PrEP HIV Women Adolescent health
July 23, 2019 | Department News

PrEP Use High but Wanes after Three Months Among Young African Women

In a study of open-label Truvada as daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV among 427 young African women and adolescent girls, 95% initiated the HIV prevention strategy, and most used PrEP for the first three months. However, PrEP use fell among participants in this critical population during a year of follow-up clinic visits, although HIV incidence at 12 months was low. The preliminary results suggest that tailored, evidence-based adherence support strategies may be needed to durably engage young African women in consistent PrEP use. 

BIRCH team
HIV vaginal ring IAS Conference
July 23, 2019 | Health News

Most Women Use Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention in Open-Label Study

In an open-label study of women in southern and eastern Africa, a vaginal ring that is inserted once a month and slowly releases an antiviral drug was estimated to reduce the risk of HIV by 39%, according to statistical modeling. In addition, the study found that participants appeared to use the ring more in the open-label study than in a previous clinical trial. These and other results of the HIV Open Label Extension (HOPE) study were presented today at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico City.

Susan Graham head shot
Susan Graham HIV Kenya LGBTQI NYARWEK Shauriana
July 16, 2019 | Department News

Faculty Profile: Susan Graham - Associate Professor, Global Health and Medicine

In late-May of 2019, Kenya’s high court voted to uphold laws criminalizing homosexual sex. This news was pertinent to Susan Graham, an Associate Professor in the UW Departments of Global Health and Medicine whose research focus is on HIV prevention and care for vulnerable populations. Graham began working in Kenya in 2004, and started research on HIV prevention and care for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) there in 2006. 

Dr. Paul Drain
grant Tuberculosis TB Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation global health
July 15, 2019 | Department News

Global Health Professor Receives $1.4 Million Grant to Study New Technologies in Tuberculosis Testing

A new grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will allow Paul Drain, a professor in the UW Department of Global Health, to conduct clinical evaluation studies of point-of-care tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tests. These rapid tests deliver quick results to patients and clinicians in hospital and community clinics. By accelerating the initiation of TB treatment, patients may have better outcomes and will be less likely to transmit TB to others. TB has become the leading infectious cause of mortality in the world, due partly to poorly performing diagnostic test practices.

Judd Walson
Judd Walson Global WACh grant Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation DeWorm3
July 12, 2019 | Department News

Global Health Professor Receives Grant to Investigate Innovative Detection Methods to Eliminate Intestinal Worm Infections

Judd Walson, a University of Washington professor of Global Health, Medicine, and Pediatrics, recently received $621,029 in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a research grant focused on the development of a molecular diagnostic platform for the detection of soil transmitted helminths (STH), commonly known as parasitic worms. Investigators will use these methods to support a large, multi-country, randomized trial evaluating the feasibility of interrupting STH transmission through expanded mass drug administration.

Jillian Pintye and Ben Anderson
WGHA Awards Jillian Pintye Ben Anderson Fred Hutch global health Research
June 28, 2019 | Department News

Global Health Faculty Members Receive WGHA Awards

Dr. Benjamin Anderson and Dr. Jillian Pintye were both recently recognized by the Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA) with a pair of awards. Winners were selected by a panel of global health experts chaired by Erin McCarthy, senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and WGHA board member. Anderson, a professor of Global Health, earned the Pioneers Award for Impact. Pintye, an Assistant Professor Global Health, received the Pioneers Rising Leader honor. 

BIRCH team
Washington Post Kristie Ebi climate change 2020 Presidential Election global health News
June 28, 2019 | Health News

A Climate-focused Presidential Debate? Here’s What Moderators Should Ask

Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, has said climate change is the “driving motivation” for his presidential campaign; some of his opponents agree, particularly after an April CNN/SSRS poll found that 82 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters described the issue as “very important.” One of these candidates will face off in the general election against a president who ran on the assurance that “I believe in clean air. Immaculate air.

BIRCH team
BMJ global health Research Integrity Independence
June 28, 2019 | Health News

BMJ Editorial: Protect the Independence of Global Health Research

Seven University of Washington faculty members recently joined more than 200 researchers from 40 different countries in a call to action to protect the independence and integrity of global health research.  The editorial, published in the most recent issue of BMJ Global Health, highlights the pervasiveness of donor and NGO influence on program evaluation findings and dissemination.

BIRCH team
HIV Wasserheit
June 25, 2019 | Health News

They Thought This HIV Strategy Couldn't Work. But It Did

In high-income countries like the U.S., the standard of care for people infected by HIV is to provide antiretroviral pills when the virus is found, even when there are no symptoms of AIDS. The strategy staves off the disease and has a second – big – benefit. It's been shown to prevent the spread of HIV in sexual encounters. It's called "treatment as prevention" (TasP in medical jargon), or "test and treat."

But in low-income countries, "test and treat" is not the typical approach to prevention. There's been no research to support it.

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