Brown and Moi Universities Host Training Symposium for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV-Related Cervical Cancer
Brown University, in partnership with Moi University, facilitated a multidisciplinary research training to enhance high priority research capacity in HIV and cervical cancer in Kenya. This symposium leveraged the decades of collaboration between Brown University, Moi University and other AMPATH partners.
The training program supported Kenyan researchers working on the intersection of HIV and cervical cancer to develop a new generation of talented and dedicated Kenyan investigators committed to HIV and cervical cancer research. The training also focused on strengthening the capacity of Kenyan faculty and researchers to conduct research in HIV and cervical cancer screening, prevention and treatment encompassing clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, implementation, laboratory capacity and basic science research.
The key facilitators at the symposium were Professor Susan Cu-Uvin, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine and Health Services Policy and Practice and director of the Brown Global Health Initiative, Professor Omenge Orang’o, gynecologic oncologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Reproductive Health at Moi University School of Medicine and associate professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Aga Khan University and Dr. Patrick Loehrer, distinguished professor and director of the Indiana University Center for Global Oncology.
The two-day mentored research training aligned with existing research platforms in Kenya on HIV and the screening, prevention and treatment of HIV-related cervical cancer. The AMPATH/Moi University partnership has a Cervical Cancer Screening Program (CCSP) that started in 2009 with support from the Fogarty International Center (D43TW011317) and National Cancer Institute (U54 CA254518). The program started at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) with 150 women living with HIV and has since expanded to 13 sites and screened over 180,000 women. The training investment and partnership strives to ensure a lasting impact on HIV and cervical cancer research in western Kenya. The training also provided certificates for eight Moi University faculty who underwent the “Mentor the Mentor” training curriculum.
“We believe strongly that our Kenyan colleagues and researchers are best positioned to conduct the most relevant HIV research, disseminate the results in-country, and influence policy makers, program managers and medical/public health practice through the training empowerment,” said Prof. Cu-Uvin.
