News
September 12, 2025
Dr. Anjuli Wagner and Dr. John Kinuthia receive new award to understand how mobile health technology supports PrEP adherence
Categories: Awards, HIV, Implementation Science, Research
Congratulations to Drs. Anjuli Wagner (Associate Professor, UW Global Health) and John Kinuthia (Affiliate Associate Professor, UW Global Health; Obstetrician Gynecologist, Kenyatta National Hospital) for receiving a National Institutes of Health award to fund “Mechanisms of Action for mobile SMS PrEP adherence intervention (mWACH PrEP Mechanisms).”
The study aims to understand how digital health technologies work to support women to adhere to PrEP, a daily oral pill to prevent HIV. Effectiveness of the pill requires it to be taken daily, yet more than half of women discontinue within the first month. (more…)
August 25, 2025
Researchers support new trial to evaluate the effects of probiotics in highly vulnerable infants
Categories: Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
Preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) infants have a significantly higher risk of mortality and morbidity than term infants or those born with normal birth weight in low- and middle-income countries. However, improvements in outcomes in these highly vulnerable populations have been slow worldwide due to the complexity of medical management of small and vulnerable infants.
In recent years, small-scale clinical trials conducted across a variety of settings have shown that probiotic supplementation can improve short- and long-term outcomes, including reducing rates of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis and improving growth and neurodevelopment. However, there is limited data on use of probiotics in preterm and SGA populations that is needed to inform future policy and practice.
To help expand the evidence base of probiotic supplementation in preterm and SGA infants, Global WACh researchers are supporting the newly launched “Efficacy of probiotic supplementation in preterm and small for gestational age infants: A multi-centre, placebo-controlled, individually-randomised trial (PROPS Trial)” sponsored by the WHO Newborn and Child Health and Development Unit, coordinated by Johns Hopkins University, and funded by the Gates Foundation. The trial will assess the effect of probiotic supplementation on mortality, morbidity, and growth in 14,000 enrolled preterm or term SGA infants in the first six months of life in five South Asian (Bangladesh, Pakistan) and Sub-Saharan African (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria) countries with high rates of preterm birth and malnutrition among infants. Implementing partners include: (more…)
August 18, 2025
New CHAIN Network study aims to support families of children after hospital discharge
Categories: Gut Health and Child Survival, Research
Researchers of the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network, a group of clinical experts and scientists seeking to optimize care for vulnerable children in limited resource setting, investigated how often, when, and why young children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia die when admitted to hospitals. While hospital admission and treatment help many children recover, it may not alter the trajectory of their health, which is dictated by the child, family, and socio-cultural factors, leading to poor health outcomes and preventable deaths.
Leveraging what they’ve learned to develop new child survival interventions, CHAIN researchers launched a two-year study titled, “CHAIN-PoP: A Proof of Principle Trial Supporting Families of Children After Hospital Discharge,” to evaluate a combined intervention of health system strengthening at discharge and increased support to families of high-risk children. The added educational and financial support may improve caregivers’ empowerment and change the decision-making dynamics within the household in a favorable way. (more…)
July 21, 2025
Global WACh researchers and partners at the 2025 International Workshop on Pediatrics & HIV and International AIDS Society Conference: Posters and Presentations
Categories: Conferences, HIV, Mental Health, PrEP, Research, Youth
Researchers from the University of Washington (UW), University of Nairobi, and Kenyatta National Hospitals at IAS 2025 in July 2025.
In July, researchers affiliated with UW/Global WACh and Kenyan partner institutions attended two conferences held in Kigali, Rwanda: The International Workshop on Pediatrics & HIV held from July 11-12 and the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science held from July 13-17. Both conferences are highly influential meetings on cutting-edge HIV research and its applications to move science into policy and practice.
We’ve rounded up 19 poster abstracts and one oral abstract by University of Washington, University of Nairobi, and Kenyatta National Hospital faculty, staff, and student researchers working on several collaborative studies based in Kenya. Their findings presented the last scientific discoveries on maternal mental health, childhood neurodevelopment, father engagement, pediatric HIV prevention and care, and PrEP uptake and adherence among adolescents and young women. (more…)
July 15, 2025
Research Scientist Dr. Emily Begnel receives early career award to study antimicrobial resistance and its effects on gut health and HIV exposure in children
Categories: Awards, Children, Gut Health and Child Survival, HIV and Co-Infections, Research
Congratulations to Dr. Emily Begnel, Research Scientist with Global WACh, for receiving a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award to fund “The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and effects on gut health among children who are HIV-exposed but uninfected.” The award funds early career investigators and their development towards independent research in child health. Dr. Begnel will conduct her research under the mentorship of Drs. Jennifer Slyker and Patricia Pavlinac (UW Global Health and Epidemiology), and collaborate with Dr. Ana Weil (UW School of Medicine) and the Weil Lab.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rising globally and threatens public health by decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics in treating infections. Children who are HIV-exposed receive the antibiotic cotrimoxazole to prevent a range of bacterial infections; however, there is concern that it may contribute to the development of AMR in these children. There is urgency to better understand the dynamics of AMR development and spread, particularly among children in low- and middle-income countries where AMR is prevalent. Pathogens can transfer resistance genes to the bacteria in the gut microbiome, potentially contributing to long-term AMR. (more…)
June 26, 2025
Global WACh staff leads, Kellie List and Alyson Shumays, receive 2025 DGH Outstanding Staff Awards nominations
Categories: Awards
Every year, the Department of Global Health recognizes outstanding staff for their dedication and many contributions to the department. This year’s list of Outstanding Staff Award nominees included two of Global WACh’s leaders who guide, inspire, and empower others to achieve our common goals. Read about their contributions below: (more…)
June 11, 2025
Lisa Orii receives Global Innovation Fund Award to integrate AI in app-based person-centered contraception services in Kenya
Categories: Awards, Certificate Program, Contraception, Family Planning, Research, students
Congratulations to Lisa Orii, PhD candidate in the School of Computer Science & Engineering and Global WACh Graduate Certificate Program, for receiving a 2025 UW Global Innovation Fund Award. The fund supports transformative cross-college, cross-continent research collaborations and global Husky learning experiences at UW.
Lisa will work with researchers at UW and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) on a project titled, “Co-Design of Chatbots for App-Supported Person-Centered Contraceptive Decision Support among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya in the Pharmacy Setting.” The research team includes Drs. Elizabeth Harrington (UW Global Health and Obstetrics & Gynecology), Elizabeth Bukusi (KEMRI), Serah Gitome (KEMRI), and Richard Anderson (UW Computer Science & Engineering). (more…)
June 6, 2025
Global WACh Student Poster Symposium Round-Up 2025
Categories: Certificate Program, HIV and Co-Infections, Implementation Science, PrEP, Research, Talks and Events
Attendees viewing student posters.
On Wednesday, June 4th, Global WACh hosted its annual Student Poster Symposium to highlight graduate student research affiliated with our center. Dozens of UW faculty, staff, students attended to learn about 17 students’ projects that fulfilled academic capstone and dissertation requirements, while providing opportunities to gain knowledge and build marketable skillsets in the field of maternal-child health.
The majority of presenters are enrolled in the Global WACh Graduate Certificate Program and are graduating in the 2025 academic year. The certificate program offers opportunities for additional learning about woman, adolescent, and child health topics through 12 credits of coursework and a 90-hour capstone. We wish these students the very best in their future endeavors as public health professionals.
Additional posters featured master and doctoral degree capstones and dissertations that led to major advancements in the scientific field and were featured at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in San Francisco in March. CROI is considered the world’s leading HIV research meeting that attracts thousands of researchers and clinicians from around the globe – and is a fantastic stage to showcase our emerging early-stage researchers.
See a list of featured students and poster titles. View the photo gallery courtesy of the Department of Global Health Communications Team.
Listen to 4th Annual Endowed DELV Lecture by Dr. Nithya Ramanathan, Nexleaf Analytics
Categories: Talks and Events
June 5, 2025
Tessa Concepcion receives UW School of Public Health Excellence Award for Outstanding Doctoral Student
Congratulations to Tessa Concepcion for receiving the UW School of Public Health (SPH)’s 2025 Excellence Award for Outstanding Doctoral Student! The annual award celebrates members of the SPH community for their dedication, service, and many contributions to public health. Tessa recently graduated and trained as a Predoctoral Fellow under Global WACh faculty mentors including Drs. Grace John-Stewart and Jillian Pintye. She has joined the center in a temporary research staff role.
Tessa holds a PhD in Global Health Implementation Science from the University of Washington and an MS in Global Health from Duke University. Her research centers on designing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions to support the sexual and reproductive health of pregnant and postpartum women in low-resource settings. Her doctoral work examined early implementation factors for integrating long-acting PrEP into antenatal care in Kenya. Tessa previously led a national study on the burden of pediatric surgical conditions in Somaliland and has expertise in mixed methods research, perinatal mental health, mental health systems analysis, and intervention delivery.
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