Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Public Health Informatics
CENT Bldg 2500 Rm 1002
Atlanta,
GA
USA
30329
Email:
tew7@cdc.gov
Biographical Sketch:
07/2007 - 01/2008: Country Manager, Division of Global AIDS Program
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Can contact supervisors: Dr. R.J. Simonds, CDC/GAP Deputy Director; 404-639-8564
Duties and accomplishments: 40-60 hours per week
• Provide overall oversight to Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia Global AIDS Programs
• Conduct bi-weekly calls with the country teams
• Address key programmatic or administrative issues that arise in implementing programs in countries I oversee
• Supervise Chiefs of Party in these countries
• Engage in Headquarter initiatives and programs
12/00 – 07/2007: Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethiopia, Division of Global AIDS Program, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Official posting in Addis Ababa: April, 2001
Can contact supervisors: Dr. Deborah Birx, CDC/GAP Director; 404-639-3004; Dr. R.J. Simonds, CDC/GAP Deputy Director; Dr Eugene McCray 12/00-11/04; 404-639-7420
Duties and accomplishments: 60-70 hours per week
• Served as PEPFAR representative to the African Union
• Facilitated the creation of a US health attaché position to the US Mission to the African Union
• Served as member of the first assessment team to Ethiopia on AIDS for the U.S. Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative in Ethiopia.
• Developed the Ethiopia plan for the LIFE Initiative in Ethiopia based on the assessment findings and taking into consideration country realities and supports by other USG agencies and donors.
• Developed the CDC Ethiopia plan and as part of the interagency team the overall plan for the President Bush's International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative and The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) (5 years strategy and 4 annual plans amounting to 43, 73, 122, and 210 million USD budgets respectively).
• Established the CDC office in Ethiopia from scratch and oversaw the development of the office and programs over 5 years period including obtaining a collocation waiver for the CDC/HHS office suite, leasing commercial office space, and housing for 3 FTE/NSDD38 staff, hiring all direct hire and locally engaged staff, procuring vehicles, etc. Have expanded the office to now 2 through renovation of three-floors building within a host government compound – CDC’s equivalent in Ethiopia – as basis for long-term involvement of CDC.
• Established a strong and successful relationship with host country government and institutions including the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office, US Embassy, USG agencies (USAID), other donors and contributing agencies such as international and local NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to effect a coordinated effort against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Ethiopia.
• Developed the CDC program along the lines of its comparative advantage as a science-based technical agency focused on strengthening the health sector response both in the civilian and military population to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Ethiopia.
• Led the CDC-Ethiopia in exponential growth period from budget of 500,000 to now 81 million USD; from a staff of 2 to now 72; to establishing and expanding programs in 16 technical areas and in all 11 regions; and to establishing 26 cooperative agreements and financial relations with over 100 organizations.
• As CDC’s counterpart in Ethiopia, strengthened the health sector response to a point where the sector has become in the last national strategy the centerpiece of the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia with supports that included capacity building (technical assistance, training), development and publication of over 85 guiding documents (guideline and training materials for surveillance, VCT, STI, Laboratory, PMTCT, ARV treatment, TB/HIV, and blood safety), development of demonstration centers including national VCT model centers, and large scale delivery of health facility-based services.
• Contributed to the country moving from prevention to care and to anti-retroviral treatment spearheading the treatment program in particular; from IEC to behavioral change; and from public and leadership silence to now openness and dialogue.
• Through these efforts, CDC supported counseling and testing for 620,000 people at 129 facilities (52,000 per month currently); PMTCT to 57,400 pregnant women at 105 facilities (6,700 per month currently); ART to 78,700 at 128 facilities (4,000 per month new patients currently) patients; ABC prevention 9,440,000 (466,000 per month currently); 1,292,000 laboratory tests at 114 labs (74,000 per month currently); trained 45,400 (5,100 per month currently) health care and other workers in HIV/AIDS/TB/STI; and supported the development of over 100 materials including guidelines, training materials, brochures, videos, etc. for surveillance, VCT, CT, STI, Laboratory, PMTCT, ART, TB/HIV, community planning, and blood safety.
• Scaled-up CDC’s support to a national program; designed and implemented regionalization plan for improved CDC’s support to the regions including for rapid scale-up of the national ART program with the involvement of US universities.
As Director of the Ethiopia’s GAP activities, I either personally developed and implemented, or oversaw the development and implementation of the following activities over the 5 years period.
• Designed strategy and supported the delivery of hospital-based HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services (STI, CT, PMTCT, TB/HIV, OI, ART) supported by strong information systems and laboratory at currently 103 hospitals; In FY05 alone, supported counseling and testing for 132,000 people, PMTCT to 13,000 pregnant women in 49 hospitals, ART to 32,464 patients in 73 hospitals, counseling and referral to 530,000 people via National Talkline, and training to 4,800 health care and other workers.
• Supported the development of guideline and training materials for surveillance, VCT, STI, Laboratory, PMTCT, ARV treatment, TB/HIV, and blood safety and development of model HIV/AIDS interventions that can be replicated/scaled-up.
• Initiated targeted prevention activities including amongst the military, police, university students, and MARPS including implementation of Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) strategy, peer leadership structure for implementation of BCC strategy, national and a regional AIDS resource centers, website, and Wegen AIDS Talkline.
• Supporting the development of the National Blood Transfusion Service including the 5 years national blood transfusion service strategy, trainings, design of 16 new blood banks, and procurement of supplies.
• Improved the prevention, control and treatment of STIs, through developing in-country capacity to conduct STI surveillance, providing STI treatment and care services, identifying vulnerable populations and promoting risk-reduction behaviors, enhancing STI laboratory capacity and conducting operational research including validation of the STI syndromic approach and gonococci sensitivity pattern multi-center study.
• Implemented Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in 103 hospitals across the country including assistance to the development of a National Implementation Framework for PMTCT, a minimum PMTCT delivery package for different tiers of the health care system and PMTCT training materials and conducting training of providers.
• Established and expanded VCT services across the country including the development of National Voluntary Counseling and Testing Guidelines and Training Manual, trainings on couples counseling and burn out, national whole blood rapid test algorithm, establishment of 2 national model and 107 additional VCT centers (mobile included); development of national VCT brochures, posters and video; an information management system; public testing of public figures (mayor, ambassadors, ministers, first lady); and training of counselors and laboratorians.
• Initiated anti-retroviral treatment (ART) services as part of a comprehensive and integrated prevention, care, and treatment programs in 103 hospitals across the country including providing ART for close to 45,000 people to date and support to the development of the national Antiretroviral Treatment Guideline and Implementation Manual, Training materials and conducting training.
• Supported the establishment of a TB/HIV initiative implemented at hospitals providing TB screening and linkage to TB clinics for clients attending VCT centers, outpatient departments in hospitals and PMTCT facilities, training on prevention and treatment of TB and OIs to local core-trainers and service providers.
• Provided in-service training to over 15,000 health care professionals technically in 16 technical areas including ART, VCT, IP, TB/HIV, Lab, BCC, PMTCT, and M and E; working to introduce HIV/AIDS core competencies into the pre-service training curricula of Medical Faculties and Nursing/Midwifery Schools in Ethiopia.
• Supported the development of a National Monitoring and Evaluation System including the development of national M and E framework, indicators, implementation plan, “train-the- trainer” manual, implementing the first in Africa diploma and MSc course in M and E, and conducting training;; national M and E framework, indicators, implementation plan and “train-the- trainer” manual.
• Supported the “three ones” with the development and signing of the MOU between PEPFAR and GF which is serving as a model for other countries.
• Improved access to accurate and reliable information through strengthening of the national surveillance system providing region-specific data for planning and programming for the first time, conducting national assessment and surveillance workshops, developing national plans, revising guidelines, developing training manual, conducting training, conduct of the 2003 and 2005 ANC Surveillance with expansion of ANC sentinel surveillance sites from 34 to 67 in 2003 and to 88 in 2005, performing data entry, analyses and estimation and projection, validating CDC-Atlanta-developed incidence assay, and disseminating results through various reports (“AIDS in Ethiopia – 5th & 6th Reports”).
• Established a national (Ethiopia AIDS Resource Center) and a regional AIDS resource centers now houses the largest collection of print, audio and electronic HIV/AIDS-related materials in Ethiopia and website (http://www.etharc.org) and a national telephone hotline (Wegen AIDS Talkline) that serves about 6000 calls a day.
• Support the development of the National, Regional, and Facilities Laboratory Systems including renovation of a state-of-the-art national HIV/STI/OI laboratory, development of a national rapid test algorithm; formation of an Ethiopian Public Health Laboratory Association (EPHLA); ARV resistance study; quality assurance program, infant diagnosis, training, creation of private laboratory consortium, information management system; establishment of over 60 hospital laboratories with ART monitoring capabilities; launching US-Ethiopia-Russia collaboration on HIV/AIDS – lab strengthening.
• Improved public-private partnership with humanitarian flight project with Boeing and ET Airlines, PLCU, and private hospitals.
• Improved evidence-based public health practice, service delivery, and targeted evaluation with EPHA, establishment of research agenda; US universities, and Advanced Clinical Monitoring.
• Initiated Twinning/Voluntary Healthcare Corps strategy including the Diaspora Initiative.
• Provided technical, training, and equipment assistance to MOH, EHNRI, AAHAPCO, OSSA VCT, Zewditu VCT, Nat’l HAPCO, regional health bureaus, and others to strengthen their informatics infrastructure and capacity as a basis for increasing communication, surveillance and monitoring and evaluation capacity, including collection, management, analysis, and use of data and developed information systems for surveillance, VCT and other activities.
• Supported the development of community planning guide and training materials that has now been adapted as one of the pillars in the national strategy for social mobilization.
• Improved supportive environments – encouraged bold leadership, advocated for policy, and increased community awareness and engagement – through national and regional symposia with participation of senior government officials and local leaders, talk shows, music CD, documentary on the stigma and discrimination faced primarily by women living with HIV/AIDS and lives of children orphaned due to AIDS, and public speaking and testing of presidents (regional), prime minister, first lady, ministers, media, billboards.
Aug ‘99 - Apr’01: Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC – Medical Epidemiologist, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta
Can contact supervisor: Dr. Pascale Wortley; 404-639-3311.
Duties and accomplishments: 50-60 hours per week
• Provided epidemiologic/surveillance support to the States of Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Nebraska;
• Performed technical review of HIV/AIDS cooperative agreement applications and conducted site visits of activities
• Coordinated HIV/AIDS-related Electronic Laboratory Reporting including serving as the HIV/AIDS representative to the CDC-wide the Health Information and Surveillance Systems Board (HISSB) Electronic Laboratory Reporting Working Group
• Designed and conducted a survey among states engaged/plan to engage in electronic laboratory reporting.
• Coordinated in collaboration with PHPPO Viral Load Laboratory Reporting Standard Setting including convening panels of experts and presenting ad obtaining consensus at the Annual Association of Public Health Laboratories Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Human Retrovirus and Hepatitis C Testing;
• Wrote a Guideline on Viral Load Laboratory Reporting Standards
• Served as the Surveillance expert on Injecting Drug Users (IDUs); Processed, analyzed and wrote surveillance data on IDUs including two abstracts for the International AIDS conference at Durban; Participated in the revision of the HIV Testing Study Questionnaires and particularly the IDUs parts
• Analyzed surveillance data on HIV/AIDS among Ethiopians living in the United States
Jul ‘98 - Jul ’99: Louisiana Office of Public Health — Preventive Medicine Resident
Can contact supervisor: Dr. Rebecca A. Meriwether, (504) 988-4700; e-mail: rmeriwe@tulane.edu.
Duties and accomplishments: 50-60 hours per week
• Evaluated the chronic diseases epidemiology capacity at Louisiana Office of Public Health and recommended that a chronic diseases epidemiology unit (CDEU) be created. Led the strategic planning process (mission, goals, activities, and organizational structure) and served as the acting director of CDEU.
• Coordinated the effort to establish surveillance for chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and national chronic disease indicators.
• Established Diabetes Surveillance System for the State of Louisiana and provided epidemiologic support to the diabetes control program. Analyzed data from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Death Certificates, and others; gave talks at Epidemiology Grand Rounds and Conferences; Wrote a monograph, LA morbidity report, and for the 1999 LA Report Card on diabetes disease burden in the state of Louisiana.
• Wrote a grant proposal to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists for a chronic disease epidemiology capacity including a 4-year plan which was successfully funded.
• Assisted in writing the Louisiana Child Death Review Panel’s 1998 Annual Report involving unexpected childhood deaths. Attend Panel’s regular meetings to review recent child deaths.
• Wrote a grant proposal to establish a Statewide Diabetes Quality of Care Indicator Monitoring System including hemoglobin A1c levels and frequency of retinal exams among persons with diabetes.
• Led the process to develop a chronic disease section web site.
• Evaluated the Louisiana Breast and Cervical Control Program.
Nov ‘98 - Jan ’99: Division of International Health, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC -- Senior CDC Consultant
Can contact supervisor: Dr. Scott J.N. McNabb, Division of International Health, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; now at Division of TB Elimination; 404-639-4362.
Duties and accomplishments: 60-70 hours per week
• Assessed the Tanzanian Infectious Diseases Surveillance Systems (IDSS) for the Africa Integrated Disease Surveillance Initiative
• Led the development of assessment instruments (indicators, questions including observation sections), field-testing of instruments
Jul ‘96 - Jun’98: Division of International Health, Epidemiology Program Office, CDC -- Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer
Can contact supervisor: Dr. Scott J.N. McNabb, 404-639-8116; e-mail: sym3@cdc.gov
Duties and accomplishments: 60-70 hours per week
• Served as Principal Investigator of the Childhood Mortality Study designing the study (developed a protocol and 100 pages of questionnaires) to determine predictors of Childhood Mortality in Zhambyl Province, Kazakhstan that included two case-control, one descriptive and maternal KAP studies examining risk factors associated with perinatal deaths and childhood deaths at home and hospital
• Worked very closely with the Zhambyl Province Health Department and Chief Pediatrician and Kazakhstan Ministry of Health securing their participation along every step of the study to make sure that data are translated into action
• Implemented the study including developing questionnaires into two languages, pretesting, and training 34 workers (data entry operators, interviewers, abstractors, supervisors and coordinator), supervised these personnel for the duration of the study, and enrolled a total of 1016 cases and controls in the study
• Issued a report on the findings of the study which formed one of the basis for changing Kazakhstan’s law on definition of live-birth
• Designed a death certificate validation study to examine issues related to diagnostic and coding practices
• Thought partners basic epidemiology and analyzed data jointly whcih was presented in a conference dedicated to presentation of findings and development of policies based on findings
• Established a maternal Non-governmental organization dedicated to reducing childhood mortality, district committees on child health to continue to improve child health in Zhambyl province and Expert Panels to systematically continue to investigate childhood deaths
• Wrote a grant proposal to produce a monograph on child health
• Contributed to the development of Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASIC)’s Mortality Survey/Surveillance instrument
• Assisted in the investigation of Salmonella infantis and anatum in the State of Kansas and Missouri
• Participated (designing protocol) in cost-effectiveness study of Tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Kazakhstan
• Evaluated the Infectious Disease Surveillance, Emergency Pensioners’ and Pediatric Surveillance Systems in Armenia
• Evaluated the Childhood Acute Respiratory Illness and Diarrheal Diseases Control Programs in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
• Evaluated the current status of epidemiologic activities on the Chernobyl accident, Kiev, Ukraine
• Analyzed the Armenian Pensioners database looking at subjective predictors of objective nutritional status
• Developed a protocol for water and sanitation program monitoring system to be implemented in Ethiopia