidemiology PhD student Jillian Neary, and faculty (Drs. Alison Drake and Grace John-Stewart)– “Implementation of HIV Retesting During Pregnancy and Postpartum in Kenya: A Cross Sectional Study.” The study aimed to measure the prevalence of maternal HIV retesting in Kenya, and HIV incidence among Kenyan mothers. (more…)
March 23, 2022
Tunza Mwana study researchers enroll 350 participants amid COVID-19 limitations
Categories: HIV
Global WACh’s Tunza Mwana study recently celebrated an important milestone. The team has been working in Migori County, Kenya, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to enroll mother-baby pairs in a long term, prospective cohort study. sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and led by Christine McGrath, Grace Aldrovandi, and Benson Singa. The study was created to evaluate the association between maternal HIV infection and infant health outcomes through breast-milk mediated pathways, which can help practitioners determine the best possible care for HIV positive mothers and their children. (more…)
November 10, 2021
Researchers present latest findings to support adolescents living with HIV at Adherence 2021
Categories: HIV, Research, Youth
Adherence 2021, hosted by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care and held from November 7-9, 2021, focused on state-of-the-science evidence, best practices, and the real-world implementation of behavioral, clinical, structural, and other interventions to maximize the therapeutic and preventative effects of antiretroviral agents. The annual conference provides a forum for discussion and presentation of implementation science focused on closing evidence-to-practice gaps across the HIV prevention and care continua, as well as community engagement in planning, implementing, and monitoring HIV responses in affected communities.
Below are three abstracts by Global WACh researchers and collaborators that showcase the latest discoveries in interventions to improve outcomes in adolescents living with HIV in Kenya.
November 1, 2021
Global WACh Graduate Certificate Student Sarah Hicks helps facilitate a virtual workshop to identify best PrEP delivery approaches in maternal-child health clinics in Kenya
Categories: Certificate Program, HIV, PrEP, students
For the required 90-hour Global WACh Certificate capstone, Sarah Hicks, a 2nd year student in the Department of Epidemiology, wanted to use the opportunity to join a HIV research team to understand what goes on “behind the scenes” of a large international study and to build on quantitative data management and processing skills. The PrEP Optimized for Mothers: Efficient PrEP Integration in MCH Clinics (PrEPARE) study, led by investigators Dr. Anjuli Wagner and John Kinuthia from the Department of Global Health, was a natural fit. PrEPARE seeks to identify ways to improve the efficiency of PrEP integration within maternal-child health (MCH) clinics in Kenya through stakeholder engagement, identifying challenges to implementation in the health system, and piloting and evaluating optimized MCH-PrEP approaches that decrease health care workers’ workload and enhance client experiences. (more…)
August 3, 2021
Researchers study text messaging to improve retention and viral suppression in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs in Kenya
Categories: HIV, mHealth, Publication, Research
Credit: Ivan Samkov/Pexels
Over the years, Global WACh utilized the Mobile WACh mobile health (mHealth) system that allows for both automated sending of tailored health-related short message service (SMS) text messages and two-way SMS interaction between participants and a health care provider in low- to middle-income countries for an array of maternal-child health (MCH) research studies. The system sends messages through mobile phones, which have the potential to enhance access and reach of crucial health service interventions and to improve health outcomes.
Researchers of the Mobile Strategies for Women’s and Children’s Health: Optimizing Adherence and Efficacy of PMTCT/ART (Mobile WACh X) randomized clinical trial, funded by the National Institute of Health and led by Principal Investigator Grace John-Stewart, adapted Mobile WACh to reach pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV at six MCH clinics in Kenya. Previous research has shown that interactive SMS can improve early antiretroviral therapy (ART) retention in perinatal women, but it was unknown whether long-term interactive SMS systems can durably improve retention and viral suppression in preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT).
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Global WACh Certificate student Michelle Bulterys leverages global estimates for international forums focused on the health and wellbeing of HIV-exposed-uninfected children
Categories: Certificate Program, Conferences, HIV, Research, students
Before Michelle Bulterys enrolled in the Epidemiology PhD program and the Global WACh Graduate Certificate, she interned with the Strategic Information and Evaluation Department of the Joint United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) in Geneva, Switzerland, where she learned about the complexities of gathering and validating country-level HIV estimates and synthesizing data into global reports to be used by clinicians, policy makers, and researchers around the world. She gained strong mentorship from Dr. Mary Mahy, who leads the Epidemiology Team at UNAIDS. Michelle and Dr. Mahy have continued to collaborate on various projects, including Michelle’s Certificate capstone—a 90-hour project designed for students to gain hands-on experience in the field of global health.
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May 3, 2021
Research Assistant Jill Neary receives a National Institute of Health predoctoral fellowship to support pediatric HIV research training
Categories: Awards, HIV, Research, students
Congratulations to Jill Neary, Global WACh trainee and PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, for receiving a National Institute of Health’s (NIH) F31 predoctoral training fellowship to support her dissertation research on pediatric HIV. The three-year award will provide funding support to learn new analysis methods and content-area expertise in molecular epidemiology, neuropsychological assessments, and longitudinal data analysis. (more…)
April 29, 2021
Research Assistant Michelle Bulterys selected for UW CFAR STD/AIDS Research Training Fellowship in Epidemiology
Categories: Awards, HIV, students
Michelle Bulterys spent the summer of 2019 conducting fieldwork at the antenatal care research site in Kampala, Uganda.
Michelle Bulterys, first year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, Global WACh research assistant, and the 2020 Recipient of the UW School of Public Health’s Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Achievement, was recently selected for a prestigious predoctoral fellowship which will support the remaining three years of her doctoral training. The UW Center for AIDS and STD (CFAR)’s STD/AIDS Research Training Fellowship Program is an NIH-supported T32 training grant, directed by Drs. Anna Wald and Sheila Lukehart. The Program aims to train the next generation of leaders in STD and AIDS research. (more…)
April 9, 2021
Cost-effectiveness analysis leading to updated WHO maternal HIV retesting guidelines published in JIAS
Categories: HIV, Publication, Research
HIV rapid test and a blood sample vial (Credit: American Psychological Association)
A new manuscript by Global WACh researchers, trainees, and collaborators was published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) last week. The publication summarized the findings of the study, “Optimizing HIV retesting during pregnancy and postpartum in four countries: a cost-effectiveness analysis,” which examined the cost, impact, and cost-effectiveness of maternal HIV retesting timing and frequency in four countries—Colombia, Kenya, South Africa, and Ukraine. (more…)
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