June 2021 | ICHAD & SMART Africa Monthly Monitor

Greetings from the ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams!

We want to acknowledge the heartbreaking situation on the ground in Uganda and other Sub-Saharan African countries affected by this third wave of COVID-19 crushing the region at the moment. Our team, collaborators, participants and fellows have all been affected by the pandemic. Uganda has reverted to lockdowns, travel restrictions, and curfews, and sadly, despite these efforts, we have lost several friends and colleagues.

We do think our work directly contributes to assisting families through these difficult times by providing participants with critical resources and skills. As such, we received special permission from the Ugandan government to continue on with our important work, despite pandemic related restrictions. We would also like to thank the Brown School for their generous donation of 2,000 face masks to ensure additional safety for our staff and participants.

To our colleagues in Sub-Saharan Africa, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you.

The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams

Research Study Spotlight

Suubi+Adherence - R2

An ICHAD Research Assistant interviews a Suubi+Adherence-R2 study participant during wave 6 data collection

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 impact of the intervention on key HIV treatment adherence outcomes for youth living with HIV, including cognitive functioning and 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.

Gearing up to resume wave 6 interviews with the original study participants (7 years post baseline), team members completed qualitative and cognitive functioning interview training along with Good Clinical Practice sessions and Good Clinical Laboratory Practice to equip study staff with knowledge on how to protect the rights, integrity and confidentiality of human subjects, as well as handling participants biodata.

Following these training sessions, team members traveled to 39 health centers in southwest Uganda to trace study participants from the first round of the Suubi+Adherence study. A total of 627 participants were successfully contacted, and this number is greater than the anticipated number stated in the study protocol (i.e. 562 participants corresponding to 80% of the original sample). Following participant tracing, the team embarked on re-consenting, completing quantitative interviews, bioassay sample collection (including blood and urine collection conducted by our collaborators, Mildmay Uganda), and completing cognitive testing. To date, the team has re-consented 347 (of the 627 participants contacted). All 347 participants completed quantitative interviews and their biomarker samples were collected. Of these, 344 were eligible for and completed cognitive functioning testing to measure memory and executive functioning. The team will continue re-consenting participants and collecting data over the next few months.

You can learn more about this study here.

Summer Training Programs Kick Off 2021 Season!

Summer trainees introduce themselves to program leadership during an introductory Zoom meeting

On June 1st, we welcomed three new cohorts of thirty research trainees and fellows, launching the 2021 summer training season. Trainees from the LEAD Global Training Program (LEAD), Researcher Resilience Training Program (RRT), and CHILD Global Research Fellowship Program (CHILD-GRF) gather virtually from 12 states in the U.S. and from Uganda. They meet several times per week to learn from expert researchers, NIH program officials, guest lecturers, and discussion panels on a range of topics to advance their careers as independent researchers in national and global child and adolescent mental health, health disparities, economic development, and HIV/AIDS. Each trainee also works closely with a faculty mentor to develop a research project, manuscript, conference presentation or other goal they’ve identified in their Individual Development Plans. The first week included a series of presentations from our program directors, Dr. Patty Cavazos (LEAD), Dr. Sean Joe (RRT), Dr. Noeline Nakasujja (CHILD-GRF), Dean Mary McKay (RRT and CHILD-GRF), and Dr. Fred Ssewamala (LEAD, RRT, CHILD-GRF). Each week covers a certain theme including Planning Your Research Career, Data Management, and Dissemination and Implementation. Trainees also meet weekly to network and share their work, providing an opportunity to support one another and create lasting professional connections. The training season culminates in the first week of August with a week of presentations, pilot project peer review sessions, and a chance to reflect back and look ahead to the next chapter in their research careers.

Newly Published Work

"A multifaceted intervention with savings incentives to reduce multidimensional child poverty: Evidence from the Bridges Study (2012-2018) in rural Uganda"

Social Indicators Research

Wang, J. S-H.; Malaeb, B.; Ssewamala, F.M.; Neilands, T.B.; & Brooks-Gunn, J.

"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"

AIDS and Behavior

Byansi, W.; Brathwaite, R.; Calvert, M.; Nabunya, P.; Sensoy Bahar, O.; Damulira, C.; Namuwonge, F.; McKay, M.M.; Mellins, C.A.; & Ssewamala, F. M.

“The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a family-based economic empowerment intervention (Suubi+Adherence) on suppression of HIV viral loads among adolescents living with HIV: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in southern Uganda"

Journal of the International AIDS Society

Tozan, Y.; Capasso, A.; Sun, S.; Neilands, T.B.; Damulira, C.; Namuwonge, F.; Nakigozi, G.; Mwebembezi, A.; Mukasa, B.; Sensoy Bahar, O.; Nabunya, P.; Mellins, C.A.; McKay, M.M.; & Ssewamala, F. M.

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SMART Africa Center

sites.wustl.edu/smartafrica | smartafricacenter@gmail.com

International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD)

ichad.wustl.edu | ichad@wustl.edu

Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis

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