My blogs

About me

Location	Lilongwe, Malawi
Introduction	I just finished my first year at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine. This summer I will be working with the UNC Project at the Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. The overall mission of the UNC Project is to “identify innovative, culturally acceptable and relatively inexpensive methods of reducing the risk of HIV and STD transmission through research; strengthen the local research capacity through training and technology transfers; and to improve patient care for people living with HIV and AIDS” As part of the UNC Project I will be working with investigators from UNC and Baylor University to increase antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation in HIV+ children under 18 months of age by making the HIV diagnosis at the time of birth. Previously, using traditional HIV diagnostic tests, an HIV diagnosis could not be made until the child was at least 18 months old. We will be assessing a novel approach to earlier diagnosis, in order to initiate treatment and ultimately improve the prognosis of HIV+ children in Malawi.

Location

Lilongwe, Malawi

Introduction

I just finished my first year at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine. This summer I will be working with the UNC Project at the Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. The overall mission of the UNC Project is to “identify innovative, culturally acceptable and relatively inexpensive methods of reducing the risk of HIV and STD transmission through research; strengthen the local research capacity through training and technology transfers; and to improve patient care for people living with HIV and AIDS” As part of the UNC Project I will be working with investigators from UNC and Baylor University to increase antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation in HIV+ children under 18 months of age by making the HIV diagnosis at the time of birth. Previously, using traditional HIV diagnostic tests, an HIV diagnosis could not be made until the child was at least 18 months old. We will be assessing a novel approach to earlier diagnosis, in order to initiate treatment and ultimately improve the prognosis of HIV+ children in Malawi.