IN THIS ISSUE:
- Snapshot – Knowledge Hub activities to date, in numbers
- KH Calendar – Find out about training workshops and other upcoming events
- KH In Review – Learn about recent activities
- KH Forum – Hear what workshop participants have to say about us
- KH Notebook – Read in-depth articles about our activities
- HIV/AIDS Resources – Links to useful information, evidence-based research, etc.
These statistics reflect the Regional Knowledge Hub’s activities from its inception in 2004 to August 2005
- Knowledge Hub courses held: 30
- Healthcare professionals trained: 708
- Ukraine: 464
- Russia: 200
- Kazakhstan: 29
- Moldova: 9
- Tajikistan: 6
Ukrainian physicians who have earned nationally recognized advanced professional certification in adult/adolescent or pediatric AIDS treatment through the Knowledge Hub: 49
The following events are scheduled to take place at the Knowledge Hub or affiliated centers in the near future
TRAININGS:
Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy for Adults and Adolescents – Focus on incarcerated patients
September 12-16, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
Some 24 physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists from six Ukrainian penitentiary system institutions housing male inmates will come to Kiev to learn about WHO and national guidelines on HIV/AIDS treatment, the main components of HIV/AIDS-related care, various types of ARV drugs and rationales for prescribing ARV regimens, factors affecting adherence, post-exposure prophylaxis, and the team approach to HIV/AIDS care and treatment under conditions in the penitentiary system. The workshop will be conducted by American and Ukrainian specialists who have experience in providing care to HIV-positive inmates.
HIV-related Laboratory Services and Diagnostics
September 12-16, 2005 – Odessa, Ukraine
Lab specialists from six oblasts of Ukraine will come to Odessa to explore issues of laboratory monitoring of HIV and assessment of ART effectiveness. Based on materials developed by WHO, CDC, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), this course will be conducted by trainers from APHL, as well as Russian and Ukrainian HIV/AIDS experts.
Pediatric Antiretroviral Therapy
September 26-30, 2005 – Odessa, Ukraine
October 24-28, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
Sponsored by the Knowledge Hub in cooperation with UNICEF, these workshops will provide an opportunity for Ukrainian doctors, nurses, and social workers to improve their clinical skills related to ART for children living with HIV/AIDS. A strong emphasis will be placed on general principles of pediatric ART, child assessments and counseling before drug administration, criteria for starting ART according to WHO protocols, drug regimens and dosages, follow-up services for children receiving ART, and post-exposure prophylaxis, among many other critical topics.
WORKSHOPS and MEETINGS:
Scaling up Access to HIV Treatment and Care – Addressing Challenges
September 6-7, 2005 – Tbilisi, Georgia
September 20-21, 2005 – Almaty, Kazakhstan
In two separate meetings, country teams comprised of key stakeholders from the Caucasus countries and from the Central Asian Republics will work with the Knowledge Hub and WHO/Euro to create action plans for scaling up access to HIV treatment and care within the context of Global Fund grant implementation in their countries. The meeting is sponsored by WHO/Euro.
Human Capacity-building Strategy to Support ART Scale Up in Ukraine
September 26, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
Representatives of the Regional Knowledge Hub, WHO, and the Ukrainian National AIDS Center will meet with key stakeholders invited by the Ministry of Health to discuss the national plan for scaling up the provision of antiretroviral therapy in Ukraine. They will review Knowledge Hub activities of the past year (June 2004-July 2005) and reflect on lessons learned to date. They will identify and define human capacity-building needs for the coming year, building a consensus on priorities that will guide the Knowledge Hub’s approach in Ukraine for the future.
KH In Review
These events were hosted by the Knowledge Hub or affiliated centers during June - August 2005
Advanced Antiretroviral Therapy for Adults and Management of Opportunistic Infections
May 30 - June 3, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
The workshop was the last in a series of three educational courses offered to multidisciplinary teams working in Ukrainian AIDS Centers in Belaya Tserkov’, Melitopol’, Kharkiv, Kiev, and Zaporozhye. The training was designed to hone the skills of specialists from these centers in ART fundamentals and to enable them to effectively administer ARV drugs and manage comprehensive care and treatment for their patients. Instructors included leading US and European HIV/AIDS specialists, including Benjamin Young, clinical instructor of medicine at the University of Colorado’s Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; Carlos Cordero, an adherence consultant based in Berlin, Germany; Svetlana Antoniak, head of the HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Department of the L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases in Kiev; Aleksandr Telnov, an infectionist with Médecins sans Frontières in Odessa, Ukraine; and Bohdan Zaika, a social worker at the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWHA in Kiev.
For the agenda and additional information about the training, please go to:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/descr/153/
Advanced Antiretroviral Therapy for Adults and Management of Opportunistic Infections
June 6-10, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
The Knowledge Hub hosted 19 medical and social service professionals from six Ukrainian AIDS Centers in Ivano-Frankovsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Poltava, Sevastopol’, Vinnitsa, and from the National Ukrainian AIDS Center in Kiev. The workshop focused on advanced issues related to the care and treatment of PLWHA and served as a follow-up to the series of ART workshops attended by these specialists in February and April of 2005. The training faculty was comprised of leading HIV specialists from Germany, Ukraine, and the United States, including Carol Harris, associate professor of medicine and director of the Institute of Global HIV Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City; Ann Williams, a nurse practitioner and director of the Yale AIDS Care Program in New Haven, Connecticut; Carlos Cordero, an adherence consultant based in Berlin, Germany; Svetlana Antoniak, head of the HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Department of the L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases in Kiev; and Bohdan Zaika, a social worker at the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWHA in Kiev.
For the agenda and additional information about the training, please go to:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/descr/153/
Initiation of Pediatric ART
June 6-10, 2005 – Odessa, Ukraine
Eight medical care teams comprised of an infectious disease specialist, nurse, and social worker from AIDS Centers in Cherkassy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev, Khmelnytsky, Kryvy Rig, Mariupol’, and Odessa gathered in Odessa to learn about current practices related to ART for children. The training was sponsored by the Knowledge Hub in cooperation with UNICEF and was conducted by international and national faculty of leading HIV/AIDS specialists, including Natalya Kotova, an assistant professor at Odessa State Medical University and certified UNICEF PMTCT instructor; Alla Volokha, assistant professor at the Kiev Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education; Oksana Bevzyuk, a social worker with Médecins sans Frontières, Odessa, Ukraine; and Joseph De Santis, an HIV/AIDS educator and OSHA Blood-borne Pathogens Control Coordinator from Miami, Florida.
For the agenda and more information about the workshop, please visit:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/202/
Advanced Pediatric ART
June 13-17, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
Multidisciplinary teams from six Ukrainian AIDS centers in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev, Mykolayiv, Odessa, and Simferopil’ Republic who had previously completed the training course on initiation of pediatric ART held in October 2004 in Kiev attended this follow-up workshop designed to advance their skills in care and treatment for children living with HIV/AIDS. The training faculty was made up of US and European specialists with extensive clinical and training experience, including Alla Volokha, assistant professor at the Kiev Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education; Svetlana Komar, head of the infectious disease department at Kiev City Children’s Hospital No. 1; Elena Medved’, practical psychology and social work specialist at Republican Clinical Isolation Hospital, St. Petersburg, Russia; and Joseph De Santis, an HIV/AIDS educator and OSHA Blood-borne Pathogens Control Coordinator from Miami, Florida.
For the agenda and more information about the workshop, please visit:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/203/
HIV/AIDS in Nursing
June 21-25, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
This training was the final one in a series of trainings on ART for multidisciplinary teams conducted by the Knowledge Hub in 2004-2005. It was organized in response to numerous requests from nurses to cover specific nursing aspects of HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Faculty included nurses from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, including Linda Brandt, executive director and founder of Rural AIDS Action Network in Bemidji, Minnesota; Mary Jo O’Hara, a nurse consultant on HIV/AIDS issues affiliated with Washington University in Seattle, Washington; Larisa Golovoschuk, deputy chief physician in charge of nursing at the Kiev Family Medicine Scientific and Practical Center; Natalia Galapats, chief nurse at Zhovkva Central Rayon Hospital; and Irina Bakhtina, director of the Center of Post-Graduate Nursing Education in St. Petersburg, Russia.
For the agenda and more information about the workshop, please visit:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/205/
Initiation of ART in Adults and Adolescents
June 27-July 1, 2005 – Kiev, Ukraine
Seven multidisciplinary teams from AIDS Centers in Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, as well as two medical care teams from the Ukrainian penitentiary system, attended this workshop to gain the knowledge and skills they need to effectively manage the treatment of HIV/AIDS using ARVs. The workshop was conducted by international trainers, including Frank Rhame, research director at Clinic 42 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Mary Jo O’Hara, a nurse consultant on HIV/AIDS issues affiliated with Washington University in Seattle; Joerg Braun, a freelance social worker from Berlin, Germany; Svetlana Antoniak, head of the HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Department of the L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Aleksandr Telnov, a physician with Médecins sans Frontières, Odessa, Ukraine.
For the agenda and more information about the workshop, please visit:
www.aidsknowledgehub.org/eng/mastering/trainings/214/
UNICEF/RUSSIA study tour on PMTCT Program Implementation
August 22-26, 2005 – Odessa, Ukraine
UNICEF/Russia officials and 17 key MCH and AIDS decision makers, administrators and service providers from pilot health and social service facilities of selected regions in Russia participated in a study tour organized by the Knowledge Hub and facilitated by SUAEC and AIHA’s Odessa PMTCT staff. The main objectives of the study tour were to improve participant understanding of:
- the comprehensive approach to MTCT prevention, HIV treatment, and social support to HIV-infected pregnant women, mothers and their children at Odessa-based and AIHA-WHO-UNICEF-MSF supported PMTCT demonstration site (clinic);
- how various MCH and AIDS services can work together in a coordinated manner to provide comprehensive services; and
- effective capacity building strategies to support the rapid implementation of effective PMTCT programs.
Workshop participants and other interested parties share their thoughts on the impact of KH trainings
Yuri Stoyanov
“Workshops like this should be held regularly because, unfortunately, the medical profession in our country lacks adequate information, especially about HIV/AIDS. Considering that 35 percent of the patients we see are HIV-positive, what was of greatest interest to me as a doctor was the discussion of treatment issues, including the different aspects of selecting the best ARV drugs because these things are urgently needed in my practice. Adherence to medication regimens was also an important topic for me. The experience of the foreign experts made it possible for me to design algorithms that will help ensure adherence within our system.”
—Yuri Stoyanov, Chief Physician at Correctional Colony No. 10, Kherson, Ukraine
Initiation of ART in Adults and Adolescents, June 27-July 1, 2005
Svetlana Popovich
“I was very glad that I took part in this workshop. The teaching team was highly competent and they were always open to discussion, which was the most important thing. They were not only our teachers, but also colleagues, always prepared to debate and discuss various problems and answer any questions. Around 2,000 people have been registered as HIV-positive in Moldova to date. We began prescribing ART in 2003 and encountered problems that could not be solved just on the basis of theory and what’s in the literature. At this training, though, we participated in practical exercises, detailed study of each clinical case, and tactics for providing care to atypical patients in addition to theoretical lectures, so the workshop was useful in giving answers to many questions.”
—Svetlana Popovich, physician in the Infectious Diseases Department for the Medical Care of HIV-Infected Persons at Moldova’s Republican Dermal Venerology Hospital
Initiation of ART in Adults and Adolescents, June 27-July 1, 2005
Rasul Rasulov
“We came to this workshop to acquire experience. We have around 400 HIV-positive people so far, and only few of them need ART at the moment. But it was important for us to find out which drugs are used to treat HIV patients who have, for example, tuberculosis or other opportunistic infections, as well as to learn about the proper way to change drug regimens when there are contraindications. Despite the fact that we have very few cases so far, here we were able to acquire the skills we need. We found out what problems can arise and how to solve them. This means that it was good training for us, which will help us provide effective care to our patients in the future.”
—Rasul Rasulov, chief specialist of the Healthcare Administration in Khalton Region, Kurgan Tyube, Tajikistan
Initiation of ART in Adults and Adolescents, June 27-July 1, 2005
Alexander Krasnikov
“The treatment and care of people living with HIV is a hot topic in our region at the present time. There are around 16,000 such people residing in that area, but the number is rising by the day. The biggest problem for this category of patients is HIV and tuberculosis co-infection. Many issues come up in the course of treating these patients and this training session looked at tactics for treating this combination of infections. After attending the workshop, I clearly understood what to do.”
—Alexander Krasnikov, infectious diseases physician at the Orenburg Oblast AIDS Center, Russia
Initiation of ART in Adults and Adolescents, June 27-July 1, 2005
HIV/AIDS Workshop Brings New Vision on Nursing Care, Increases Value of the Profession
Nurses at the workshop
Nurses are closer to patients than anybody else and, in fact, the care and attention these professionals provide to people in need can be every bit as important as the medications they receive, which is why in some Slavic languages the name of this profession contains a very engaging word, one that is dear to everyone—sister. For patients living with HIV/AIDS, nurses are sometimes the only people to whom they can pour out their pain and distress, discussing their personal lives while at the same time receiving competent support and assistance.
The critical role nurses play in caring for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) was the underlying theme of a workshop held in Kiev, June 21-15, 2005, under the aegis of the Regional Knowledge Hub for the Care and Treatment of HIV/AIDS in Eurasia. In attendance were some 22 nurses from the regions of Ukraine that currently have the highest incidence of HIV. Most of the participants work at oblast and city AIDS Centers, where both inpatient and outpatient departments have been established to provide care for PLWHA. Also taking part in the workshop were two teachers from the P.I. Gavros Kiev Medical College, a school where the administration is looking to add a course on HIV/AIDS-related nursing care to its training program.
To read a full-length story, please click:
http://www.aiha.com/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9226&pid=4177#PN
Battling the Lion: Vanquishing Fear and Choosing Life After Being Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS
We stood by the front entrance of a Kiev hotel and talked about life and death. A ventilation unit roared somewhere nearby, blasting hot air right in our faces. Then suddenly it shut down and the icy February air quickly crept in through the crystal cold windowpanes stinging us with frigid drafts. We both started to shiver. Paying no attention, he continued to speak and I to listen. I would have been ashamed to suggest that we find another place to talk. It would have sounded pathetic because at that moment he was telling me about how to be strong.
Carlos Cordero
"If you meet a lion face-to-face, you can run away and feel your terror grow by the second as you anticipate that he will overtake you and tear you to pieces with his teeth. Giving in to that fear, however, means death. But if you stand and fearlessly look him in the eye, the lion will not touch you. You may not ever free yourself from him and become entirely safe but, by killing the fear in yourself, you can hold death at bay," he said simply and with confidence. He was talking about how he lives with HIV/AIDS.
Carlos Cordero is a handsome Puerto Rican who came to the United States at the age of 17 and realized the American Dream by becoming a model for the international fashion powerhouses of Armani and Ralph Lauren, as well as the face of Pepsi. He is also one of the few lucky people to spin the wheel of fortune and become a real-life lottery winner. But Cordero gave up that glittering world of tinseled beauty and became a healer of hearts for outcasts who have no hope of salvation. He still travels the world and puts himself on display as he did during the years he spent on the runway posing for the cameras, but now the ethereal fantasy of beauty has faded. What is important to him now is dispelling the myth of death that surrounds AIDS. What is important is demonstrating the miracles created by antiretroviral therapy. What is important is inspiring people by speaking openly about his life and his experiences. And what is very, very important is not to be afraid of His Majesty AIDS, who is rivaled in power only by his constant companion-omnipresent and boundless fear.
Click the link for a full-length story:
http://www.aiha.com/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9208&pid=4177#features
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Useful links to HIV/AIDS-related information and evidence-based research
The EurasiaHealth AIDS Knowledge Network (EAKN) is a special initiative to identify key resources related to the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS and adapt and translate them for use by health professionals in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The EAKN Library consists of a core set of textbooks and guidelines that have been developed by the world's leading experts on HIV/AIDS. As these materials are updated in English, EAKN will be updating the Russian-language versions maintained on this Web site. In addition to the core set of key documents, the EAKN Library includes a variety of HIV/AIDS information resources, including patient education materials, articles, and abstracts.
Among the most recently added or updated documents are:
- Fifteen of 34 chapters from the newly edited HIV Medicine 2005, by B. S. Kamps. This comprehensive book is recommended for practicing healthcare workers from various specialties and for instructors at medical institutions of higher learning and advanced training faculties, as well as for all those providing health care to people living with HIV/AIDS. The rest of the book is to be translated by the end of 2005. http://www.eurasiahealth.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9270&pid=7101&lng=ru
- Five chapters from the Textbook of Pediatric HIV Care, by S. Zeichner and J. Read. This comprehensive textbook provides the definitive account of effective care for pediatric HIV patients. The rest of the book is to be translated by the end of 2006.
http://www.eurasiahealth.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9281&pid=7101&lng=ru - Palliative Care for People with HIV/AIDS: A Curriculum and Teaching Resource for Medical Educators. This curriculum, developed by the Northwest AIDS Education & Training Center from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, includes materials which medical educators need to deliver effective training sessions on providing palliative care to HIV/AIDS patients.
http://www.eurasiahealth.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9120&pid=7101&lng=ru - Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Generic Training Package, a comprehensive, evidence-based course for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission. The package was written for implementation in resource-constrained settings, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey and JHPIEGO at Johns Hopkins University.
http://www.eurasiahealth.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9189&pid=7101&lng=ru - The Pocket Guide to Adult HIV/AIDS Treatment: January 2005, by J. B. Bartlett. This is a quick reference to antiretroviral drugs, antiretroviral therapy, opportunistic infections, and related issues.
http://www.eurasiahealth.org/index.jsp?sid=1&id=9093&pid=3542&lng=en
The EAKN Library is continuing to translate HIV Medicine 2005 and the Textbook of Pediatric HIV Care, as well as various other publications and recent abstracts from medical conferences. Another major translation that is planned to begin soon is Medical Management of HIV Infection 2005-2006, the English version of which is slated for release in September 2005.
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