Past Projects

  • The COVID-19 pandemic stretched the capacities of health systems in almost every affected country. The ability to conduct case investigations, analyze case and surveillance data, and appropriately communicate epidemiological information emerged as key skills needed by first responders. These competencies are integral to Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP), whose Frontline and Intermediate programs target district and regional health officers via in-service training. In early 2021, the US CDC funded RTI International and GU to develop and pilot test five exercises and one longer-form case study, leveraging examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, to use in Frontline and Intermediate FETP training. Given the restrictions on in-person training during the pandemic, the team developed both classroom and “virtual” modalities for the materials, which were piloted with FETP RAs and trainees in over ten countries. The team also presented a virtual interactive learning session on how to construct narrative-based exercises for FETP training at the 11th TEPHINET Regional Conference of the Americas. Although the project concluded in 2021, Dr Standley has continued to provide subject matter expertise to CDC and TEPHINET as part of an effort to adapt the exercises and case study to an online e-learning platform.

  • In collaboration with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Talus Analytics, a website was developed to provide rapid access to training materials, checklists, and other resources for development and strengthening of public health emergency management capacities, with an emphasis on Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). The website was used to conduct a pilot virtual training with South African first responders, to improve knowledge, understanding and application of incident management and public health emergency management principles. For free access to all the resources, click here.

  • With support from Georgetown’s Global Health Initiative, we collaborated with the West African Health Organization and the Burkinabe National Center for Malaria Research and Training to host a multi-country workshop in February 2020 to develop implementation science areas related to One Health approaches for neglected tropical disease control. Held in Ouagadougou, participants included the national NTD coordinators for Guinea, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso as well as NGO implementing partners and representatives from national and regional health research institutes. The workshop identified a number of promising avenues for building the evidence-base for integrating NTD control interventions within One Health frameworks.

  • This pilot project aims to study the prevalence and characteristics of malaria and Salmonella typhi infection and co-infection in Karachi, Pakistan. Diagnostic challenges for both endemic infections mean that they may be over- or underreported throughout the country. Pakistan’s decentralized health system and resource constraints limit disease control and testing capacity. Without an accurate diagnosis, patients do not receive adequate training. The project had four aims, to 1) examine prevalence of malaria and typhoid, as well as co-infection, in two hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan; 2) identify risk factors for infection of both diseases; 3) assess the feasibility and accuracy of different diagnostic approaches; and 4) develop policy and surveillance recommendations for better prevention, case identification, treatment, and control of malaria and typhoid. Preliminary findings from this project were presented by Georgetown doctoral candidate Zoumana Isaac Traoré at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Seattle, WA.

  • This project, funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in collaboration with Georgetown Global Health Nigeria (part of the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact), will design and conduct evaluations relating to the technical, governance, and policy elements of global health security, with a particular focus on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a case study approach, we are collaborating with academic and governmental partners in countries such as Nigeria, Singapore, the United Kingdom and South Africa to gain insights into the governance of regional, national and sub-national public health decision-making. Additionally, we aim to identify opportunities for more targeted and effective preparedness and response efforts against future pandemic threats. Results of a systematic review, focused on empirical methods for assessing COVID-19 response governance, as well as preliminary results from our Nigeria evaluation, were presented by Sumegha Asthana and Sanjana Mukherjee at the Seventh Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in October 2022.

  • In collaboration with RTI, we supported project activities related to risk communications and community engagement (RCCE) as well as implementation of intra-action reviews at the provincial level. The focus was on improving the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out and had three main objectives; to work with RCCE Pillar leads to update the national COVID-19 risk RCCE strategy to reflect current outbreak status, needs, and resources available and include plans for future potential lockdown and post-outbreak recovery phases; to work with partners to implement the updated DRC National RCCE strategy for COVID-19 response; and to establish a plan for developing, integrating, and maintaining RCCE functions for emergency response as a component of the newly forming national public health institute to ensure effective and responsive RCCE in future outbreaks. To read more, click here. 

  • In collaboration with Global Implementation Solutions (GIS), we are supporting efforts to promote and build capacities in basic minimum biosafety and biosecurity protections and multisectoral emergency response capacities in East and Central Africa. The overall project comprises of three tasks: leveraging the capabilities and network of the Elizabeth R. Griffin Program (ERGP) at Georgetown to take a step-wise, risk-based and regionally integrated approach to strengthening biorisk management capabilities across the Central African region, focusing initially on Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Gabon, with the option to expand to additional countries in the region at later project stages; building indigenous capacity to improve biorisk management, biosecurity, and biosafety practices in diagnostic and research laboratories and medical facilities that work with or may encounter high consequence pathogens in Kenya, Somalia and Nigeria; and enhancing and promoting multi sectoral coordination across animal health, human health, border, and other related security sectors to mitigate biological threats in Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia.

  • This project adopts a phased-approach to build on work previously conducted on a One Health Systems Assessments for Priority Zoonoses (OHSAPZ) methodology to facilitate a systematic assessment of the structures in place for One Health coordination with respect to preventing, detecting, and responding to zoonotic diseases. This project will ultimately provide a framework for analyzing data to identify gaps and develop recommendations for action towards One Health systems strengthening in Iraq and Jordan to promote multisectoral coordination across animal health, human health, border, and other related security sectors to mitigate biological threats. The project is set to be completed in 2024.

  • This project is designed to help partner countries, specifically Iraq, comply with the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The March 2019 Iraq Joint External Evaluation (JEE) identified gaps in Iraq’s compliance. Building on previous efforts to strengthen the Iraqi health system, the current project works to establish public health surveillance frameworks for detection, assessment, and reporting of disease events, regardless of origin.  The project will facilitate collaboration between various ministries in the Federal Government and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The goal of the project is to develop tools for sustainable IHR engagement across the KRG and Federal Government in Iraq by increasing information sharing and cooperation.

  • Public health emergency operation centers (PHEOCs) serve as a critical juncture in coordinating information and resources for incident preparedness, response, and recovery. Outbreak outcomes, particularly for zoonoses, are strengthened when multiple sectors are actively engaged. The purpose of this project is to help support a well-coordinated incident management approach at national and subnational-level PHEOCs in Kenya, Somalia, and Nigeria through integration of One Health principles into preparedness and emergency response operations.

    During the first year of implementation, participants from the human, animal, and environmental health sectors attended a public health emergency management (PHEM) training workshop held in conjunction with the African Field Epidemiology Network Scientific Conference. The workshop-conference model helped sensitize participants to PHEM and practical applications of One Health, as well as provided opportunities for professional networking and collaboration. In addition, multi-country working groups were formed to foster the exchange of resources, best practices and lessons learned between PHEOCs settings.

  • In North Africa, we are working to build regional and multisectoral cross-border capacity to manage biohazardous waste and samples containing weaponizable pathogens, strengthen laboratory biosafety and security, and survey, detect, and respond to pathogens of concern.

    In Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco, laboratory capacity for diagnostics is largely competent, but biosafety and biosecurity measures are lagging behind. The goal of our project was to improve accountability and security of pathogens containing potentially weaponizable pathogens by developing and implementing scale-able, sustainable systems for sample inventory and security for high-risk laboratories in these countries. Our ongoing collaboration with Global Health and Development (GHD), the Libyan National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH), and the Tunisian General Directorate of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Veterinary Services seeks to improve multisectoral coordination for the surveillance, detection, and response to priority transboundary diseases and especially dangerous pathogens in Libya and Tunisia.

    In Libya, we are also working with GHD, the Libyan National Committee on Biosafety and Biosecurity, and the National Centre for Disease Control to establish a technical working group for waste management. The collaboration will design, plan, and deliver a training workshop for biological waste management in Libyan public health facilities. Our group also developed a tool designed for the self-assessment of biorisk management functions in a research or diagnostic laboratory for public and veterinary health. It has been specifically tailored to address common gaps and challenges observed in regional/sub-national laboratories in Libya, and draws from numerous international and regional guidance documents, assessment methodologies, and other resources.

    Over the last year, we worked in partnership with GHD to engage public and private laboratories that receive, process, and store high consequence pathogens in Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. Components of this project included mapping and assessment of diagnostic, biosafety and biosecurity capacities in the newly engaged laboratories and identification and participation of key laboratories to act as consortium leads across the three countries. The goal of this project was to create a pilot consortium for the three target countries with the potential to expand network membership to other countries in the North African region in the future