Browsing by Author "Pastakia, Sonak"
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Item A Global Health Reciprocal Innovation grant programme: 5-year review with lessons learnt(BMJ Publishing, 2023) Ruhl, Laura J.; Kiplagat, Jepchirchir; O'Brien, Rishika; Wools-Kaloustian, Kara; Scanlon, Michael; Plater, David; Thomas, Melissa R.; Pastakia, Sonak; Gopal-Srivastava, Rashmi; Morales-Soto, Nydia; Nyandiko, Winstone; Vreeman, Rachel C.; Litzelman, Debra K.; Laktabai, Jeremiah; Medicine, School of MedicineUnilateral approaches to global health innovations can be transformed into cocreative, uniquely collaborative relationships between low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HIC), constituted as 'reciprocal innovation' (RI). Since 2018, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and Indiana University (IU) Center for Global Health Equity have led a grants programme sculpted from the core elements of RI, a concept informed by a 30-year partnership started between IU (Indiana) and Moi University (Kenya), which leverages knowledge sharing, transformational learning and translational innovations to address shared health challenges. In this paper, we describe the evolution and implementation of an RI grants programme, as well as the challenges faced. We aim to share the successes of our RI engagement and encourage further funding opportunities to promote innovations grounded in the RI core elements. From the complex series of challenges encountered, three major lessons have been learnt: dedicating extensive time and resources to bring different settings together; establishing local linkages across investigators; and addressing longstanding inequities in global health research. We describe our efforts to address these challenges through educational materials and an online library of resources for RI projects. Using perspectives from RI investigators funded by this programme, we offer future directions resulting from our 5-year experience in applying this RI-focused approach. As the understanding and implementation of RI grow, global health investigators can share resources, knowledge and innovations that have the potential to significantly change the face of collaborative international research and address long-standing health inequities across diverse settings.Item Comparison of Clinical Interventions between Student Pharmacists on Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in Indianapolis, Indiana versus Eldoret, Kenya(MDPI, 2023-05-30) Karwa, Rakhi; Miller, Monica L.; Schellhase, Ellen; Crowe, Susie; Manji, Imran; Albertson, Shelby; Frauhiger, Monica; Pastakia, Sonak; Medicine, School of MedicineStudent pharmacists can have a positive impact on patient care. The objective of this research was to compare clinical interventions made by Purdue University College of Pharmacy (PUCOP) student pharmacists completing internal medicine Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) in Kenya and the US. A retrospective analysis of interventions made by PUCOP student pharmacists participating in either the 8-week global health APPE at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH-Kenya) or the 4-week adult medicine APPE at the Sydney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital (SLEH-US) was completed. Twenty-nine students (94%) documented interventions from the MTRH-Kenya cohort and 23 (82%) from the SLEH-US cohort. The median number of patients cared for per day was similar between the MTRH-Kenya (6.98 patients per day, interquartile range [IQR] = 5.75 to 8.15) and SLEH-US students (6.47 patients per day, IQR = 5.58 to 7.83). MTRH-Kenya students made a median number of 25.44 interventions per day (IQR = 20.80 to 28.95), while SLEH-US students made 14.77 (IQR = 9.80 to 17.72). The most common interventions were medication reconciliation/t-sheet rewrite and patient chart reviews for MTRH-Kenya and the SLEH-US, respectively. This research highlights how student pharmacists, supported in a well-designed, location-appropriate learning environment, can positively impact patient care.Item Ensuring Patient-Centered Access to Cardiovascular Disease Medicines in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries Through Health-System Strengthening(Elsevier, 2017) Tran, Dan N.; Njuguna, Benson; Mercer, Timothy; Manji, Imran; Fischer, Lydia; Lieberman, Marya; Pastakia, Sonak; Medicine, School of MedicineCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality and is expected to reach 23 million deaths by 2030. 80% of CVD deaths occur in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Although CVD prevention and treatment guidelines are available, translating these into practice is hampered in LMICs by inadequate healthcare systems which limit access to lifesaving medications. In this review article, we describe the deficiencies in the current LMIC supply chains that limit access to effective CVD medicines, and discuss existing solutions that are translatable to similar settings in order to address these deficiencies.Item Integrated community-based HIV and non-communicable disease care within microfinance groups in Kenya: study protocol for the Harambee cluster randomised trial(BMJ, 2021-05-18) Genberg, Becky L.; Wachira, Juddy; Steingrimsson, Jon A.; Pastakia, Sonak; Tina Tran, Dan N.; Said, Jamil AbdulKadir; Braitstein, Paula; Hogan, Joseph W.; Vedanthan, Rajesh; Goodrich, Suzanne; Kafu, Catherine; Wilson-Barthes, Marta; Galárraga, Omar; Medicine, School of MedicineIntroduction: In Kenya, distance to health facilities, inefficient vertical care delivery and limited financial means are barriers to retention in HIV care. Furthermore, the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among people living with HIV complicates chronic disease treatment and strains traditional care delivery models. Potential strategies for improving HIV/NCD treatment outcomes are differentiated care, community-based care and microfinance (MF). Methods and analysis: We will use a cluster randomised trial to evaluate integrated community-based (ICB) care incorporated into MF groups in medium and high HIV prevalence areas in western Kenya. We will conduct baseline assessments with n=900 HIV positive members of 40 existing MF groups. Group clusters will be randomised to receive either (1) ICB or (2) standard of care (SOC). The ICB intervention will include: (1) clinical care visits during MF group meetings inclusive of medical consultations, NCD management, distribution of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and NCD medications, and point-of-care laboratory testing; (2) peer support for ART adherence and (3) facility referrals as needed. MF groups randomised to SOC will receive regularly scheduled care at a health facility. Findings from the two trial arms will be compared with follow-up data from n=300 matched controls. The primary outcome will be VS at 18 months. Secondary outcomes will be retention in care, absolute mean change in systolic blood pressure and absolute mean change in HbA1c level at 18 months. We will use mediation analysis to evaluate mechanisms through which MF and ICB care impact outcomes and analyse incremental cost-effectiveness of the intervention in terms of cost per HIV suppressed person-time, cost per patient retained in care and cost per disability-adjusted life-year saved. Ethics and dissemination: The Moi University Institutional Research and Ethics Committee approved this study (IREC#0003054). We will share data via the Brown University Digital Repository and disseminate findings via publication.Item Leveraging the power of partnerships: spreading the vision for a population health care delivery model in western Kenya(BMC, 2018-05-08) Mercer, Tim; Gardner, Adrian; Andama, Benjamin; Chesoli, Cleophas; Christoffersen-Deb, Astrid; Dick, Jonathan; Einterz, Robert; Gray, Nick; Kimaiyo, Sylvester; Kamano, Jemima; Maritim, Beryl; Morehead, Kirk; Pastakia, Sonak; Ruhl, Laura; Songok, Julia; Laktabai, Jeremiah; Medicine, School of MedicineBACKGROUND: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) has been a model academic partnership in global health for nearly three decades, leveraging the power of a public-sector academic medical center and the tripartite academic mission - service, education, and research - to the challenges of delivering health care in a low-income setting. Drawing our mandate from the health needs of the population, we have scaled up service delivery for HIV care, and over the last decade, expanded our focus on non-communicable chronic diseases, health system strengthening, and population health more broadly. Success of such a transformative endeavor requires new partnerships, as well as a unification of vision and alignment of strategy among all partners involved. Leveraging the Power of Partnerships and Spreading the Vision for Population Health. We describe how AMPATH built on its collective experience as an academic partnership to support the public-sector health care system, with a major focus on scaling up HIV care in western Kenya, to a system poised to take responsibility for the health of an entire population. We highlight global trends and local contextual factors that led to the genesis of this new vision, and then describe the key tenets of AMPATH's population health care delivery model: comprehensive, integrated, community-centered, and financially sustainable with a path to universal health coverage. Finally, we share how AMPATH partnered with strategic planning and change management experts from the private sector to use a novel approach called a 'Learning Map®' to collaboratively develop and share a vision of population health, and achieve strategic alignment with key stakeholders at all levels of the public-sector health system in western Kenya. CONCLUSION: We describe how AMPATH has leveraged the power of partnerships to move beyond the traditional disease-specific silos in global health to a model focused on health systems strengthening and population health. Furthermore, we highlight a novel, collaborative tool to communicate our vision and achieve strategic alignment among stakeholders at all levels of the health system. We hope this paper can serve as a roadmap for other global health partners to develop and share transformative visions for improving population health globally.Item Microfinance, retention in care, and mortality among patients enrolled in HIV 2 Care in East Africa(Wolters Kluwer, 2021-10) Genberg, Becky L.; Wilson-Barthes, Marta G.; Omodi, Victor; Hogan, Joseph W.; Steingrimsson, Jon; Wachira, Juddy; Pastakia, Sonak; Tran, Dan N.; Kiragu, Zana W.; Ruhl, Laura J.; Rosenberg, Molly; Kimaiyo, Sylvester; Galárraga, Omar; Medicine, School of MedicineObjective: To measure associations between participation in community-based microfinance groups, retention in HIV care, and death among people with HIV (PWH) in low-resource settings. Design and methods: We prospectively analyzed data from 3609 patients enrolled in an HIV care program in western Kenya. HIV patients who were eligible and chose to participate in a Group Integrated Savings for Health Empowerment (GISHE) microfinance group were matched 1 : 2 on age, sex, year of enrollment in HIV care, and location of initial HIV clinic visit to patients not participating in GISHE. Follow-up data were abstracted from medical records from January 2018 through February 2020. Logistic regression analysis examined associations between GISHE participation and two outcomes: retention in HIV care (i.e. >1 HIV care visit attended within 6 months prior to the end of follow-up) and death. Socioeconomic factors associated with HIV outcomes were included in adjusted models. Results: The study population was majority women (78.3%) with a median age of 37.4 years. Microfinance group participants were more likely to be retained in care relative to HIV patients not participating in a microfinance group [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.71; P = 0.046]. Participation in group microfinance was associated with a reduced odds of death during the follow-up period (aOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.28–1.09; P = 0.105). Conclusion: Participation in group-based microfinance appears to be associated with better HIV treatment outcomes. A randomized trial is needed to assess whether microfinance groups can improve clinical and socioeconomic outcomes among PWH in similar settings.Item Mitigating The Burden Of Diabetes In Sub-Saharan Africa Through An Integrated Diagonal Health Systems Approach(Dove Press, 2019-10-31) Mercer, Tim; Chang, Alice C.; Fischer, Lydia; Gardner, Adrian; Kerubo, Immaculate; Tran, Dan N.; Laktabai, Jeremiah; Pastakia, Sonak; Medicine, School of MedicineDiabetes is a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) presenting growing health and economic burdens in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Diabetes is unique due to its cross-cutting nature, impacting multiple organ systems and increasing the risk for other communicable and non-communicable diseases. Unfortunately, the quality of care for diabetes in SSA is poor, largely due to a weak disease management framework and fragmented health systems in most sub-Saharan African countries. We argue that by synergizing disease-specific vertical programs with system-specific horizontal programs through an integrated disease-system diagonal approach, we can improve access, quality, and safety of diabetes care programs while also supporting other chronic diseases. We recommend utilizing the six World Health Organization (WHO) health system building blocks – 1) leadership and governance, 2) financing, 3) health workforce, 4) health information systems, 5) supply chains, and 6) service delivery – as a framework to design a diagonal approach with a focus on health system strengthening and integration to implement and scale quality diabetes care. We discuss the successes and challenges of this approach, outline opportunities for future care programming and research, and highlight how this approach can lead to the improvement in the quality of care for diabetes and other chronic diseases across SSA.Item To address emerging infections, we must invest in enduring systems: The kinetics and dynamics of health systems strengthening(Wiley, 2015-10) Pastakia, Sonak; Njuguna, Benson; Le, Phuoc V.; Singh, Manisha K.; Brock, Tina Penick; Department of Medicine, IU School of MedicineClinical pharmacology uses foundational principles of pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) to address medication use spanning a continuum from molecules to the masses. In the realm of infectious diseases, PK/PD attributes are considered especially important, because subtherapeutic dosing of antibiotics has been associated with poorer clinical outcomes in patients and increased incidences of drug resistance in populations. In consideration of these PK/PD principles, we will describe the analogous relationship between health systems strengthening, including for educating healthcare providers about emerging infections, and the tenets of therapeutic drug monitoring.