September 2020 Newsletter
   

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Happy Fall to those of us in the northern hemisphere! We are grateful that COVID-19 numbers have remained relatively low in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has allowed our study teams in Uganda, Ghana and Kenya to resume their research field activities, while keeping proper safety protocols such as wearing masks, hand washing and social distancing in place. The research activities included a meeting to (re)launch the Suubi+Adherence-R2 continuation study in Uganda, which brought together project stakeholders to inform them of the extension of the study for another five years, explain the purpose of the study, and how they will be involved. More details about this meeting and a new publication highlighting results from the original Suubi+Adherence, “The Impact of a Family-Based Economic Intervention on the Mental Health of HIV-Infected Adolescents in Uganda” can be found below.

We are also pleased to announce that our team has received a new supplement to our D43 CHILD-GRF training grant, to support our partner Makerere University to develop sustainable policies to address sexual misconduct and harassment, and provide a safe work environment at the institution. Also related to Makerere University, ICHAD Director Fred Ssewamala was recently appointed the McDonnell International Scholars Academy Ambassador to Makerere University. This new formal relationship between Washington University and Makerere University will allow for even further research and training collaborations between our institutions.

In terms of capacity building, this month we launched our 2020-2021 ICHAD/SMART Africa Speaker Series, with an engaging talk by Brown School alum and former classmate of Dr. Ssewamala, Charita L. Castro, PhD, MSW '99. Dr. Castro discussed her work around child labor, and spoke to the important role social workers can play in policy making and advocating for change. Also, please note, the application cycles for our three NIH-funded training programs will launch in early October with applications due in January. Please spread the word!

As always, please feel free to contact us with any news or updates that you would like us to include in our upcoming newsletter. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn about all of our latest updates!

We wish you all continued health and happiness!

The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams
 

UPDATES FROM THE FIELD

 
Kyaterekera Project research assistants conduct Wave 2 telephone interviews from the calling centers in Masaka, Uganda.
Kyaterekera Project

Through a combination of economic empowerment, vocational skills training, and HIV risk reduction (HIVRR) sessions, the Kyaterekera Project is focused on reducing new incidences of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among women engaged in sex work in Uganda. During the month of September, the Kyaterekera study team continued with Wave 2 telephone interviews at five sites.  To date, the team has completed assessment for 445 out 517 participants recruited from 18 sites. This gives us a retention rate of 86.1%.
ICHAD staff member Florence Namuli briefs Suubi4Her study participants before interviews are conducted in one of ICHAD’s partner schools in Masaka, Uganda.
Suubi4Her

Suubi4Her seeks to examine the impact and costs associated with an innovative combination intervention that aims to prevent HIV risk behaviors in communities heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. In September, the Suubi4Her team continued to conduct Wave 3 telephone interviews.  As of September 28th, 352 participants (out of the expected 1,259) have been interviewed. Telephone interviews are conducted at the respective schools, and the team conducts home visits for those that have relocated due to COVID-19. The team and study participants adhere to all safety measures against COVID-19, including practicing social distancing and wearing face masks. Participants are very grateful for the phone interviewing approach since it enables them to respond to personal questions without any shyness. The activity is still ongoing.

The team also completed qualitative interview trainings that were facilitated by ICHAD Co-Directors, Drs. Proscovia Nabunya and Ozge Sensoy Bahar. The trainings enabled staff members to improve their qualitative interviewing knowledge and skills as well as familiarizing themselves with interview guides. Qualitative interviews will begin early next month.
 
Suubi4Cancer staff members, Sylivia Nanono and Nantaba Appolonia, pre-test the qualitative interview guide in Masaka, Uganda.
Suubi4Cancer

Suubi4Cancer seeks to identify confirmed and suspected cancer cases among a cohort of more than 3,000 youth (ages 10 to 24) living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. The Suubi4Cancer team continued to review the Luganda versions of the qualitative interview guides to familiarize with the questions and correct the grammar. The team conducted three pre-tests including one amongst ICHAD-Uganda staff. The team also pre-tested two guardians, two children and two healthcare workers from Kinoni Health Center III and Kiyumba Health Center IV. The team also engaged the contact persons and Village Health Teams (VHTs) to trace and follow up with lost participants.
 
Suubi4Stigma

Suubi4Stigma will examine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary impact of two evidence-based interventions, Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (G-CBT) and Multiple Family Group (MFG), to address HIV/AIDS associated stigma among adolescents (aged 10-14 years) living with HIV in Uganda. During the month of September, the team has continued to prepare for the implementation of the study as they await IRB approvals.  As part of the preparation process, the team completed translating all quantitative assessment tools, consent, and assent forms into Luganda, and adapted all sessions of the Multiple Family Group facilitators’ manual.  The data team developed a database in Qualtrics to facilitate data collection.  The development of the qualitative interview guides and G-CBT manual is underway.
 
Dr. Fred Ssewamala presents at the Suubi+Adherence-R2 stakeholders meeting to clinic in-charges and representatives, at the Hotel Brovad in Masaka, Uganda.
Suubi+Adherence-R2

The Suubi+Adherence-R2 study seeks to examine the long-term impact of the Suubi+Adherence intervention on HIV viral suppression, and to explore the long-term impact of the intervention on key HIV treatment adherence outcomes for youth living with HIV, including their ability to access and refill prescribed medication, adherence to prescribed daily medication routines, and their engagement in HIV care such as keeping medical appointments.  The study officially began on September 1, 2020, and the study teams in the U.S. and Uganda are hard at work organizing logistics in preparation for tracing and reconsenting of study participants, and data collection. The teams are working with local implementing partners, including Reach the Youth-Uganda, The Diocese of Masaka, and Mildmay-Uganda. Thus far, ICHAD has conducted introductory meetings with co-investigators and study teams at Washington University, Columbia University, University of Southern California, ICHAD-Uganda, and Mildmay-Uganda. The MPIs (Drs. Ssewamala, Sensoy Bahar, Nabunya) also held a stakeholders’ meeting via Zoom on September 3rd with the in-charges and designated contact persons of 39 health clinics in the greater Masaka region, from where participants were recruited, to inform them of the extension of the study for another five years, explain the purpose of the study, and how they will be involved. At this meeting, the team was pleased to welcome the Mayor of Masaka City, Lord Mayor Godfrey Kayemba Afaayo, and four District Health Officers from the Masaka, Lwengo, Lyantonde and Rakai Districts who voiced their support for this important work. The team is currently in the process of making initial contacts with study participants from round one of Suubi+Adherence study, refining data collection and assessment tools, preparing for IRB amendment applications and preparing study sites.
 
BasicNeeds staff conduct baseline assessment with an ANZANSI Family Program participant in Tamale, Northern Ghana. 
ANZANSI Study

The ANZANSI Family Program seeks to pilot test the feasibility of an innovative combination intervention–Family economic empowerment and Multiple Family Group (MFG)–amongst adolescent girls at risk of dropping out of school and migrating for work in Northern Ghana. The BasicNeeds team has completed baseline assessment in five treatment schools covering 50 families so far. In the meantime, required documents including passport-sized photographs and tax identification numbers have been readily acquired for Child Development Accounts to be opened.

 
Families proudly display their certificates of completion after finishing the Amaka Amasanyufu MFG Program in Masaka, Uganda.
SMART Africa

The SMART Africa studies examine the impact and implementation of an evidence-based multiple family group (MFG) intervention for children experiencing behavioral problems and their families in Uganda, Kenya and Ghana. In September, the SMART Africa-Uganda team resumed the supervision of Multiple Family Group (MFG) delivery of the final three sessions (14, 15, and 16) in the eight treatment schools that were receiving the intervention before the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown. Due to the delay and ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic, the sessions were modified to protect the study participants and the research team. Instead of delivering weekly sessions as was the protocol prior to COVID-19, all three sessions were delivered by facilitators on the same day and in smaller groups.  Two of the remaining eight schools have completed all sixteen sessions, with 85% of the families attending the remaining three sessions. The families have been awarded a certificate of completion. Following the completion of sessions, the Uganda team started the 16-week follow-up interviews. The families continue to appreciate the Amaka Amasanyufu program which has resulted in many great benefits amongst their families and communities.

The Kenya team has also been hard at work adapting to the new changes brought on by COVID-19. The team completed the implementation of the MFG sessions in early March but was unable to complete the follow-up assessments when the schools closed due to COVID-19. Following the shutdown, the Kenya team focused on data management and is currently working to adapt the interview format to conduct interviews via telephone. In doing so, the Kenya team will be able to complete its follow-up assessments while ensuring the health and safety of researchers and participants. 

The Ghana team also suspended field activities earlier in the year due to COVID-19. This included MFG sessions with the families and qualitative interviews that were planned with the school health education programme (SHEP) coordinators and head teachers. When the team reached out to participants to gauge their interest in participating in the study, it found that families expressed a great interest in continuing to participate in the sessions. At the end of August, the Ghana team was able to resume delivering the sessions and has delivered three sessions in the past month, leaving seven sessions to complete the intervention. The MFG sessions have been adapted to adhere to health-related protocols for COVID-19 including social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, and applying hand sanitizer. The Ghana team members are committed to keeping all participants safe and are working hard to modify their plans accordingly.
 
 
UPDATES FROM ICHAD AND SMART AFRICA TEAMS
 
The above photo taken from THE INDEPENDENT newsmagazine, published on January 23, 2020, in Uganda shows a protest against sexual harassment conducted by Mak (Makerere University) students. 
Supplement to CHILD Global Research Fellowship (CHILD-GRF) Program

We are pleased to announce that ICHAD recently received an administrative supplement from the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in response to an opportunity announcement titled, “Building Capacity in Low- and Middle-Income Country Institutions with Active HIV/AIDS Research and Training Programs to Develop Awareness, Training, Procedure, and Policy for Responding to Allegations of Sexual Harassment.” This supplement enables FIC-funded grantees working on HIV/AIDS projects in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), the opportunity to work with LMIC organizations to develop institutional infrastructure capabilities and sustainable policy to address sexual misconduct and harassment, as well as provide a safe work environment at these institutions.

This one-year administrative supplement funding will be implemented at our CHILD-GRF partner institution, Makerere University. The supplement builds on Makerere University’s 2018 Investigative Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Harassment, to assess the implementation of the current policy and regulations against sexual harassment and to develop a policy evaluation and monitoring framework to guide ongoing and future policy implementation. The specific objectives are: 1) Assess the extent to which the recommendations from the 2018 Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Harassment and the 2018 policy amendments have been implemented; 2) Bring together the University’s key stakeholders for a dialogue focused on addressing sexual misconduct and harassment and creating a safer working and learning environment at Makerere University; and 3) Develop a set of recommendations to facilitate proper future policy implementation. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the institutional capacity of Makerere University in implementing and evaluating policy strategies to address sexual misconduct and harassment – a major public health issue that is rarely addressed at higher institutions of learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The parent grant (CHILD-GRF) is led by three Program Directors/MPIs: Drs. Fred Ssewamala and Mary McKay at Washington University in St. Louis, and Dr. Noeline Nakasujja at Makerere University. This administrative supplement will be led by Dr. Noeline Nakasujja along with MPIs Drs. Proscovia Nabunya and Rachel Brathwaite at Washington University in St. Louis.
 
Dr. Fred Ssewamala Appointed as the McDonnell International Scholars Academy Ambassador to Makerere University

ICHAD Director, Dr. Fred Ssewamala has been appointed by the Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and the McDonnell International Scholars Academy to serve as the University’s Ambassador to Makerere University, his alma mater. Dr. Ssewamala played a key role in facilitating the establishment of the partnership between Washington University in St. Louis and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

The McDonnell International Scholars Academy provides the network with which Washington University incubates new ideas and mentors future leaders.  Through partnerships with universities around the globe, the Academy seeks to lead groundbreaking research projects and prepare scholars to be effective leaders in the global community.

In his role as Ambassador, Dr. Ssewamala will be responsible for building relationships with Makerere University and with alumni, friends, corporations and government entities in Uganda. He will also identify opportunities for scholarly collaboration involving other faculty and students at Washington University and Makerere University.  In addition, he will assist in the development of the academic and professional life of Academy Scholars who have been selected on the basis of their promise to become future leaders in academia, government, professions, or the corporate world.

Dr. Ssewamala’s role as Ambassador to Makerere University is a natural extension of his ongoing efforts to provide capacity building opportunities and fellowships to students, team members, and scholars across the globe.  His newly awarded CHILD Global Research Fellowship brings early career researchers from Ugandan institutions to Washington University for state-of-the-art methods training, mentoring, and “hands-on” research experience.
 
New Student Welcome: Leah Nason

We are delighted to welcome Leah Nason, a first year dual degree Masters of Social Work and of Public Health student at Brown School, to the ICHAD team!  Prior to coming to Washington University, Leah worked for Peace Corps Botswana for two years as a Youth and HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Volunteer.  In this capacity, she co-facilitated life skills curriculum for 400+ Gobojango Junior Secondary School students ages 13-18 covering topics such as goal setting, gender awareness and equality, healthy relationships, and HIV/AIDS prevention.  She also served as Communications Chair for the HIV/AIDS Technical Committee, which provides HIV/AIDS resources and project design, monitoring, and evaluation support to 130+ Peace Corps volunteers in Botswana.  As an Undergraduate Student Researcher at University of Rochester, Leah participated in a month-long research project in 2017 on the perception of maternal deaths and their familial effects in Gowa, Malawi.
 
“As a Research Assistant, I was privileged to join the ICHAD team in Uganda. Working with ICHAD is something I never take for granted. Through the organization, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and learned how to live a purposeful driven-life through capacity building, networking opportunities, influencing policy, collaborations, professional trainings, and mentorship. Therefore, I call ICHAD an Institute of learning that must not be taken for granted by those who are already privileged to work at the center. It has been incredibly rewarding to be an employee of ICHAD and I will forever be grateful to the organization.”
 
-Mutebi Sulaiti, Research Assistant

“I joined ICHAD in August 2018 as an administrative assistant. I have received several trainings that have helped me grow professionally especially in the field of research. Training sessions helped me learn about ethical research protocols and standards, administrative duties, and enhancing my computer applications knowledge through the various tasks assigned to me by my supervisors. At ICHAD, I have learned the importance of collecting and maintaining quality data because of its potential influence to change policy in our country and the world at large, especially in favor of the vulnerable populations like adolescents, youth, and women, among others.”

-Teopista Nantongo, Administrative Assistant

“Working with ICHAD/SMART Africa has been one of the greatest achievements of my life. It has not only shaped my professional skills but also gave me knowledge and skills that have helped me shape my life. The AMAKA Amasanyufu program has shown me how to relate with not only my colleagues at work, but my family too. I now listen to and respect everyone's ideas. I have also been able to acquire skills in writing field reports, meeting minutes and online communications including Skype and Zoom. I must say, I am humbled to be part of the ICHAD family!”
 
-Sylivia Nannono, Research Assistant

“Working as a research assistant with ICHAD has been the start of a variety of careers. I was honored to be given a chance to work full time on the Kyaterekera Project. This was eye-opening to how rigorous research is conducted with such vulnerable populations, including women engaged in sex work, a group I had never worked with previously. During field activities, I gained skills in interviewing, report writing and delivering interventions such as conducting financial literacy and HIV risk reduction trainings.”

-Fatumah Nakabuye, Research Assistant

 
Dr. Charita Castro presents “Lessons from Grace:  A Social Work Pioneer’s Legacy to End Child Labor Globally.”
ICHAD & SMART Africa Speaker Series 2020-2021

We were delighted to have Charita L. Castro, PhD, MSW ‘99, kick off our Speaker Series for the 2020-21 season by presenting “Lessons from Grace:  A Social Work Pioneer’s Legacy to End Child Labor Globally” on September 22, 2020! Dr. Castro examined the beginnings of the field of social work and child welfare through the life and work of Grace Abbot, a pioneer of the social work profession who laid the foundation for the passage of U.S. child labor law. Using the U.S. Department of Labor’s Sweat & Toil mobile app and interweaving Grace Abbott’s early commitment to using data to develop good child labor policy, Dr. Castro guided participants to practically connect their research with key policy players in their communities and countries.  Watch the conversation on YouTube

Next month, John Santelli, MD, MPH, Professor of Population and Family Health and Pediatrics at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University will present “Orphanhood, Education, Poverty, HIV Prevention, and Youth:  25 years in Rakai, Uganda” on Tuesday, October 20th from 3:00 to 4:00 PM (CST). Registration for the event is opening soon on the Brown School Open Classroom website.
 
The ICHAD and Washington University in St. Louis communities would like to extend our sympathies to our friends and research partners at Makerere University in Uganda in the wake of the fire in Ivory Hall.  We recognize that you are experiencing sorrow due to the importance of this iconic building. Please know that we are thinking of you and are confident that Makerere University will overcome this challenge, based on the strength of its people and the support of its friends. Please see the letter of support from Kurt Dirks, PhD, Vice Chancellor for International Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis.
 
 

CAPACITY BUILDING

 
ICHAD Training Programs

We are accepting applications for our research training programs! The ICHAD/SMART Africa training programs consist of three NIH-funded training grant: 1) LEAD Global Training Program (Co-Directors: Dr. Fred Ssewamala and Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg); 2)  Researcher Resilience Training (Co-Directors: Dr. Fred Ssewamala, Dean Mary McKay, and Dr. Sean Joe); and 3)  CHILD-Global Research Fellowship (Co-Directors: Dr. Fred Ssewamala, Dean Mary McKay, and Dr. Noeline Nakasujja). The programs support early career researchers in domestic and global mental health, health disparities, and HIV/AIDS in the US and Sub-Saharan Africa to become independent researchers and leaders of multidisciplinary teams in resource-limited settings. For more information, see the summer training program flyer or visit each program’s website for specific eligibility and application requirements. 
 
Summer Training Programs Going Virtual Again in 2021

The Capacity Building team has taken time to reflect on the successes of the summer training programs under difficult circumstances during challenging times, and to begin planning for next year’s incoming cohorts of about 25 trainees. This year, our trainees participated in approximately 30 lectures, panel discussions, presentations, check-in meetings, and career development workshops with research faculty, experts, and mentors across many disciplines within Washington University and partners across the U.S. and around the globe. The tremendous amount of collaboration and flexibility from our trainees, presenters, leadership, and staff resulted in a rich training curriculum that was not what we originally planned, but that met and even surpassed some of our goals and objectives. The pandemic prevented our trainees from traveling to Washington University in St. Louis and to their research field sites—an important aspect of the programs, designed to foster networking and provide hands-on training. However, with the change to a virtual format, new opportunities arose that fostered even greater collaboration across programs throughout the summer. We also learned that meaningful research and mentorship can be accomplished through virtual collaboration.

We are entering the seventh month of the global “new normal” with many programs and institutions still working remotely indefinitely. Because of the ongoing uncertainty created by the pandemic, our training program leadership made the decision to implement next year’s summer training programs virtually once again. Making this decision now enables our team to build on our successes and respond to the lessons learned, to offer another dynamic, collaborative training curriculum and mentorship experience next year. While this is once again a departure from our original plan, we are excited to learn together with our next group of highly qualified research trainees in child and adolescent health, mental health, health disparities, HIV, and economic development.

Applications for the summer training programs LEAD Global Training Program, Researcher Resilience Training and CHILD-Global Research Fellowship will open on October 1, 2020, with a deadline of January 1, 2021. For more information, see the summer training program flyer or visit each program’s website for specific eligibility and application requirements. 

In addition to the summer training program, the LEAD Global Training Program will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis for a 1-2 year postdoctoral fellow.  More information can be found at https://sites.wustl.edu/lead/apply/

If you have questions, please contact Laura Peer at Lpeer@wustl.edu.
 
 

FELLOWS CORNER

 
Massy Mutumba, PhD
Assistant Professor, Health Behavior and Biological Science, University of Michigan School of Nursing

 
Dr. Massy Mutumba is part of the first cohort of the
T37 LEAD Global Training Program (LEAD), which completed its training period in August. While the formal training period has ended, Dr. Mutumba, who is an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan School of Nursing, continues to work with her program mentor, Dr. Fred Ssewamala, as they build on their accomplishments made this summer.

As part of LEAD, Dr. Mutumba has completed two manuscripts, has three manuscripts in development, and has developed an NIH grant application. Her work with Dr. Ssewamala centers on HIV stigma and family economic strengthening to improve HIV treatment outcomes among school-going adolescents living with HIV in Southwestern Uganda.

Participating in LEAD training and working with the program mentors already had a positive impact on Dr. Mutumba’s career goals and has helped refine her research focus. She notes, “my discussions with Dr. Ssewamala shifted my attention to schools, particularly, the challenges of adolescents living with HIV and attending boarding schools in Uganda – a phenomenon that is widespread in Eastern and Southern Africa. Dr. Ssewamala’s large research platform in Southern Uganda, which includes health centers and secondary schools, provided an opportunity to develop school-based interventions. The focus on schools came naturally to me due to my ongoing substance use work – in Uganda and the U.S. – which focuses on school-based populations.”

“My motivation for participating in LEAD was to increase my publication record and secure NIH grant funding, both prerequisites to advancing my career as a tenure-track faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. As envisioned, LEAD has offered concrete career advancement opportunities.”

 
Donte Bernard, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina


Donte Bernard, PhD, T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at Medical University of South Carolina, is a current first-year Researcher Resilience Training (RRT) Program fellow. He is working with his RRT mentor, Dr. Sean Joe, and his team at the Race and Opportunity Lab, on the project Perceived Discrimination, Racial Identity, & Suicidal Behavior among Black Youth.
For Dr. Bernard, the intensive summer training program was “an exceptional learning experience,” noting that his weekly meetings with Dr. Joe, other RRT fellows, and the Race and Opportunity Lab team helped him “to refine how he examines risk and resilience in the context of racial discrimination.”

Dr. Bernard continues his work on the project after the conclusion of the intensive summer training program. “The predominant goal of my current and future translational program of research is to identify how and why racial discrimination leads to poor mental and physical health outcomes among Black youth, and the culturally relevant factors that may mitigate or exacerbate this association. My program of research is unique in that it approaches these questions from a youth focused traumatic stress orientation,” notes Dr. Bernard.

Dr. Bernard has several grants and manuscripts in various stages of submission and publication, and in November, he will present Rumination as a mediator of the association among racial discrimination and mental health among Black adolescents, virtually, at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting. Dr. Bernard notes that the COVID-19 pandemic and working from home has affected how he structures his home and work lives. He shares, “I’ve had to learn that being ‘productive’ looks different when working virtually, and so too does ‘self-care’.”
 
 

SOCIAL CORNER

 
ICHAD Summer Picnic

As summer comes to an end (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), the ICHAD-US team gathered for a social distanced picnic to celebrate the various summer activities of the Center.  This was the first time the full team had gathered since the start of COVID-19 and some of our new staff members had a chance to meet the team face-to-face. It was delightful to be able to see everyone, including some family members, in person.
 
Team members and affiliates from around the globe came together on Zoom to wish ICHAD Director, Dr. Fred Ssewamala a very happy birthday.
 

ICHAD/SMART Africa weekly “Zoomba” sessions have begun! 

Every Monday from 4:30 to 5:00 PM CST, staff join Zoom to follow along as we dance to choreographed songs with Zumba instructors around the world. ICHAD & SMART Africa staff who love world rhythms, exercise, and community are welcome to join the party! Contact Laura Peer at lpeer@wustl.edu for more information.

 
 

PUBLICATIONS

 
Congratulations to ICHAD team members Drs. Proscovia Nabunya, Ozge Sensoy Bahar, Fred Ssewamala, William Byansi, and Christopher Damulira, along with ICHAD affiliates Drs. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, Claude Mellins and Tor Neilands, on their recent publication in the Journal of Adolescent Health, “The Impact of a Family-Based Economic Intervention on the Mental Health of HIV-Infected Adolescents in Uganda: Results From Suubi + Adherence.” The paper examined the extent to which three mental health measures (hopelessness, depression, and poor self-concept) are effectively improved through a family-based economic intervention implemented among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda. More information about this paper can be found here.
 
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 
McDonnell International Scholars Academy at Washington University in St. Louis

Global Town Hall: Hope in a Time of Uncertainty
October 8, 2020, 8:30-10:00 AM (CST) - Virtually via Zoom 

The Global Town Hall features experts across disciplines and countries as they share which societal problem has them most concerned and what gives them hope for the future. Its goal is to exchange candid views about current global challenges as well as offer reasons for hope for the future.  Learn more here.

Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Child Savings Programs in Israel and Uganda
October 15, 2020, 10:00-11:30 AM (CST)  - Virtually via Zoom 

This event features presentations and a discussion about asset building for long-term child development and CSA programs in Israel and Uganda. The event is hosted by McDonnell International Scholars Academy and presented by SPI and the International Center for Child Health and Development at Washington University in St. Louis. See event details.  Register for the event here.
 
Orphanhood, Education, Poverty, HIV Prevention, and Youth:  25 years in Rakai, Uganda
ICHAD & SMART Africa Speaker Series
October 20, 2020, 3:00-4:00 PM (CST) - Virtually via Zoom
 

The ICHAD & SMART Africa Speaker Series will host John Santelli, MD, MPH, Professor of Population and Family Health and Pediatrics at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University as he presents “Orphanhood, Education, Poverty, HIV prevention, and Youth:  25 years in Rakai, Uganda.” Registration for the event is opening soon on the Brown School Open Classroom website.

 
Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence
APHA Annual Meeting and Expo
October 24-28, 2020 - Online


APHA's Annual Meeting and Expo is where public health professionals convene, learn, network and engage with peers. With the Annual Meeting, participants strengthen the profession of public health, share the latest research and information, promote best practices and advocate for public health issues and policies grounded in research. This year's theme is "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence."  Learn more here.
 
 

OPPORTUNITIES

 

ICHAD OPPORTUNITIES

The T37 LEAD Global Training Program is accepting applications for a 1-2 year postdoctoral fellow. The LEAD Global Fellowship program supports trainees from underrepresented groups committed to conducting health disparities research, with a specific focus on global mental health prevention, intervention, services, and implementation research within resource-constrained settings. Eligible candidates should be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or permanent resident, and be from a disadvantaged or underrepresented population in biomedical, behavioral, clinical & social science research as outlined by the NIH. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and can be completed on the T37 LEAD Global Fellowship website at https://sites.wustl.edu/lead/apply/. For more information, contact Laura Peer at lpeer@wustl.edu.
 
The Global Social Welfare Journal brings together research that informs the fields of global social work, social development, and social welfare policy and practice. It serves as an outlet for manuscripts and brief reports of interdisciplinary applied research that advance knowledge about global threats to the well-being of individuals, groups, families, and communities. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by experts in the field. Read more about the Global Social Welfare Journal or submit a manuscript now through the Manuscript Submission Portal.