medical

Sub-Saharan Africa training programs for AIDS care & prevention

HIV/AIDS

IDI improves quality of care in Africa by developing the skills of healthcare workers through advanced training in HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. To date, IDI has trained over 1,200 African healthcare professionals from 26 African countries. IDI offers an intensive, three-week HIV/AIDS course for physicians which includes lectures, bedside and clinical teaching, clinical case discussions, journal clubs, and group project work. One- and two-week multi-disciplinary courses target nurses, midwives, clinical officers, counselors and laboratory technicians. Additionally, modular courses on more specific topics offer healthcare workers from different backgrounds and workplaces the opportunity to develop skills based on the needs of their home institutions.

All IDI HIV/AIDS training programs are closely coordinated with the on-site IDI Adult Clinic. Physician trainees spend approximately 50% of their time visiting patients in the IDI clinic under the supervision of IDI clinical leadership. The combination of practical and didactic training allows for continued mentorship throughout the course.

Through a special partnership with the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the AAF administers a competitive process for selecting two experts in the field of HIV/AIDS care to be in residence in Kampala to teach these courses. For more information on becoming a trainer or for an application please refer to the IDSA website.

In 2006, the IDI training program expanded to include a malaria training program and a laboratory program. The Joint Uganda Malaria Training Program, funded by ExxonMobil and executed in partnership with experts from the University of California San Francisco and other institutes, offers a one-week course modeled after the multi-disciplinary HIV/AIDS course and will train 700 African healthcare professionals by 2010. The Laboratory Training Program, currently funded by Becton Dickinson and Company, provides leadership and management training to laboratory directors throughout Africa, and advanced training for laboratory technicians.

Ongoing Support Services

IDI ensures that the enhanced skills achieved during its training courses are maintained and nurtured after the trainee has graduated. Graduates of the IDI training program have access to the AIDS Treatment Information Center (ATIC). ATIC is a referral network housed at the IDI that utilizes the internet and cellular phones to provide health professionals with access to the latest medical information and advice to assist them with their treatment of patients. ATIC meets the need for rapid, accurate responses to a wide variety of questions about the care and management of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and provides a continuous source of well-researched and succinct information free of charge to healthcare providers. In the first two years of operation, ATIC has provided information on ART in response to queries from thirteen countries via a toll-free phone service, contact visits, and the internet.

In addition, Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities are offered on a regular basis. Two-day courses were initiated in 2006, in partnership with the Makerere University Faculty of Medicine. These CME activities afford healthcare professionals with unique networking and learning opportunities and allow them to share experience gained at IDI and to seek guidance on the management of particular cases.

The Joint Uganda Malaria Training Program also includes a novel Mobile Support and On-Going Education Team that provides assistance to course graduates after they return to their community facilities, and helps the graduate conduct less formal secondary training programs for his/her peers and colleagues. This concept will also be employed in the Laboratory Training Program and is being considered for the HIV/AIDS Training Program as well.

To apply for courses at the IDI please refer to the IDI Training Call for Applications 2007 located at the IDI website.