Projects
Introduction
Here are the projects undertaken by the Center for Global Health, categorized by specialty, location, and in their entirety.
By Specialties
Global Bone and Marrow Transplant
Patients with severe blood cancers or non-malignant blood diseases can often be saved only with a bone marrow transplant (BMT). However, in low-middle income countries (LMICs) this procedure is rarely accessible either due to the lack of physician training, hospital infrastructures, drug availability or unaffordable cost.
In 2011, the UIC GlobalBMT initiative was launched to partner with hospitals treating patients with hematologic diseases in LMICs where BMT is highly needed and patients cannot afford to travel to other countries to receive treatment.
Contact: Damiano Rondelli
UIC Global BMT Program
Patients with severe blood cancers or non-malignant blood diseases can often be saved only with a bone marrow transplant (BMT). However, in low-middle income countries (LMICs) this procedure is rarely accessible either due to the lack of physician training, hospital infrastructures, drug availability or unaffordable cost.
In 2011, the UIC GlobalBMT initiative was launched to partner with hospitals treating patients with hematologic diseases in LMICs where BMT is highly needed and patients cannot afford to travel to other countries to receive treatment.
Currently, the UIC Center for Global Health has collaborative agreements for developing BMT in Nepal, India, Cuba, Bolivia, Greece, Ukraine and Nigeria. Another project in development is in Uganda.
Our initiative’s main objectives are to facilitate: local capacity building in BMT, implementation of health services in hematology-oncology/BMT, and conducting collaborative research. We value growing through collaborative relationships with our in-country colleagues, allowing each of us to better understand the local needs, strengths, and meanings, and how to best address the medical, socio-cultural, policy, and training challenges in each country.
The approach that we have developed together with our global partners has included the following activities:
- arranging exchange visits to meet health providers and administrators and discuss implementation plans before and during the program development;
- providing education through meetings, lectures, one-to-one discussions and through hosting international providers at UIC for training;
- sharing and helping adapting UIC BMT policies/guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in local countries;
- providing continue remote assistance to LMIC partners;
- establishing research projects engaging local investigators as authors of publications and research proposals.
Thanks to the already established active collaborations with several hospitals in LMICs, we established a GlobalBMT Network which focuses on promoting continuous education and research activities to sustain the growth of BMT; promoting quality standards in BMT for better patient outcome; providing a continuous remote support to clinical BMT programs in LMIC. GlobalBMT meetings have been held in Nepal in 2017 and 2019, in Cuba in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and in Bolivia in 2019.
- National Cancer Institute in Kyiv (Ukraine): Following two visits in 2016 and 2017, UIC signed an agreement with the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv to establish a first adult allogeneic BMT Program in Ukraine. The first physician was trained in 2018 and a second in 2019. Anticipated start of allogeneic BMT in Ukraine in 2020.
- Universidad Mayor San Andres in La Paz (Bolivia): An agreement was established to support the first BMT program in Boliva. One physisician was trained in 2018 and a CME conference was held in 2019 in La Paz. Exchange of material and additional onsite training will be provided to start BMT in 2019-2020.
- Hermanos Ameijeras Hospital in Havana (Cuba): In 2016 the Director of HAH BMT in Havana spent 2 months at UIC for training and upon his return he implemented BMT from incompatible donors in Cuba. UIC-HAH BMT conferences have been held annually since October 2017.
- MS Ramaiah University in Bangalore (India): In collaboration with UIC since 2014, Ramaiah University opened a new BMT unit and implemented SOPs and clinical protocols for autologous and allogeneic BMT in 2015. The program is performing approximately 20 transplants per year.
- University of Ioannina (Greece): An agreement was established in 2018 to support the development of BMT at UOI. One physician has been trained in Chicago in 2019 and exchange of guidelines as well as SOPs will help starting transplant within 2020
- University College Hospital in Ibadan and University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (Nigeria): This BMT project in Ibadan started with training of one physician and meeting with local leadership in 2015. A second physician was trained in 2019. The BMT project in Lagos was started in 2018 and two physicians will complete their training in 2019. BMT in Nigeria is a high priority due to the elevated number of inhabitants (over 200 millions), as well as the highest worldwide incidence of sickle cell anemia (over 5 million patients), whose only hope for a cure is a BMT. Anticipated start of BMT in 2020.
- Civil Service Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal: Through continuous collaboration with UIC since 2011, partly supported the Binaytara Foundation and capital investment of Nepalese Government a BMT Unit and Stem Cell Processing Lab opened in August 2016. The Nepal BMT Program has now completed over 50 transplants.
Global Cancer
The Global Cancer program seeks to improve access to quality primary health care services within existing local health care systems, including improving access to quality cervical cancer prevention services. Through collaboration with local partners, the program works to strengthen local health care workforce and service delivery systems.
Contact: Andrew Dykens
Global Emergency Medicine
The Global Emergency Medicine program works in several regions of the world to improve both emergency care and disaster risk reduction capacity. UIC faculty collaborate with partners at local universities, healthcare facilities, and Ministries of Health to evaluate capacity, develop and deliver training opportunities, and create infrastructure to improve care.
Contact: Stacey Chamberlain
Global Mental Health
The Global Mental Health (GMH) Program is a program of research, training, capacity building and advocacy of the Center for Global Health at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. It is comprised of faculty, staff, and students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, from UIC and partner organizations.
Contacts:
Stevan M. Weine
Mary Bunn
Global Pathology
The Global Pathology program is focused on capacity building activities through collaborating with local partners to create teaching and training opportunities. The program involves faculty from departments across the UIC College of Medicine including pathology, surgery, and dentistry.
Contact: Maarten Bosland
Global Surgery
The Global Surgery Program at UIC collaborates with institutions and programs in several countries to pursue the goal of safe, effective, affordable surgical care accessible to all. Students, residents, fellows, and faculty from multiple surgical departments, including Anesthesia and Obstetrics/Gynecology, assist through training, clinical care, research, and innovation to achieve that goal.
Contact: Thomas Sims
Global Womens Health
The Global Women’s Health Program supports sustainable development of women’s health through clinical, educational, and research efforts and with initiatives in women’s reproductive and gynecologic health. Many of the program’s efforts focus on capacity building in order to improve both access to and quality of women’s healthcare in the regions where they work.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between placental malaria and preeclampsia
- University of Illinois Chicago- University of Ghana Korle Bu Teaching Hospital bidirectional fetal anomaly review
- Global Training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Sickle Cell Disease in Pregnancy
- The effect of maternal iron status during pregnancy on the potential for malaria transmission
By Location
Ghana
Ghana
- Accra and Kumasi: Capacity Building in Pathology
- Kumasi: Capacity Building in Anatomy, Dentistry, Radiation Oncology, and Family Medicine
- Accra: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between placental malaria and preeclampsia
- Accra: University of Illinois Chicago- University of Ghana Korle Bu Teaching Hospital bidirectional fetal anomaly review
- Accra: Sickle Cell Disease in Pregnancy
- Accra: The effect of maternal iron status during pregnancy on the potential for malaria transmission
United States
United States
- Chicago, Illinois: Family and Community Support for Arabic-Speaking Refugees in Chicago
- Leveraging Implementation Science and Design Methods to Sustain Community Based Mental Health Interventions for Refugees
- Reimagining Mental Health Services for Forcibly Displaced Populations
- Global Training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Kitts and Nevis
All Projects
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