Integrating prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases and HIV care through research training in Kenya-INTEGRATE

ABSTRACT This application seeks to renew our D43 HIV research training grant by building on longstanding Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) collaborations with University of Washington (UW) and our first 10 years of successful training under the grant titled, “Improving the HIV Care Cascade in Kenya through Implementation Science Training”. From September 2013 to the present, the program has focused on increasing research capacity at KNH, the largest teaching and referral hospital in Kenya, and at the Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH) to improve HIV testing, linkage to care, antiretroviral initiation and viral suppression, a continuum known as the HIV care cascade. With evolution of the HIV epidemic in Kenya, we are shifting focus to preventing and treating non- communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, chronic lung disease, mental health problems, and cancer among people living with HIV (PLWH), to enable PLWH to live longer and healthier lives. During the last two grant periods, 18 KNH Care Cascade (KNHCC) trainees have earned MPH or PhD degrees and this provides a solid foundation for KNH and our partners at MOH to continue providing critical support for the training, teaching, and research activities needed to realize this vision. The renewal application will be based at KNH and led by Dr. John Kinuthia, Head of the Department of Research and Programs at KNH, and co-led by Dr. Carey Farquhar, Interim Chair of the Department of Global Health at UW. A majority of the training will take place in Kenya and KNH will be the prime awardee. Titled “Integrating prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases and HIV care through research training in Kenya-INTEGRATE,” the program will offer long-term training through an MPH/PhD program in implementation science and epidemiology which includes PhD training at University of Nairobi (UoN) (3 years) and MPH training in Seattle (1 year). The program will also offer a 1-year mentored post-doctoral fellowship in Kenya to bridge PhD trainees as they develop proposals for independent research and career development awards. We will also offer short-term in-person and online training in Kenya, teaching 1 to 2-week courses on implementation science and other research methods that have been taught successfully at KNH over the last decade. We will leverage the UW Department of Global Health’s e-learning platform (eDGH) to reach large numbers of KNH and MOH professional staff. Short-course trainings will build broader institutional capacity and identify the best candidates for future degree and post- doctoral training. A Steering Committee comprised of leading researchers, educators, and public health professionals from all 4 institutions (KNH, UoN, UW, and MOH) will work closely with the Program Director and Co-director and receive regular input from an external Training Advisory Committee (TAC) to ensure success of each trainee and the overall program. This success will translate into producing high-quality and locally relevant research, training the next generation of Kenyan researchers, and influencing national guidelines and policies to prevent and treat NCDs among PLWH.