March 2023  |  ICHAD & SMART Africa Monthly Monitor

ICHAD is Celebrating!

This month, we welcomed new team members to our St. Louis and Kampala offices and our active studies are in full swing. In addition, we are finalizing the 2023 cohorts of our training programs. We are also looking ahead to the upcoming 10th Anniversary Celebration. On April 11, we will spend the day reflceting on how ICHAD got started, sharing our accomplishments, hearing from collaborators from across the US and Sub-Saharan Africa, and welcoming collaborators, participants, and guests. All are welcome to attend this exciting day of events either in person or remotely. For more information, see below.

In celebration,

The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams

ICHAD to Celebrate 10 Years of Global Impact

On Tuesday, April 11, ICHAD will hold our 10th Anniversary Celebration commemorating a decade of growth and accomplishments as a high-impact global health and social development research center at a top-ranked research institution. ICHAD has grown tremendously during this time, with over 20 competitive NIH-funded research projects predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa and four NIH-funded research training programs.

This celebratory event will bring together scientists, staff, collaborators, partners, students, trainees, and participants from across the Global North and Global South that have contributed at every stage towards our mission to reduce poverty and improve public health outcomes for children, adolescents, and families in low-resource communities. The day will also feature the ICHAD Speaker Series presentation by Dr. April Thames, Associate Professor In-Residence at UCLA. In addition to hearing remarks and presentations from a host of ICHAD partners from WashU and across the United States and Uganda, we will be screening the “Offering Hope” documentary. "Offering Hope" was produced by WashU Marketing and Communications and tells the story of Dr. Fred Ssewamala’s journey behind the impactful work we undertake at ICHAD. The event is open to the Washington University community as well as ICHAD collaborators, partners, and friends. For more information and to register, visit the registration page. We hope to see you there!

ICHAD Launches Suubi+Adherence for Youth

The ICHAD team met with the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB) team to introduce the Suubi+Adherence4Youth study at Kitovu Hospital. Pictured from the left: Joel Emuto, UCMB laboratory advisor; Dr. Anita Kabarambi, ICHAD research director; Okot Cyprian Otto, UCMB human resource officer; Phionah Namatovu, ICHAD senior data manager; Ceasar Nyeko, UCMB team lead; Allan Mugarura, ICHAD study coordinator

The Suubi+Adherence4Youth study (2022-2027) is focused on optimizing the Suubi interventions for Adherence to HIV Treatment for Adolescents Living with HIV in Uganda. The Suubi interventions consist of four components, which include 1) financial literacy training, 2) incentivized matched youth savings accounts with income-generating activities, 3) a manualized intervention for antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence and stigma reduction, and 4) engagement with HIV treatment-experienced role models who share lived experiences.

The Suubi+Adherence4Youth study utilizes the Multi-Phase Optimization Strategy (MOST), an engineering-based intervention framework. The MOST framework allows for holistically and systematically evaluating the various intervention components, enabling researchers to identify the most efficient, affordable, and expandable components for achieving the desired outcomes. In this case, the primary outcome being measured is sustained HIV viral suppression, while adherence to ART medication is the secondary outcome of interest.

In preparation for the study's implementation, the research team introduced the study to 48 health facilities currently collaborating with ICHAD, within the seven districts in the greater Masaka region of Uganda. During the study's introduction to the health facilities, implementing partners acknowledged that achieving viral suppression in some of the participating communities is a challenging task. Specifically, young people have difficulty adhering to medication due to economic hardships. However, the implementing partners appreciate the health facilities’ partnership with ICHAD to implement the Suubi+Adherence4Youth study, which will improve community outreach and double efforts to improve HIV treatment outcomes. This will be achieved through interventions that are tailored to the unique needs of this community.

For more information about Suubi+Adherence4Youth, visit https://ichad.wustl.edu/suubi-adherence-4-youth/.

Dr. Nabunya Appointed as Cluster Co-Chair for SSWR International Social Work and Global Issues

Dr. Proscovia Nabunya was announced as the new cluster co-chair for International Social Work and Global Issues with the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). Cluster chairs play a significant role in the abstract review and development of the abstract-based program content for the SSWR annual conference. In this new role, Dr. Nabunya will lead the multi-stage abstract review process that is intrinsic to a successful, impactful, and scientifically rigorous research conference.

Recent Presentation

Kiyingi, J., Witte, S. S., Nabunya, P., Nsubuga, E., Sensoy Bahar, O., Mayo-Wilson, L. J., Kizito, S., Nattabi, J., Nabayinda, J., & Ssewamala, F. M. (in press). Predictors of mobility among women engaged in commercial sex work in Uganda using generalized estimating equations model. International Journal of STD & AIDS.  
 
Ssewamala, F. M., John A. Sauceda, J.A., Brathwaite, R., Neilands, T., Nabunya, P., Brown, D., Sensoy Bahar, O., Namuwonge, F., Nakasujja, N.,  Mugarura, A., Mwebembezi, A., Nartey, P., Mukasa, B., Gwaz, M. (in press).  Suubi+Adherence4Youth: A study protocol to optimize the Suubi Intervention for Adherence to HIV Treatment for Youth Living with HIV in Uganda. BMC Public Health.  
 
Nattabi, J., Nabunya, P., Kizito, S., Nabayinda, J., Kiyingi, J., Ssewamala, F.M. (in press). The impact of parent-adolescent communication on reduction of sexual risk possibility among adolescents: Findings from the Suubi-Maka Study. Archives of Sexual Behavior.  

Recent Presentation

Kizito, S. "An Economic-Strengthening Intervention Improves ART Adherence in HIV-infected Youths in Uganda." Global Health at Washington University: Here and Next. Washington University in St. Louis, March 30, 2023.

ICHAD Welcomes Irene Taranhike, the New Dissemination and Communication Manager

ICHAD is thrilled to welcome Irene Taranhike, ICHAD’s new Dissemination and Communication Manager. Irene is committed to advancing the work of ICHAD through raising awareness of the Center’s work and sharing the wonderful stories of the lives impacted. She comes to ICHAD with both lived experience and relevant academic training as she is originally from Zimbabwe in Sub-Saharan Africa, and a 2016 graduate of our own MPH Program here at the Brown School. Irene has developed her career in varying healthcare settings all with a focus on advancing health and quality of life for low-resource, highly burdened communities. When not working, Irene enjoys playing sports, being physically active, and immersing in different cultures.

 “I am honored to be a part of the ICHAD family and a returning member of the Brown School community, and I hope to contribute in spotlighting the lives that are being changed through ICHAD’s phenomenal staff, students, and participants,” Irene said.

ICHAD Welcomes a New Study Coordinator, Julian Nalutaaya

ICHAD is thrilled to welcome Ms. Julian Nalutaaya to the ICHAD Family. Ms. Julian joined our Uganda team in March as a Study Coordinator as well as the Field Financial Literacy Promotion Manager. She holds an MBA in Accounting from Uganda Martyrs University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Makerere University, and has over 8 years of experience in communications. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Julian to the ICHAD Family!

ACTIVE ICHAD RESEARCH STUDIES (2023)

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 (2023)

ACHIEVE

CHILD Global Research Fellowship

LEAD Global Training Program

Researcher Resilience Training

UPCOMING EVENTS

CALL FOR PAPERS

Global Social Welfare
 
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

QUICK LINKS

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Training Program NOTABLES

Congratulations to the following trainees and alumni for their recent accomplishments!

Dr. Lindsey Filiatreau (LEAD postdoctoral fellow) presented “HIV Care Continuum Outcomes among South African Youth Before and After Implementation of Universal Test and Treat: Just How Far Remains?” at the conference Global Health at Washington University: Here and Next at Washington University School of Medicine on March 31. 

Dr. Robert Motley’s (RRT 2019) publication, “Prevalence and Correlates of Police Contact Anxiety among Male and Female Black Emerging Adults in St. Louis, Missouri" was recently published in the NASW Social Work Research Journal and highlighted in a video on their Twitter page. 

Dr. Kwame Opare-Asamoah (ACHIEVE 2022) was recently published for his works, “The Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 pandemic in an African City” in the International Journal of Social Quality, and “Carriage of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Associated Factors Among Food Handlers in Tamale, Metropolis, Ghana: Implications for Food Safety” in the journal Microbiology Insights. 

Dr. Thembekile Shato (RRT 2019), was a panelist for Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center’s Prevention and Control week presentation “Career Development: Prioritizing Professional Opportunities” with Dr. Ross Brownson on March 31 at Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Nhial Tutlam (ACHIEVE 2022) wrote a policy brief for The South Sudan Center for Strategic and Policy Studies and Security Studies Network on PTSD in the armed forces as a national security risk.

We want to celebrate you!

We invite all trainees and alumni of ICHAD training programs (ACHIEVE, CHILD-GRF, LEAD, & RRT) to submit their accomplishments. Email Chelsea at c.hand-sheridan@wustl.edu.