Current and Recent Projects
Using HIV Surveillance Data for Prevention and Care Planning
- Project Director for GEARS, Inc. (Global Evaluation & Applied Research Solutions) HIV Cluster Response Technical Assistance (TA) contract with CDC
- Led a team of Technical Advisors and Implementation Science experts
- Created needs assessment tool to obtain input from health departments
- Developed national technical assistance plan and toolkit for providing capacity building assistance to health departments
- Strengthened national response to HIV clusters
- Project Director for GEARS, Inc. contract with CDC to provide Technical Assistance (TA) for Data to Care programming
- Led two teams of TA Providers
- Provided TA to 13 US health departments to strengthen their Data to Care programs
- TA Provider for the NASTAD Capacity Building Assistance Program
- Examples include:
- Respond to TA requests from health departments
- Serve as a trainer during national and regional trainings
- Develop curricula on surveillance related topics
- Examples include:
- Subject Matter Expert on Data to Care and HIV Surveillance Data Use for NASTAD HRSA contract Evidence-Informed Approaches to Improving Health Outcomes for People Living with HIV
- Review literature
- Summarize interventions
- Contribute to manuals to replicate successful interventions
- Subject Matter Expert on HIV surveillance for Abt Associates contract Measuring Unmet Need for HIV-Related Primary Medical Care
- Assist in development of training and field test materials
- Serve as Epidemiology Consultant for The Stigma Index, a project of the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in North America (GNP+NA)
- Summarize and describe the HIV epidemic in the 21 areas being considered for conducting the Stigma Index Survey
Supporting U.S Surveillance Programs
- Project Director for two contracts with CDC:
- Provide Technical Assistance to US health departments to strengthen their Data to Care programs
- Create Technical Assistance plan and toolkit to support health departments respond to HIV clusters
- Write State of Nebraska’s HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C Cluster Response Plans
- Write Security and Confidentiality Policy and Procedure Manual for State of Nebraska to comply with the CDC 2011 integrated security and confidentiality guidelines
- Work with NORC staff to provide expertise and guidance to CDC and project staff related to the establishment of a vision and eye health surveillance system for the nation
- Create content and present webinar on data sharing agreements for “Data to Care” – using HIV surveillance data to link and retain PLHIV in care
- Produce a tool kit and a series of five monthly webinars for implementing integrated security and confidentiality procedures across HIV, STD, TB and viral Hepatitis surveillance and case management programs at health departments
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
- In 2003 organized and wrote bylaws for an HIV Subcommittee for all health department HIV Surveillance Coordinators in the United States within CSTE
- Chaired workgroup for four years, representing US HIV Surveillance Coordinators at multiple national HIV-related expert consultations
- Chaired monthly national conference calls
- Participated in leadership group for continuity of activities developing the national HIV surveillance system at the state and local levels
- As of 2020 this group continues to have over 85 participants on its monthly calls
- Authored 11 CSTE position statements that are used to set national policy
Report Writing/Webinar Production/Technical Review
- Write Security and Confidentiality Policy and Procedure Manual for State of Nebraska to comply with the CDC 2011 integrated security and confidentiality guidelines
- Write the guidance document “Constructing a State HIV Continuum of Care” for use by Delaware, Arkansas and available for others
- Write Multi-Country Report on Adolescent Health and Sexuality in Six British and Dutch Overseas Caribbean Territories for the Pan American Health Association (PAHO)
- Technical advisor/reviewer for the AIDSVu map in preparation for annual launch of new data on National HIV Testing Day 2014 and 2015.
- Produce a tool kit and a series of five monthly webinars for implementing integrated security and confidentiality procedures across HIV, STD, TB and viral Hepatitis surveillance and case management programs at health departments.
- Co-author HIV case surveillance Standard Operating Procedures manual for the Ministry of Health in Guyana
- Create content and present webinar on data sharing agreements for “Data to Care” – using surveillance data to link and retain PLHIV in care.
- Objective Review Committee Panelist for Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health — Mobilization for Health: National Prevention Partnership Awards Program
Global
- Work with the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) Global Program to advise the Ministry of Health in Guyana on implementing HIV case reporting
- Work with Ministry of Health (MoH), Health Center, Hospital and Voluntary Counseling & Testing (VCT) Staff and other NASTAD TA providers to accomplish following activities:
- Develop work plan and timeline, in partnership with MoH Surveillance Officer for the development of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual and data security and confidentiality protocols
- Observe data collection and data entry process at four case surveillance pilot sites and MoH
- Observe data security and confidentiality processes at four pilot sites for the purpose of developing security and confidentiality minimum criteria and training of trainers curriculum
- Provide MoH with support and input on the case surveillance form
- Assist with development and writing of SOP
- Strategize on developing accurate deduplication procedures
- Present script for collecting unique identifier variables at the quarterly VCT meeting for the purpose of getting feedback and buy-in
- Work with Ministry of Health (MoH), Health Center, Hospital and Voluntary Counseling & Testing (VCT) Staff and other NASTAD TA providers to accomplish following activities:
- Contribute to a Case Surveillance Toolkit for assisting with the implementation of WHO-recommended global second generation HIV surveillance
- Provide technical assistance for NASTAD at the Caribbean Regional HIV Case Reporting Workshop to assist with implementation of HIV case reporting in the Caribbean
- Write Multi-Country Report on Adolescent Health and Sexuality in Six British and Dutch Overseas Caribbean Territories for the Pan American Health Association (PAHO)
Recent and Select Publications
- First author on 2019 JAIDS article summarizing three years of providing Technical Assistance on Data to Care to 20 health departments
- Co-author of the 2014 HIV case surveillance definition and classification system.
- Co-author of frequently cited article: Setting Standards and an Evaluation Framework for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Surveillance
- Complete a third textbook chapter on implementing case-based HIV Surveillance in the United States.
Board Memberships
- AIDS Vu Technical Advisory Group since the initial launch of the AIDSVu website in 2010
- Chair, Board of Directors of UNIFIED, the largest AIDS Service Organization in Michigan with offices is in Ypsilanti, Detroit and Jackson Michigan