Leveraging mHealth and Patient Supporters for African Americans' and Latinxs' Engagement in HIV Care (LEAN): Protocol for a Randomized, Controlled, Effectiveness-Implementation Trial.

Background: Despite substantial investments in ending the HIV epidemic, disparities in HIV care persist, and there is an urgent need to evaluate novel and scalable approaches to improving HIV care engagement and viral suppression in real-world settings.

Objective: This paper aims to describe a study protocol for a pragmatic type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial comparing existing standard of care clinic HIV linkage, adherence, and retention (LAR) protocols to a mobile health (mHealth)-enhanced linkage, adherence, and retention (mLAR) intervention.

Methods: The study will enroll 450 participants from clinics in Baltimore City.

Evaluation of a competency based medical curriculum in a Sub-Saharan African medical school.

Background: Medical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa have adopted competency based medical education (CBME) to improve the quality of graduates trained. In 2015, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MaKCHS) implemented CBME for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme in order to produce doctors with the required attributes to address community health needs. However, no formal evaluation of the curriculum has been conducted to determine whether all established competencies are being assessed.

A mobile health-facilitated behavioural intervention for community health workers improves exclusive breastfeeding and early infant HIV diagnosis in India: a cluster randomized trial.

Introduction: India's national AIDS Control Organization implemented World Health Organization's option B+ HIV prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) guidelines in 2013. However, scalable strategies to improve uptake of new PMTCT guidelines to reduce new infection rates are needed. This study assessed impact of Mobile Health-Facilitated Behavioral Intervention on the uptake of PMTCT services.

Addressing the global burden of hepatitis B virus while developing long-acting injectables for the prevention and treatment of HIV.

The first long-acting formulations of HIV drugs are undergoing regulatory review for use in maintenance of viral suppression in people with HIV. Although these novel drug formulations could contribute greatly to HIV treatment and prevention efforts, their lack of activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) could limit their global impact, particularly in populations with high burdens of both HIV and HBV. An urgent need for greater investment in research and development of long-acting drugs with dual activity against HIV and HBV exists.

Long-acting or extended-release antiretroviral products for HIV treatment and prevention in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and breastfeeding women: knowledge gaps and research priorities.

Antiretroviral agents with long-acting properties have potential to improve treatment outcomes substantially for people living with HIV. In November 2017, the Long acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Resource Program (LEAP) convened a workshop with the aim of shaping the research agenda and promoting early development of long-acting or extended release products for key populations: pregnant and lactating women, children aged up to 10 years, and adolescents aged 10-19 years. Goals included strategies and principles to ensure that the needs of children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women are considered when developing long-acting formulations.

Internal Medicine Residents' Knowledge and Practice of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Diagnosis.

Background: Internal medicine physicians are often the first providers to encounter patients with a new diagnosis of tuberculosis. Given the public health risks of missed tuberculosis cases, assessing internal medicine residents' ability to diagnose tuberculosis is important.

Methods: Internal medicine resident knowledge and practice patterns in pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis at 7 academic hospitals were assessed utilizing (a) a 10-item validated pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis assessment tool and (b) a retrospective chart review of 343 patients who underwent a pulmonary tuberculosis evaluation while admitted to a resident-staffed internal medicine or infectious disease service.

Developing an Assessment Framework for Essential Internal Medicine Subspecialty Topics.

Background: Assessing residents by direct observation is the preferred assessment method for infrequently encountered subspecialty topics, but this is logistically challenging.

Objective: We developed an assessment framework for internal medicine (IM) residents in subspecialty topics, using tuberculosis diagnosis for proof of concept.

Methods: We used a 4-step process at 8 academic medical centers that entailed (1) creating a 10-item knowledge assessment tool; (2) pilot testing on a sample of 129 IM residents and infectious disease fellow volunteers to evaluate validity evidence; (3) implementing the final tool among 886 resident volunteers; and (4) assessing outcomes via retrospective chart review.

A novel educational strategy targeting health care workers in underserved communities in Central America to integrate HIV into primary medical care.

Background: Current educational strategies to integrate HIV care into primary medical care in Central America have traditionally targeted managers or higher-level officials, rather than local health care workers (HCWs). We developed a complementary online and on-site interactive training program to reach local HCWs at the primary care level in underserved communities.

Methods: The training program targeted physicians, nurses, and community HCWs with limited access to traditional onsite training in Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala.

Evaluation of a multimodal, distance learning HIV management course for clinical care providers in India.

Distance learning is an important tool for training HIV health workers. However, there is limited evidence on design and evaluation of distance learning HIV curricula and tools. We therefore designed, implemented, and evaluated a distance learning course on HIV management for clinical care providers in India.

A comparison of online versus on-site training in health research methodology: a randomized study.

Background: Distance learning may be useful for building health research capacity. However, evidence that it can improve knowledge and skills in health research, particularly in resource-poor settings, is limited. We compared the impact and acceptability of teaching two distinct content areas, Biostatistics and Research Ethics, through either on-line distance learning format or traditional on-site training, in a randomized study in India.

Building a global health education network for clinical care and research. The benefits and challenges of distance learning tools. Lessons learned from the Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education.

Expanding the capacity for clinical care and health research is a global priority and a global challenge. The Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education (CCGHE) was established in 2005 to provide access to high-quality training to health care providers in resource-limited settings. The CCGHE made a strategic decision to develop, use, and evaluate distance learning platforms to achieve its mission.