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March 2021 | ICHAD & SMART Africa Monthly Monitor
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Greetings from the ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams!
As we spring forward both in terms of daylight savings for our U.S. team and preparations for our summer training programs, our field teams in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to be busy with field activities. This month, our Research Study Spotlight highlights the progress of the Suubi4Stigma study as the team continues to recruit participants, collect data and prepare for intervention delivery.
We hope you will join us for the 5th Annual Conference on Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa scheduled on April 21-22. See below or visit the conference website to learn more about the great lineup of speakers and topics.
The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams
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5th Annual Conference on Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, April 21-22, 2021
Featured Keynote Speakers
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Dévora Kestel
WHO
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Vikram Patel
Harvard Medical School
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Cornelius Williams
UNICEF
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The 5th annual virtual conference will focus on “South to South Collaboration to Strengthen Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned from SMART Africa Center.” In addition to SMART Africa teams in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and the United States, the conference will bring together academicians, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world.
The conference will feature multiple speakers, including Dévora Kestel, Director at the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse; Dr. Vikram Patel, Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Cornelius Williams, Associate Director and Global Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF.
The conference will also include speakers engaged in fostering bi-directional exchange among child/adolescent behavioral health researchers from the Global North and the Global South to inform sustainable and scalable programs and policies in low-resource settings.
Register online!
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Research Study Spotlight
Suubi4Stigma - Addressing HIV-Associate Stigma Among Adolescents
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Suubi4Stigma examines the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary impact of two evidence-based interventions - Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (G-CBT) that aims at cognitive restructuring and strengthening coping skills at the individual level, and Multiple Family Group (MFG) that aims to strengthen family relationships - intended to address HIV/AIDS-associated stigma among adolescents living with HIV and their families in Uganda. The study was awarded in July 2020 and the team has since been working on study preparations, which include obtaining IRB approvals, staff training, developing data collection tools and protocols, developing intervention manuals (i.e. the MFG Facilitators' Manual and Family Handbook, and the G-CBT Counselors' Guide and Adolescents' Handbook).
Currently, participant recruitment is ongoing. A total of 70 child-caregiver dyads (out of the expected 90 dyads) from 9 health clinics have been recruited, and have completed baseline assessments. Earlier this month, the team met with a group of mental health experts in the region who reviewed the G-CBT manual to ensure cultural, developmental and cognitive adaptation of the content for children between 10-14 years of age. The team also completed the training of 6 counselors who will be delivering the G-CBT intervention. Training of MFG facilitators will take place early next month. In the next quarter, the team will continue with participant recruitment and data collection, as well as the delivery of G-CBT and MFG interventions.
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We are thrilled to welcome Lindsey Filiatreau, LEAD Global Training Program Postdoctoral Fellow! Lindsey is completing her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an interest in global mental health and HIV prevention and care. Before joining her doctoral program, Lindsey completed her MPH at the University of Ghana, Legon, and worked in direct HIV service provision as a Health Educator and HIV Testing Services Coordinator in Indianapolis and Chicago. In her postdoctoral training with LEAD Co-Director Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg and Dean Mary McKay as her mentors, Lindsey is eager to explore the causal effects of co-occurring psychosocial stressors on HIV treatment outcomes and formalize her training in implementation science methods. These interests are largely informed by Lindsey’s time spent living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa and her experience growing up in rural Kentucky. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, backpacking, climbing, and combing through stacks of dusty records at any given thrift store. Lindsey officially joins ICHAD and the LEAD Program on May 17. Please join us in welcoming Lindsey!
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Newly Published Work
“Child Mental Health in HIV-impacted Low-resource Settings in Developing Countries- Global Research Fellowship (CHILD-GRF): A research training program protocol.”
In Press, Frontiers in Public Health
Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD; Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD; Noeline Nakasujja, PhD; Betsy Abente; Proscovia Nabunya, PhD; Laura Peer; Lily Zmachinski; Suzie Fragale; Mary M McKay, PhD
“Engaging community and governmental partners in improving health and mental health outcomes for children and adolescents impacted by HIV/AIDS in Uganda.”
Pediatric Medicine
Wilberforce Tumwesige; Phionah Namatova; Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD; William Byansi; Mary M. McKay PhD; Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD
“Relationship between mental health and HIV transmission knowledge and prevention attitudes among adolescents living with HIV: Lessons from Suubi+Adherence cluster randomized study in Southern Uganda.”
In Press, AIDS and Behavior
William Byansi; Rachel Brathwaite, PhD; Madison Calvert; Proscovia Nabunya, PhD; Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD; Christopher Damulira; Flavia Namuwonge; Mary M. McKay, PhD; Claude A. Mellins, PhD; Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD
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Research Studies
ANZANSI Family Program
Diabetes-Associated Risk Factors
SMART Africa Studies
Kyaterekera Project
Say No to Stigma
Suubi+Adherence-R2
Suubi4Cancer
Suubi4Her
Suubi4STEM
Suubi4Stigma
Training Programs
CHILD Global Research Fellowship
LEAD Global Training Program
Researcher Resilience Training
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Upcoming Events
Apr 13, 2021 | 12:30 CST
ICHAD/SMART Africa Speaker Series
Penina Acayo Laker
Interdisciplinarity and Human-Centered Design:
Fostering Participatory Design Research Approaches
to Address Public Health Related Issues
More Info
Apr 21-22, 2021
5th Annual Conference on Child Behavioral Health
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Recent Events
ICHAD/SMART Africa Speaker Series
Dr. Elvin Geng
March 23
Adaptive Strategies for Retention in HIV Care in Africa: A Research Agenda for Personalization of Public Health
Watch Video
ICHAD/SMART Africa Speaker Series
Dr. Susan Witte
February 16
Reviewing the Effectiveness of Combination Microfinance & HIV Prevention Interventions for Women Engaged in Sex Work
Watch Video
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Other Events, Funding & Training Opportunities
Month Capacity Building Connection
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Call for Papers
Global Social Welfare
IJERPH Special Issue
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Quick Links
Our Team
ICHAD News
SMART Africa News
2020 Annual Report
Publications
Donate
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Notables
RRT Fellows Thembe Shato, PhD; William Byansi; Moses Okumu, PhD; Rachel Brathwaite, PhD; LEAD Trainee Massy Mutumba, PhD; and SMART Africa Global Fellow Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD co-authored “Family economic empowerment, social support and sexual risk behaviors among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda: The Suubi+Adherence Study,” accepted in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Massy Mutumba, PhD, LEAD Trainee, co-moderated the panel, “Data Science for Better Health in Africa,” for the University of Michigan Africa Week virtual conference.
March is National Social Workers Month!
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Above and below: School children attend a design workshop to generate ideas for artwork and signs that will be used to increase mental health awareness and reduce mental health related stigma in school settings as part of the “Say No to Stigma” study.
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A Word from an
ICHAD Study Participant
“Family conflicts had been common in my family due to my parents neglecting their responsibility and not treating us with respect. But after receiving the Multiple Family Group sessions, we have been able to set rules. My father can now provide us with basic needs and we now sit around the table and discuss with them [parents] before making any decisions.”
-Suubi4Her participant
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