Past Projects
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The COVID-19 pandemic stretched the capacities of health systems in almost every affected country. The ability to conduct case investigations, analyze case and surveillance data, and appropriately communicate epidemiological information emerged as key skills needed by first responders. These competencies are integral to Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP), whose Frontline and Intermediate programs target district and regional health officers via in-service training. In early 2021, the US CDC funded RTI International and GU to develop and pilot test five exercises and one longer-form case study, leveraging examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, to use in Frontline and Intermediate FETP training. Given the restrictions on in-person training during the pandemic, the team developed both classroom and “virtual” modalities for the materials, which were piloted with FETP RAs and trainees in over ten countries. The team also presented a virtual interactive learning session on how to construct narrative-based exercises for FETP training at the 11th TEPHINET Regional Conference of the Americas. Although the project concluded in 2021, Dr Standley has continued to provide subject matter expertise to CDC and TEPHINET as part of an effort to adapt the exercises and case study to an online e-learning platform.
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In collaboration with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Talus Analytics, a website was developed to provide rapid access to training materials, checklists, and other resources for development and strengthening of public health emergency management capacities, with an emphasis on Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). The website was used to conduct a pilot virtual training with South African first responders, to improve knowledge, understanding and application of incident management and public health emergency management principles. For free access to all the resources, click here.
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With support from Georgetown’s Global Health Initiative, we collaborated with the West African Health Organization and the Burkinabe National Center for Malaria Research and Training to host a multi-country workshop in February 2020 to develop implementation science areas related to One Health approaches for neglected tropical disease control. Held in Ouagadougou, participants included the national NTD coordinators for Guinea, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso as well as NGO implementing partners and representatives from national and regional health research institutes. The workshop identified a number of promising avenues for building the evidence-base for integrating NTD control interventions within One Health frameworks.