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
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
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