Duke University NIH R01 PI: Prudhomme-O'Meara Scope of work for Duke University Duke University will provide overall scientific leadership and coordination of the project. Duke University faculty member Dr. Wendy O'Meara will be the principal investigator for this project. She will oversee the entire project, including collaboratin with Moi University and government collaborators, coordination of study teams, data collection, data analysis and report writing. She will commit 4.8 calendar months in each year of the project. Other Duke University investigators will provide expertise in economics and biostatistics for development of the project tools, analysis and interpretation of results. Dr. Mohanan will be the primary supervisor for the doctoral candidate and will oversee development of his/her work within the project. Dr. Turner will supervise Alyssa Platt (staff biostatistician). A post-doctoral associate will be engaged to lead the economic analysis of the survey data and to provide oversight of the survey data collection, ensuring quality of the data and assisting with the analysis and interpretation. Duke-based study coordinator, Adriane Lesser, and the Duke financial administration team will provide oversight of the budget, procurement of supplies including rapid diagnostic tests, collaboration with Moi University financial office, and will be responsible for reporting activities. Ms. Lesser will also facilitate communication between the sites and will help integrate the Research Assistants into the project.
This project will tackle an important implementation research problem. We will evaluate a new approach to improve access to diagnosis for malaria amongst those patients who seek malaria treatment in the informal health sector. This will lead to improved targeting of subsidized antimalarial to those patients who need them and reduce overuse and over-treatment. The approach uses an innovative public-private partnership between community health workers and retail medicine shops. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Kenya's Division of Malaria Control and avenues to roll-out the intervention, if successful, will be actively explored.
