Monday, November 8, 2021
12–1 p.m.
RSVP on Zoom required.

The presenters will describe the goals and structure of the NIH Fogarty D43 capacity building grant for HIV patient centered outcomes with Muhimbilli University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Two current trainees will discuss their research in PROMS in people with HIV and cardiovascular disease risk factors and PREMS for HIV viral load testing in Tanzania. The session will close with a discussion of the challenges and opportunities for adapting and adopting PROMS and PREMS in Tanzania and the region to drive improvement in care and outcomes and contribute to ending the HIV epidemic.

Claudia Hawkins, MD
D43 Program Director
Medicine-Infectious Diseases
Northwestern University

Lisa Hirschhorn, MD
D43 Program Director
Medical Social Sciences
Northwestern University

Theresia Ambrose, MD
D43 PhD Candidate
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

Peter Karoli, MD
D43 MSc Candidate
Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research

Dr. Claudia Hawkins is an associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Communicable and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Northwestern’s Institute for Global Health. Her research is primarily focused on the study of HIV and viral hepatitis co-infection, comorbidities and treatment outcomes in low and middle income countries; point of care diagnostics for viral hepatitis B and C, and novel agents in development for hepatitis B cure. She is a PI, Co-I and mentor on a number of Fogarty HIV Research Training Grants in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Lisa Hirschhorn is a professor of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is associate director of the Center for Global Cardiovascular Disease. Her work focuses on application of implementation science methods to effectively measure and improve implementation and quality and effectiveness of care. Her current and recent projects include exploring barriers to pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV for women in Chicago, primary health care improvement in low and middle income setting, strengthening quality measurement focusing on people-centered care, and evaluation of quality improvement collaboratives in Africa.

Dr. Theresia Ambrose is a physician and epidemiologist at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS). Her D43 research project that aims to assess cardiovascular health among persons living with HIV and availability of cardiovascular disease related care at the HIV clinics in Tanzania. Her study aims to assess quality of life and experience with care including challenges with treatment adherence among subset of persons living with HIV and with hypertension and/or diabetes. With the providers at the HIV clinic, as well as other stakeholders in the health system, this study aims to identify barriers and opportunities for integration of cardiovascular disease related services into HIV clinics in Tanzania.

Dr. Peter Karoli is a physician and clinical trialist at the Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research. His D43 research project aims to explore both care providers’ and patients’ reported experience measures (PREMS) in order to determine the facilitators and barriers of HIV viral load testing in a cohort of people living with HIV. Depending on the findings from this study, Dr. Karoli and his team plan will develop and pilot an intervention to improve the rates and quality of HIV viral load testing.