From the Field

Working on this research project was one of the most rewarding experiences in my college life. At the start, we were all very timid and just trying to understand the scope of the project and where we fit in. By the end, we were improving the CHP trainings and giving direct advice for the project, as well as trying to find gaps in care that we could help fill with our own research and brainstorming that hopefully could turn into its own intervention.     I will miss Kenya and the amazing people and staff we had the pleasure of working with and hearing all the schoolchildren say 'hi' on our way home. The team was always open to hearing our ideas and rolling with our suggestions for training, while also being very informative about the cultural norms and helping to translate. The open pipeline of mutual learning was increasingly beneficial to both parties and reminded me of how important cross-cultural collaboration is....

Our final weeks in Kisumu were bustling with travel to Siaya County. Our team is focused on leading the most effective CHP and provider trainings possible. Provider training introduces clinicians to their responsibilities as part of the R33 study and instructs them on treating HPV-positive women with thermoablation.   Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of our time on the study has been leaving an imprint on the training materials. We’ve developed several iterations of training slides, assessments, and study guides to enhance the providers’ knowledge and confidence in conducting treatment. After the first training session, the team asked us, “Do you think you could perform thermoablation now?” That’s when we decided to clarify the anatomy and treatment details that left us confused. We approached the materials from the perspective of a busy clinician with several other services to provide and counseling scripts to remember. We created a succinct summary of the most important aspects of cervical anatomy and thermoablation instructions. The next...

As our final week in Kisumu comes to a close, I find myself in awe of everything we’ve accomplished—and just trying to soak in the beauty of this place before we leave. I know I’ll miss watching the sunset over Lake Victoria from our apartment, walking home from the office, and spending time with the amazing SRT team.     Looking back, each week here felt like we hadn’t done much—but in reality, we’ve achieved quite a lot. Our first week was especially busy as we worked closely with Dr. Huchko and the team to finalize training materials for Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to provide HPV screening to eligible women. During weeks two and three, we attended the first round of trainings for both the control and intervention arms and saw how our preparation came to life. These trainings were often long days, but they quickly became a highlight of my SRT experience. Not only did they allow us to see the behind-the-scenes...

As we approach the midpoint of our time here and the midpoint of the training portion of the R33 study, I feel I am really getting a sense of what global health work entails, including all the challenges, hard work, and problem-solving it requires. We started our first week here with Dr. Huchko, which was nice to have a familiar face and to help with all the logistics one week before the start of CHP training. She was very impressive with her delegation skills and outside-the-box thinking that brought together all of the pieces of the project. The team here has also been amazing, working non-stop to finish everything put on their plates and always with a smile. They have been so helpful in and out of the job, showing us around Kisumu and helping translate at the trainings so we understand how the CHPs are performing.   First control training finished   One of my favorite parts so far has been the feeling...

When I first inquired into the Center for Global Reproductive Health’s cervical cancer screening and prevention research, I wasn’t sure where I should focus my efforts. After all, the center manages an impressive array of projects in Kisumu. First, there’s the ongoing R33 trial, an RCT evaluating the impact of the mSaada mobile app on HPV testing and treatment uptake. Then there’s Elimisha, a model of education and screening designed to measure and mitigate HPV and cervical cancer stigma. The Kenya-based team is also responsible for training Community Health Promoters (CHPs) and monitoring the supply needs of 12 dispensaries and hospitals across Siaya County. Each endeavor requires a set of carefully crafted tools for implementation, data collection, and analysis. Thus, even before we landed in Kisumu, our SRT team knew that we were entering a network of projects bursting with experience and hard-won lessons in global health implementation.   Our newly arrived team celebrated our first full day in Kisumu with Dr....

We are entering the fourth week of our stay here in Kisumu, Kenya, and it has been nothing short of incredible. We arrived just one week before the training began, so we knew our first week would be busy. Just to give a bit of background, we are helping with the R33 study, which aims to assess the effects of the use of mSAADA—a mobile health app—on HPV screening and treatment. The study encompasses 12 clinics, 6 control (no app), and 6 intervention (use mSAADA). While we had done as much as we possibly could before arriving, nothing compares to actually being in the work, and during our first week, we dove headfirst into the R33 and mSAADA world.   As Dr. Huchko was also present during our first week, we worked closely with her and the team to finalize the materials for training the Community Health Promoters (CHPs). Sierra got to work closely with Evans modifying mSAADA and creating the training...