Florence Mawere, Evans Obuto and Raphael Onyango are three important members of our research team at Kenya Medical Research Institute. Florence is responsible for keeping our lab operating smoothly and she stays on top of processing HPV screening samples. Her role is vital in making sure that women receive accurate screening results in a timely manner. Evans and Raphael are responsible for managing our data, playing key roles in analyzing the effectiveness of our many interventions and sharing results with the research community. Their dedication to promoting health in their communities is inspiring, and it is a joy to work with this team. Continue reading for a window into the lives of Florence, Evans and Raphael! Florence Mawere – Laboratory Technician Q: What are you most looking forward to with your upcoming research? A: I am looking forward to seeing all women in our study receive successful cervical cancer treatment. Q: Do you have a favorite quote or mantra that inspires you or helps...
Jeniffer Ambaka and Breandan Beller Makhulo are key members of our team in Kenya. These two coordinators play leading roles in keeping our project operations running smoothly: communicating with community partners and health facility staff, staying on top of enrollment records and regulatory documentation and organizing the efforts of our team among many other responsibilities. These team members are passionate, dedicated, and a joy to work alongside. Keep reading to get to know Jeniffer and Breandan a little better! Jeniffer Ambaka – Coordinator and Clinical Officer Question: What inspires you to pursue your area of work? Answer: I have a passion for serving women and children. With the knowledge and skills I have I always ensure women are screened regularly and those with early signs [of disease]. Pre-cancer is managed so that they don't progress to advanced cancer. It is my responsibility to empower women with knowledge and ensure they get the right services they require without any problems. Q: What is the most rewarding...
The research assistants on our team in Kisumu, Kenya serve in a variety of roles, all of which contribute to making the research and intervention work we do possible. This team recently conducted in-depth interviews with women and community health promoters (CHPs) who engaged with our Elimisha project. These interviews explored women’s experiences with receiving cervical cancer screening and care and their experience of stigma, and CHPs’ experiences guiding and counselling women through the process of cervical cancer screening and care. After delving into these topics with women and CHPs, this team has been working hard to transcribe, translate and review the conversations. Their dedication, curiosity, and drive to improve the lives of women and families in their communities are abundantly evident in their work. Keep reading for a window into the lives and personalities of Merceline, Moureen, Belinda and Javan! Merceline Alala Question: What is the most rewarding part of your work? Answer: The most rewarding part of my work is when a...
The Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention (CCSP) Team hosted a series of health fairs in Gem of Siaya County, Kenya earlier this summer. The purpose of these fairs was to create opportunities for women living in Kenya to have access to human papillomavirus (HPV) screening and education, and to allow school-age girls to receive vaccinations against HPV. Cervical cancer poses a significant global health burden due to limited access to effective screening and prevention measures, especially for women living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Invasive cervical cancer affects more than 661,000 women around the world, resulting in more than 348,000 deaths each year.1 Though cervical cancer is very preventable through HPV vaccination and screening and treatment of cervical precursor lesions, cost and infrastructural barriers prevent many women in LMICs from accessing these essential cervical cancer prevention services.2 The health fairs hosted by the CCSP Team directly address the lack of access to cervical cancer prevention and screening measures that many Kenyan...
It may have only been a few weeks since we departed Kisumu, but I already miss the peaceful walks to the office, cooking dinner with friends, and working with the best people I know. The summer started with us a bit confused and working on tasks that seemed a mile away, especially since the office was actively conducting surveys in the field and meeting with community leaders. Additionally, we came to Kenya with our focus solely on mSaada, the digital platform designed to boost cervical cancer screening rates. We were fortunate enough to learn about and contribute to several other initiatives concerning vaccination, HPV stigma, and biopsies. As we quickly learned, cervical cancer is just one piece of the puzzle, surrounded by numerous equally important initiatives that collectively drive forward the mission of improving public health. "As we quickly learned, cervical cancer is just one piece of the puzzle, surrounded by numerous equally important initiatives that collectively drive forward the mission of improving...
A few weeks have passed since our departure from Kisumu, and as I reflect on our experience, I’d like to echo some key insights shared by Kelsey and Sahil in their final reflections. Our work was characterized by its dynamic and multifaceted nature. Kelsey emphasized the importance of laying foundational groundwork—an often-overlooked aspect that, though not always immediately visible, is crucial for a project's future success. While urgent and important tasks may appear different, they are equally vital for overall success. Sahil highlighted the necessity of workflow improvements, noting that in resource-constrained situations, adapting our tasks and optimizing workflow are not just helpful but essential. This became evident as we managed limited resources and numerous ongoing tasks. Streamlining workflow was critical to enhancing team efficiency and achieving our goals. A key project where many of these lessons came to fruition was the U54 initiative, which aimed to screen women for HPV and vaccinate young girls across Siaya County through community health fairs....
As our summer project in Kisumu drew to a close on July 20, the SRT team reflected on a productive and enlightening experience. Initially focused on the mSaada app, we soon discovered a handful of ongoing projects that broadened the scope of our time in Kisumu. mSaada is a digital platform designed to aid community health promoters (CHPs) in cervical cancer prevention efforts. Features of the app include patient education, screening reminders, and screening result notifications just to name a few. Beyond mSaada, we contributed to several other initiatives. The U54 project, centered on HPV vaccination and screening, saw us designing promotional materials for health fairs offering free services. We also participated in the Elimisha project, which explored community perceptions of HPV, HIV, and cervical cancer stigma. Our involvement in survey administration was limited due to language barriers, as we lacked proficiency in Swahili and Luo. A personal and team highlight was developing tools to streamline our colleagues' workflows, allowing them to focus...
The Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) convened its second annual East Africa Partners’ meeting in Eldoret, Kenya on June 26-28. With over 50 attendees from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Duke, the meeting focused on three content areas, cardiovascular disease, climate change and cancer, with a focus on community-based research and community health throughout the sessions. Several members of the Center for Global Reproductive Health (CGRH) were able to attend, Dr. Megan Huchko, Dr. Miriam Nakalembe, Dr. Frankie Odhiambo and Christina Makarushka. The team’s work on community-based cervical cancer prevention and digital health in Kenya and Uganda was highlighted during a panel on East Africa Cancer Research during the second day. They followed this up with a brainstorming session to identify areas of need and ideas for potential future collaboration on research, training and cancer care capacity across the region. During the final day of the multi-country group visited the Cancer Center at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in...
It’s been a year since I first set foot in Kenya, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to come back. Last year, I dedicated my time to building an integrated version of the mSaada app, and over the past eight months, we've been piloting this app within the community. The pilot phase is now complete, and this summer we have been working to refine and improve the app based on user feedback in preparation for the cluster randomized controlled trial we’re launching later this year. While we made some app-specific changes based on user feedback, it became evident that there was a significant need for further educational materials. Indeed, while technology holds great potential, in low-resource settings, the education that accompanies it is essential for successful implementation. Thus, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the SRT students to take the following initiatives this summer in response to the above feedback: Clarifying HPV Results: Many users needed reassurance that a positive...
We were incredibly lucky to be working with the team during some crucial moments of their work. These were moments that had been in the works for months, finally coming to fruition. During our stay, the team was constantly looking to the next visit to the field, always another big day on the horizon. This, of course, meant that their focus had to be set in the short term. With everyone’s attention on these big moments, we found it easy to lose sight of some of the work that, while no less important, was less pressing. It quickly became clear that this was an opportunity for us fill in. Much of our time became focused on preparing for the future. We did some of the groundwork for future phases of studies, building tools that will hopefully be integral to their work, but which will not be used for quite a while. We were able to work on the app that will...
