Greetings from the ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams!
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We are gearing up to celebrate the tenth anniversary of ICHAD this spring. As we reflect on all the ways our center has grown in the past decade, we have been fortunate to work with the WashU Communications team to share our story. Through this partnership, the documentary film, Offering Hope, was produced and recently released. It was a pleasure to work with the Communications team, and to travel across Uganda with videographer and Senior Multimedia Producer Tom Malkowicz. We look forward to screening the film at the upcoming 10th Anniversary Celebration events on March 30 and April 11. Click here for more information. We hope you will be able to join us!
In partnership,
The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams
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ICHAD Opens New Office in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement
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ICHAD team members Isaac Kwesiga, Nhial Tutlam and Marius Kyeyune at the new ICHAD office in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement
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Uganda is one of the top three refugee receiving countries in the world, currently hosting over 1.5 million refugees from neighboring countries mired in protracted brutal conflicts. Approximately 23% of the total refugee population are youth ages 15 to 24 years old. Previous studies have found very high levels of trauma-associated mental disorders among refugees in Uganda. Many of the refugees are also settled in regions with some of the highest HIV rates in the country and testing rates are low in the refugee communities due to barriers such as lack of privacy from overcrowding, transportation difficulties, language difficulties, stigma, and HIV testing is often not the top priority as refugees are preoccupied by activities necessary for basic survival. All these factors substantially increase the risk of contracting or spreading HIV among the refugees, particularly the youth.
To address these major public health problems, ICHAD has four ongoing pilot projects. The projects started in August 2022 with an administrative supplement funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and a pilot grant funded by the ACHIEVE Fogarty Global Health Program focused on understanding issues around HIV risk and mental health among refugee youth living with HIV. ICHAD received the Global Health Seed Funding from the McDonnell Academy and the Global Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis to test the feasibility and acceptability of a combination intervention to address HIV and mental health in this population. Additionally, ICHAD received funding from the Brown School COVID-19 and Health Disparities Research Pilot Fund to examine the mental health impact of COVID-19 among refugee youth residing in three refugee settlements (Bidibidi, Imvepi, and Rhino Camp) and those residing in urban centers like Arua town.
Since the beginning of this work, ICHAD has established strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), which is responsible for the welfare of refugees in Uganda, International Rescue Committee (IRC), which provides medical services to the refugee population, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which provides protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees in Uganda and support efforts towards a comprehensive refugee response. ICHAD now has two fulltime research staff in the refuge settlements with two additional research assistants to be added to manage the growing study portfolio in refugee communities.
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Nhial Tutlam addresses the field staff at a GCP training in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement
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Importantly, in partnership with the OPM, ICHAD now has a research office in the heart of Bidibidi refugee settlement, the largest refugee settlement in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). With the leadership of Dr. Nhial Tutlam, research assistant professor and ACHIEVE fellow, ICHAD has now recruited six research assistants from the refugee community based in the refugee settlements to assist with community mobilization and data collection. The research assistants have received training on good clinical practice (GCP) from the ICHAD Uganda team and recently completed a sensitivity training from partners and consultants directly working with the refugee population. Data collection is expected to begin in March with implementation of the intervention to follow shortly. “There is a clear and significant need for interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of youth in refugee settlements in Uganda. We are encouraged by the support we‘ve received to begin these important projects, and by the early and enthusiastic governmental and community partnerships we’ve forged in our efforts,” said Dr. Tutlam.
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ICHAD Celebrates 10th Anniversary - Join Us!
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New Funding
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The competitive Global Health Seed Funding is a joint initiative of the Global Health Center at the Institute for Public Health and Department of Medicine, WashU’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and the Africa Initiative. Collaborating ICHAD principal investigators were among this award cycle's recipients:
- Dr. Proscovia Nabunya, assistant professor at the Brown School and ICHAD co-director, and Dr. Nhial Tutlam, research assistant professor at the Brown School and ACHIEVE fellow with ICHAD, received $22,500 for their project, Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Combination Intervention to Address HIV Risk and Treatment Adherence and Mental Health Outcomes among Refugee Youth Living with HIV in Uganda.
Recipients of the Brown School COVID-19 and Health Disparities Research Pilot Fund awards were announced this month. The fund was made available to support Brown School faculty in their existing and future efforts to eliminate health disparities, especially among the most vulnerable populations, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following ICHAD principal investigators and faculty affiliates received awards:
- Dr. Ozge Sensoy Bahar, research assistant professor at the Brown School and ICHAD co-director, was awarded $60,000 for her project, The impact of COVID-19 on household financial stability and family well-being in Northern Ghana.
- Dr. Prossie Nabunya received $100,000 for her project, Addressing the impact of COVID-19 and associated measures on PrEP use among economically vulnerable women in Uganda
- Dr. Nhial Tutlam was awarded $100,000 for his project, A Pilot Project to Assess the Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Vulnerable Refugee Youth Living in Refugee Settlements Compared to Refugee Youth Residing in Urban Centers in Uganda.
- Dr. Mitra Naseh, assistant professor at the Brown School and ICHAD faculty affiliate, was awarded $100,000 for her project, The protecting role of ethnic networks during COVID-19: A pilot study among Afghan refugees in St. Louis.
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Recent Publications
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Nabunya, P., Kizito, S., & Ssewamala, F. M. (2023). The effect of family support on self‐reported adherence to ART among adolescents perinatally infected with HIV in Uganda: A mediation analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12157
Koomson, I., Ansong, D., Okumu, M., & Achulo, S. Effect of Financial Literacy on Poverty Reduction AcrossKoomson, I., Ansong, D., Okumu, M. et al. Effect of Financial Literacy on Poverty Reduction Across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Glob Soc Welf 10, 93–103 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-022-00259-2
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Presentation
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Dr. Samuel Kizito, PhD student and ICHAD research associate, presented a poster at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, Washington, titled, Economic Strengthening Intervention to Improve ART Adherence in HIV-Infected Youth.
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ICHAD Uganda Welcomes New IT Manager
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ICHAD is happy to welcome Mr. Richard Bwogi, the new IT Manager in our Masaka field office in Uganda. Prior to joining ICHAD, Richard worked at Star Times Uganda as a Network Operation Center Engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Makerere University and a diploma in Telecommunications Engineering from Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology.
Richard is passionate about meeting new people and learning new aspects of life, travelling, playing sports - especially football and volleyball, and going to the gym. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends.Welcome Richard!
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Welcome Baby Emryn!
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We are pleased to share the joyous news that Joshua Kiyingi, PhD student and ICHAD research associate, and his wife Irene welcomed beautiful baby girl Emryn in February. Congratulations to Irene, Joshua, and big sister Luella!
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ACTIVE ICHAD RESEARCH STUDIES (2022)
Anzansi Family Program
Bridges to the Future - R2
Kyaterekera Project
M-Suubi
Obuvumu
Preventing Substance Use among Adolescents
Say No to Stigma - Round 2
Suubi+Adherence4Youth
Suubi+Adherence-R2
Suubi-Mhealth
Suubi4Her
Suubi4Stigma
Suubi4StrongerFamilies
SMART Africa Studies
ACTIVE TRAINING PROGRAMS (2022)
ACHIEVE
CHILD Global Research Fellowship
LEAD Global Training Program
Researcher Resilience Training
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UPCOMING EVENTS
March 30 + 31 | 9th Annual Global Health Conference
Brown School and School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis. The Symposium will feature a sceening of the new ICHAD documentary, Offering Hope, and a panel highlighting ICHAD's research training program collaborations across campuses, in addition to a full program of global health topics. More details and registration found here.
April 11 | 12:30 pm CST
"The Importance of Cognitive Screening and Psychosocial Assessment in Medically Compromised Populations," presented by April Thames, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Chief Psychologist of the Psychology Adult Division, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles. In person at Washington University + Zoom. Register here for Zoom link.
April 11 | ICHAD 10th Anniversary Celebration
Brown Lounge, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA + Zoom.
More information and updates found here.
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SAVE THE DATE
June 19-30, 2023 | Forum on Child and Adolescent Global Health Research and Capacity Building
Kampala and Masaka, Uganda
Details forthcoming.
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CALL FOR PAPERS
Global Social Welfare
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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QUICK LINKS
Our Team
ICHAD News
SMART Africa News
SMART Africa/ICHAD Conference Videos
2021 ICHAD Annual Report
2021 Capacity Building Report
Capacity Building Connection
Publications
Donate
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Training Program NOTABLES
Congratulations to the following trainees and alumni for their recent accomplishments!
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LEAD postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Lindsey Filiatreau's work was selected as Editor’s Choice in the February issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology for her publication, Optimizing SARS-CoV-2 Pooled Testing Strategies Through Differentiated Pooling for Distinct Groups.
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Dr. Julia López, (LEAD 2022) was a panelist for “Questions of Health and Well-being in the St. Louis Latin American Community” session during the Forum on Medicine, Race, and Ethnicity in St. Louis: Past to Future, held on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
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Dr. Ronald Olum (ACHIEVE 2022) had his work published as a case study in connection with UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme in their recent publication, Ready to Learn and Thrive: School Health and Nutrition Around the World; highlights.
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Research Assistant Professor Dr. Nhial Tutlam (ACHIEVE 2022) presented “A Pilot Study to Address HIV Risk, Treatment Adherence and Mental Health Outcomes Among Refugee Youth Living with HIV in Uganda” on Monday, February 27 as part of the Global Heatlh Work in Progress Series with Washington University in St. Louis’ global health community.
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We want to celebrate you!
We invite all trainees and alumni of ICHAD training programs (ACHIEVE, CHILD-GRF, LEAD, & RRT) to submit their accomplishments. Please email Chelsea at c.hand-sheridan@wustl.edu.
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