CAPT Network News Archive

October 2008

Community Engagement Consultation in January, TASO and CAPT Network to Host

TASO and CAPT Network are working together to host a Community Engagement Consultation on January 23, 2009. The Consultation will assess current sites' capacity for community participation in research and explore best practices for building alliances with affected communities. Anticipated Consultation outcomes include (1) improved research literacy among community members, (2) enhanced cross-cultural competence in local research contexts among researchers and (3) collectively drafted recommendations for a CAPT Network Community Engagement Plan of Action.

CAPT Network Welcomes Moses Ngolobe, Poonam Sharma

CAPT Network is pleased to introduce new staff members Moses Ngolobe and Poonam Sharma.

Moses takes over for Martha Naluwooza as CAPT Network coordinator, TASO Jinja. Moses will be working with Drs. David Moore, Christine Nabiryo and Julio Montaner on their study Highly active anti-retroviral therapy as an additional HIV prevention tool for sero-discordant couples in Jinja, Uganda. Collaborating institutions are TASO, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, University of British Columbia, Canada-Africa Prevention Trials Network, Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the British Medical Research Council. Enrolment is expected to begin January 2009.

Poonam is a freelance writer with a communications background who joined the Vancouver Office in August. Before her role as Communications and Information Coordinator at CAPT Network, Poonam worked with Kampala Kids League, BC Persons with AIDS Society, and the Canadian Cancer Society. Poonam is teaming up with Rika and Bob to complete the Network’s website, with a focus on profiling CAPT-related research and study teams for our online news. A warm welcome to both Moses and Poonam.

Update on DISCO Cohort Study

The DISCO study protocol, sexual health questionnaire, case report forms and informed consent documents are being finalized and will be circulated to sites for REB/IRB approval in October or November 2008. For DISCO study downloadable documents, meeting minutes, mailing lists and other study-related information please visit the CAPT Network Studies page in the Members Section of the website. Email Rika for your username and password. rmoorhouse@hivnet.ubc.ca

Members Section of CAPT Network Website

CAPT Network investigators and network personnel can contact Rika for access to the members section of the new website. Meeting minutes, study pages and a contacts database are complete. The Online Mentoring Forum is still in development.

May 2008

New website launched for CAPT Network

CAPT Network is extremely pleased to present our new website. Launched on May 29, 2008, this site is dedicated to serving the information needs of our collaborators and friends. www.captnetwork.org will feature up-to-date news about the Network and its programmes as well as general HIV prevention news, upcoming conference listings, current grant opportunities and more. We invite all CAPT Network members and friends to use the site regularly and contribute to its ongoing relevance. Take the tour.

A special thank you to Signals Design Group Inc. Signals is an award-winning design firm with vast amounts of experience in public health communication. Signals branded the CAPT Network at no cost, and designed our new site. CAPT Network is most grateful for this significant gesture of support.

CAPT Network Hosts International Forum on Working Together

A special forum, held on February 28th in Johannesburg, was attended by representatives of eight international networks, each presenting on their current initiatives. Presentations were followed by a dynamic discussion on how the networks might best work together to meet the needs of the sites in the common battle against HIV/AIDS. The discussion engendered a strong sense of community among the networks and pointed toward the potential of a more ‘hands on’ role for Canada in global efforts to address HIV prevention.

In the coming year, CAPT Network will continue looking for ways to enhance inter-network collaboration (e.g., ways to reduce duplication, collaborate on training, piggyback on meetings). It will follow up on the success of the Special Forum on Working Together” by collaborating with the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and others to stage a follow-up forum in conjunction with a major meeting in Africa later in the year.

Site Readiness Seminar a Big Success

All seven CAPT Network sites participated in a Site Readiness Seminar, held February 27th and 28th in Johannesburg. It was a unique event in that it was the first ever inter-network ‘site readiness training seminar’. Trainers from four networks (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, International Partnership for Microbicides and CAPT Network) came together to present the seminar which was attended by 30 investigators and study coordinators from CAPT Network’s sites and from non-CAPT Network sites in Kenya and Zimbabwe. CAPT Network is extremely grateful to Andrea von Lieven and Jim Sherwood of IAVI, who co-chaired the event, as well as to the many presenters from IAVI, IPM, and HVTN who helped make it an outstanding success. Post-seminar evaluations were all extremely positive.

University of Manitoba & WHO Collaborative Centre for Research and Training in STIs at the University of Nairobi Invited to join the CAPT Network

CAPT Network, at its February 29th Steering Committee meeting, decided to invite the University of Nairobi's program to be a CAPT Network site, in affiliation with its sister program at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Joshua Kimani represented the University of Nairobi at the CAPT Network meetings.

CAPT Network Announces Fellowship and Mentorship Recipients

On February 29th, 2008 CAPT Network announced the names of successful applicants to the Network’s first Fellowship and Mentorship competitions. Congratulations to the following researchers:

Dr. Catherine Riou, PhD
Research Study-
Establishing a novel immune monitoring platform for understanding correlates of protection in HIV-1 infection: measuring the association of cytokine-induced signaling pathway networks and target genes in HIV-specific and non-specific T cell subsets with viral control.
Fellowship Supervisor: Clive Gray, PhD Chief Specialist Scientist and Head of Department, AIDS Research Unit: Immunology National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kumakech Edward MPH, MScN, PGDDS, BScN
Research Study: The prevalence and impact of malnutrition on CD4 count response of AIDS patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy over 6 months period.
Mentor: Vanja Berggren, PhD Guest Lecturer, Department of Nursing Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Location: Mbarara, Uganda
Dr. Muganzi Alex Muganga, MBChB, MPH
Research Study: Contraceptive use among HIV discordant couples attending Infectious Diseases Institute: knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, practices, challenges and implications for HIV prevention
Mentors: Walter F. Schlech, III MD, FRCPC, FACP Professor of Medicine Attending Staff Physician - Division of Infectious Diseases Professor-In-Residence, Infectious Disease Institute, Makarere University. Andrew Kambugu, MBChB, MMED Head, Clinical Services, Infectious Diseases Institute Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Dr. Fred Collins Semitala, MBChB
Research Study: Availability and uptake of prevention interventions targeting sexual transmission among HIV sero-discordant couples in a clinical setting
Mentors: Walter F. Schlech, III MD, FRCPC, FACP Professor of Medicine Attending Staff Physician - Division of Infectious Diseases Professor-In-Residence, Infectious Disease Institute, Makerere University. Moses R. Kamya, MBChB, MMed, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Medicine Medical School, Mulago Hospital
Location: Kampala, Uganda

Envisioning the future –an external review of CAPT Network

In February, the Network engaged an external consultant to evaluate its progress to-date as well as its continued relevance and potential future role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The review identified a number of themes for future planning. The following are some quotes from ‘stakeholder interviews’ that were conducted:

“CAPT Network has the advantage of less bureaucracy than other networks. It can be nimble, small and fast.”
“I think we can help by building sustainable infrastructure and preparing cohorts for the vaccine trials and other prevention trials that will save lives.”
“I think we have already improved immune monitoring and immunology here in South Africa.”
“South-south training and collaboration is really important. CAPT can help with that.”
“We should coordinate training across all players in HIV prevention. That should be a priority.”
“CAPT needs to make sure it is helping with a comprehensive plan to enhance capacity … for all kinds of trials.”

To view a copy the review, click here