The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) propose to increase research capacity, in the area of HIV-associated malignancies, within the Zambian Ministry of Health's only tertiary and cancer specialty hospitals - the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH), both located in Lusaka. Our proposal specifically focuses on building research capacity around cervical cancer because it is an AIDS-defining disease, the cancer most commonly diagnosed in Zambia, and the leading cause of cancer-related death among Zambian women. The research training that will be provided by the proposed program is strategically designed to provide a significant opportunity to develop and retain investigators within Zambian public health institutions. Our vision is to ultimately facilitate the creation of a Zambian HIV-Associated Malignancies Clinical Trials Unit, based at the Cancer Diseases Hospital that will be able to attract research support. We will offer training to a number of Zambian clinical and technical staff, Including six senior investigators, six junior investigations, four laboratory technicians, and ten study coordinators/research associates, through a variety of means. We will foster a multidisciplinary approach to cervical cancer research by focusing our training in the following six medical disciplines, each with a dedicated UAB mentor and a senior and junior Zambian investigator: radiation oncology, gynecologic oncology, pathology, virology, nutrition, epidemiology and biostatistics. Our approach to building research capacity includes: (1) professional mentoring and exchange visit opportunities to UAB for six senior Zambian investigators, all in positions to influence and direct future research within the country;(2) year-long fellowships at UAB for six junior Zambian investigators, including a six-month course in clinical and translational science research methodology for all trainees;(3) an eighteen-month in-country research practicum for junior investigators, during which time they will complete an independent research study project and develop a manuscript, under the guidance of their UAB mentors and senior Zambian investigators and (4) an intensive three-month training for two cyto-histologic and two radiation therapy technicians at UAB. Additionally, we will offer a 36 week distance-based education course to train Zambian research associates/study coordinators and a 2 week web-based course in translational science for UTH and CDH staff interested in conducting research

Public Health Relevance

This program aims to create a cadre of Zambian investigators who will have the capacity and support to research critical questions around the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer as an AIDS defining malignancy, within Zambian healthcare institutions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
International Research Training Grants (D43)
Project #
7D43CA153784-03
Application #
8312624
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCA1-RTRB-8 (M2))
Program Officer
Dominguez, Geraldina
Project Start
2010-08-01
Project End
2014-07-31
Budget Start
2012-09-19
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$511,813
Indirect Cost
$13,320
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
Chibwesha, Carla J; Frett, Brigitte; Katundu, Katundu et al. (2016) Clinical Performance Validation of 4 Point-of-Care Cervical Cancer Screening Tests in HIV-Infected Women in Zambia. J Low Genit Tract Dis 20:218-23
Kayamba, Violet; Bateman, Allen C; Asombang, Akwi W et al. (2015) HIV infection and domestic smoke exposure, but not human papillomavirus, are risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Zambia: a case-control study. Cancer Med 4:588-95
Parham, Groesbeck P; Mwanahamuntu, Mulindi H; Kapambwe, Sharon et al. (2015) Population-level scale-up of cervical cancer prevention services in a low-resource setting: development, implementation, and evaluation of the cervical cancer prevention program in Zambia. PLoS One 10:e0122169
Bateman, Allen C; Katundu, Katundu; Mwanahamuntu, Mulindi H et al. (2015) The burden of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in HIV positive women in Zambia: a modeling study. BMC Cancer 15:541
Katundu, Katundu; Bateman, Allen C; Pfaendler, Krista S et al. (2015) The Effect of Cryotherapy on Human Papillomavirus Clearance Among HIV-Positive Women in Lusaka, Zambia. J Low Genit Tract Dis 19:301-6
Bateman, Allen C; Katundu, Katundu; Polepole, Pascal et al. (2015) Identification of human papillomaviruses from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pre-cancer and invasive cervical cancer specimens in Zambia: a cross-sectional study. Virol J 12:2
Bateman, Allen C; Chibwesha, Carla J; Parham, Groesbeck P (2015) Minimizing verification bias in cervical cancer screening of HIV-infected women. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 128:269-70
Bateman, Allen C; Parham, Groesbeck P; Sahasrabuddhe, Vikrant V et al. (2014) Clinical performance of digital cervicography and cytology for cervical cancer screening in HIV-infected women in Lusaka, Zambia. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 67:212-5
Liu, Katherine C; Joseph, Jessica A; Nkole, Theresa B et al. (2013) Predictors and pregnancy outcomes associated with a newborn birth weight of 4000 g or more in Lusaka, Zambia. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 122:150-5