Centre for International Child Health

Advancing children's health globally.
About us

What we do

Over the past two decades, BC Children's Hospital has generated and shared knowledge to improve children's health globally.

With the support of the BC Children's Hospital Foundation, BC Children's established the Centre for International Child Health in 2004. The centre serves as a leadership and coordinating body for international initiatives and strategically positions BC Children's as a key contributor to global child health.

Our work promotes innovation in global child health, strengthening both local and international capacity through the exchange of knowledge, skills and appropriate technologies.

Field officer talking to a family of a recently ill child in Uganda

Mission & vision

Our mission is to connect and engage health professionals in British Columbia, across Canada and abroad to collaborate in improving global child health. Our vision is partnering to advance children's health globally.

Strategic priorities

  • Build capacity through collaborative and sustained partnerships
  • Expand global health education opportunities for residents and fellows, and contribute to health workforce education at partnering institutions
  • Enhance global health research through training, mentorship and reverse innovation opportunities
  • Strengthen the global health community at BC Children's and beyond

Video Series

Learn more about our work in global health here & in this video:

Learn how we use reverse innovation to improve children's and women's health globally and in Canada in this video. 

Learn how we support global health education for healthcare professionals and researchers in this video. To learn about how the UBC Pediatrics Residency program equips trainees with the skills & perspectives needed to work in remote or under resourced areas in BC and abroad, watch this video.

Learn how we work with our partners abroad to address local healthcare priorities in this video. The Ladakh Disability & Rehabilitation Training Project, a partnership between teams in BC and India, describes how they are raising awareness and building capacity in disability assessment and treatment in this video.

Learn more about some of the programs at BC Women's Hospital that are making a difference in the lives of women around the world in this short video. 

Thank you to Global Affairs Canada and Mana na Moto for supporting these videos!

Who we are

The Centre for International Child Health is led by a team of experienced, passionate people with a diverse range of knowledge in global health. 

We also benefit from the guidance of expert clinicians, researchers, nurses, allied health professionals, and administrators at BC Children’s and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. All share our goal of advancing the health of children from birth to adolescence.

Our Team

 
  • Dr. Niranjan "Tex" Kissoon, Chair
  • Dr. Mark Ansermino, Director
  • Dr. Matthew Wiens, Smart Discharges Program Lead
  • Bella Hwang, CICH Program Manager
  • Dustin Dunsmuir, Global Health Technical Lead
  • Jeff Bone, Biostatistician 
  • Tamara Dudley, Research Assistant
  • Parnian Hosseini, MD Student Researcher
  • Teresa Johnson, Program Coordinator
  • Peter Lewis, Software Developer
  • Edmond Li, MSc Student Reseacher
  • Alishah Mawji, Research Assistant
  • Stefanie Novakowski, Grants Facilitator
  • Jessica Rigg, Research Coordinator
  • Jessica Trawin, Project Coordinator
  • Dee Wang, Research Assistant
  • Sahar Zandi Nia, Research Assistant


 

  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's  

  • Allison Eddy, Chief of Medicine & Head, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's

  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's

  • Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon, Executive Medical Director, Global Health, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Health Centre

  • Michael Kobor, Lead, Healthy Starts, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

  • Erik Skarsgard, Chief of Surgery, BC Children's

  • Marianne Vidler, PRE-EMPT Research Program Manager, BC Children's

  • Joanne Waxman, Director, Strategic Partnerships, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

 
  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Jean-Pierre Chanoine, Clinical Professor, Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, BC Children’s
  • Alexis Davis, Occupational Therapist, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
  • Damian Duffy, Executive Director, Office of Pediatric Surgical Evaluation & Innovation, BC Children's
  • David Goldfarb, Medical Microbiologist, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's
  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Teresa Johnson, Project Coordinator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon, Executive Medical Director, Global Health, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Health Centre
  • Srinivas Murthy, Clinical Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
  • Stefanie Novakowski, Grants Facilitator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Gina Ogilvie, Senior Research Advisor, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre
  • Simona Powell, Coordinator, Global Health Office & NGDI-UBC, School of Population and Public Health
  • Laura Sauvé, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, BC Children's
  • Jennifer Smitten, Pediatrician, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, BC Children's
  • Marianne Vidler, PRE-EMPT Research Program Manager, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
  • Matthew Wiens, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, UBC

 
  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Sadiq Abdulla, Obstetric Anesthesiology Specialist, BC Women's Hospital
  • Jean-Pierre Chanoine, Clinical Professor, Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, BC Children’s
  • Alexis Davis, Occupational Therapist, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Teresa Johnson, Project Coordinator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Videsh Kappoor, Global Health Director, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
  • Katherine Lidstone, Perioperative Nurse and Clinical Nurse Instructor, BC Childiren's
  • Stefanie Novakowski, Grants Facilitator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Leslie Raffin, Cardiology Research Nurse/Nurse Clinician, BC Children's 
  • Laura Sauvé, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, BC Children's
  • Marianne Vidler, PRE-EMPT Research Program Manager, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute


 
  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Jean-Pierre Chanoine, Clinical Professor, Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, BC Children’s
  • Astrid Christoffersen-Deb, Gynecology, Sexual Health and Specialized Program, BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
  • Damian Duffy, Executive Director, Office of Pediatric Surgical Evaluation & Innovation, BC Children's
  • David Goldfarb, Medical Microbiologist, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's
  • Rebecca Houweling, Pediatric Registerd Nurse, BC Children's
  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's 
  • Teresa Johnson, Project Coordinator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon, Executive Medical Director, Global Health, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Health Centre
  • Kishore Mulpuri, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, BC Children’s
  • Srinivas Murthy, Clinical Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
  • Stefanie Novakowski, Grants Facilitator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Gina Ogilvie, Senior Research Advisor, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre
  • Beth Payne, Research Associate, School of Population and Public Health, UBC
  • Kristina Pikksalu, Nurse Practioner (Familty), BC Children's
  • Simona Powell, Coordinator, Global Health Office & NGDI-UBC, School of Population and Public Health
  • Paul Rogers, Program Head, Division of Paediatric Hematology/Oncology, BC Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital & Health Centre
  • Laura Sauvé, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist, BC Children's
  • Marianne Vidler, PRE-EMPT Research Program Manager, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
  • Matthew Wiens, Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

 
  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Dustin Dunsmuir, Global Health Technical Lead, Digital Health Innovation Lab, BC Children's
  • David Goldfarb, Medical Microbiologist, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, BC Children's
  • Matthias Görges, Co-Lead, Clinical & Community Data, Analytics & Informatics, Evidence to Innovation, BC Children`s
  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Teresa Johnson, Project Coordinator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon, Executive Medical Director, Global Health, BC Children's and Women's Hospital and Health Centre
  • Richard Lester, Associate Professor in Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases, UBC
  • Srinivas Murthy, Clinical Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
  • Stefanie Novakowski, Grants Facilitator, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Gina Ogilvie, Senior Research Advisor, BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre
  • Simona Powell, Coordinator, Global Health Office & NGDI-UBC, School of Population and Public Health
  • Kim Schmidt, Research Manager, Healthy Starts Theme, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
  • Matthew Wiens, Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

 
  • Mark Ansermino, Director, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Lona Cunningham, Senior Director, Critical Care Areas, Procedures, Emergency and Access, BC Children’s 
  • Susan Dahinten, Professor, MSN Program Coordinator, UBC
  • Alexis Davis, Occupational Therapist, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
  • Cathy Ellis, Senior Instructor, Midwifery, UBC
  • Sarah Gustin, Program Manager, Projects, Quality Improvement & Evaluation, BC Children's
  • Bella Hwang, Program Manager, Centre for International Child Health, BC Children's
  • Cailtlin Johnson, Program Manager, BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
  • Kit Johnson, Provincial Director, Clinical Service Innovation and Quality, Child Health BC
  • Mary MacKillop, Director Patient Care Quality Office, PHSA
  • Minna Miller, Nurse Practioner, BC Children's
  • Trish Page, Surgical Services Program Manager, BC Children’s 
  • David Waller, Director of Interprofessional Practice, PHSA
  • Lani Wittmann, Senior Practice Leader, Fir Square, BC Women’s 
  • Laura Vicol, Nurse Practitioner, Oak Tree Clinic, BC Children’s 
  • Marianne Vidler, PRE-EMPT Research Program Manager, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

How we work

The centre partners with global organizations where we feel sustained effort can have a significant impact on the health of children and youth. 

Our projects engage a range of internal staff at BC Children’s, the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, as well as external partners and collaborators. These can include universities, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, global health networks, global health funders, businesses and multilateral institutions like the World Health Organization.

We strive to connect and engage health care professionals on a global scale to collaborate in improving child health.

Our connections and commitments

We are stronger when we work together to achieve common goals. The Centre for International Child Health is a member of the Coalition of Centres in Global Child Health and has joined the Every Woman Every Child movement to help end all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents within a generation while ensuring their health and well-being.

The centre has also affirmed our commitment to global efforts to improve maternal and child health by signing the World Preeclampsia Day Proclamation, the World Sepsis Day Declaration, and the Kampala Declaration to improve care for sepsis. 


Our work

Projects & partnerships

Did you know that staff at BC Children's and BC Women's are involved in global health work in over 30 countries? People across our community are sharing their time, talents and passion to make a difference where it is needed most.

The Centre for International Child Health and its members across BC Children's and BC Women's lead research, education and implementation projects around the globe. Explore the project list below to learn about some of our previous and ongoing projects. To learn more about any project, contact the listed project leads.

 

Botswana

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: Princess Mariana Hospital

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in Botswana

[Project website]


Project title: Optimizing Management of Pediatric Diarrhoeal Disease in Botswana: A Factorial, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Rapid Enteric Diagnostics and Probiotic Therapy

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb, Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, Margaret Mokomane 

Partner organizations: Botswana Ministry of Health, Botswana UPenn Partnership, bioMerieux

Timeline: 2016-2018

Description: Conducting a multisite randomized, placebo-control trial of rapid molecular diagnostics and probiotic therapy in order to evaluate their relative impact on the outcomes of severe gastroenteritis in children in Botswana

[Project website]


Ghana

Project title: Probiotics at Birth to Prevent Neonatal Sepsis and Death

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Owusu-Agyei 

Partner organizations: Kintampo Health Research Center

Timeline: 2016 - ongoing

Description: Conducting pilot projects to determine the feasibility of a vaccine and probiotic research project


Guinea-Bissau

Project title: Non-specific Effects of Vaccines 

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Peter Aaby 

Partner organizations: Bandim Health Project

Timeline: 2015 - ongoing

Description: Conducting a randomized controlled trial of BCG administered at birth to determine reduction in death in the first week of life

[Project website]


The Gambia

Project title: Systems Biology to Identify Biomarkers of Neonatal Vaccine Immunogenicity

Project leads: Dr. Tobi Kollmann, Dr. Hancock, Dr. Tebbutt, Dr. Foster, Dr. Brinkman, Dr. Kampmann

Partner organizations: Medical Research Council of The Gambia

Timeline: 2017 - ongoing

Description: Using systems biology to decipher how newborns respond to vaccination


Malawi

Project title: Implementation of a Neonatal Care Package for Facility Based Care in Malawi

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Scaling up a package of neonatal care interventions (including bubble CPAP, breastfeeding support, and Kangaroo Mother Care)

[Project website] 


Project title: Evaluation of a Novel Method of Determining Physiologic Stability in Severely Malnourished Children

Project leads: Dr. Mark Manary, Dr. Jonah Attebery, Dr. Indi Trehan

Partner organizations: Washington University in St Louis

Timeline: 2017 - ongoing

Description: Researching if heart-rate variability (HRV) can identify high-risk malnourished children

[Project website] 


Project title: Improving the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in Malawi

Project leads: Dr. Pascal Lavoie, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens 

Partner organizations: Kamuzu Central Hospital and Community Health Sciences Unit

Timeline: 2017-ongoing

Description: Developing a transcriptome-based diagnostic blood test to help build improved predictor models of mortality and need for antibiotics in newborns presenting with clinical signs of neonatal sepsis


Sierra Leone

Project title: Long-term Outcomes Post-Ebola Infection 

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Partner organizations: University of Toronto, Sierra Leone Ministry of Health

Timeline: 2015 - ongoing

Description: Implementing an observational cohort study of long-term sequelae in Ebola survivors


South Africa

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: Red Cross Children's Hospital, the University of Cape Town, and Paarl Hospital

Timeline: 2004 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in South Africa

[Project website]


Project title: Capacity Building for Nurses

Project leads: Dr. Caron Strahlendorf

Partner organizations: C17 International Development Committee

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Delivering a pediatric oncology nursing curriculum for nurses in developing countries


Project title: Exploring Young Women’s Knowledge about the Human Papillomavirus, Cervical Cancer and Screening, and Attitudes towards the HPV Vaccine in Durban South Africa

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Angela Kaida, Dr. Jennifer Smit

Partner organizations: Simon Fraser University, University of Witwatersrand

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Describing the knowledge, awareness and beliefs about HPV infection, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines to explore predictors of vaccine acceptability and willingness to screen among female adolescents/young adults living in Durban, South Africa, the global ‘epicentre’ of the HIV epidemic


Tunisia, Morocco & Algeria

Project title: Pediatrician Teaching

Project leads: Dr. Jean Pierre Chanoine

Partner organizations: Maghreb School

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Providing annual training for 25-30 pediatricians at the Maghreb School, with a focus on pediatric diabetes and endocrinology

[Project website] 


Uganda

Project title: Uganda Hearing Health Program

Project leads: Dr. Brian Westerberg

Partner organizations: Local Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeons 

Timeline: 2000 - ongoing

Description: Training providers on addressing chronic ear infections complicated by perforated ear drums and ear drainage issues


Project title: Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot

Project leads: Dr. Shafique Pirani

Partner organizations: Makerere University, the University of British Columbia, and the Ugandan Ministry of Health

Timeline: 2002 - ongoing

Description: Enhancing treatment and care of congenital clubfoot deformity in Uganda

[Project website]


Project title: Advances in Screening and Prevention in Reproductive Cancers (ASPIRE)

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Deborah Money, Dr. Jan Christilaw

Partner organizations: British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and the University of British Columbia

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Implementing a scalable and affordable integrated cervical cancer screening program that uses a novel technology developed specifically for cervical cancer screening in resource limited countries

[Project website] 


Project title: Global Partners in Anesthesia and Surgery

Project leads: Nathan O'Hara

Partner organizations: Makerere University, Injury Control Centre Uganda, Arrive Alive Uganda, Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Developing, implementing, and evaluating strategies that improve surgical, pain and perioperative services and health equity in low-resource settings

[Project website]


Project title: Uganda Sustainable Trauma Orthopedic Program 

Project leads: Nathan O'Hara

Partner organizations: Uganda Ministry of Health, Makerere University, and Mulago Hospital

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Improving the education of surgical trainees, nurses and paramedical personnel in the care of patients with traumatic injury, from entry to full rehabilitation

[Project website]


Project title: Uganda Training Alliance and Pediatric Surgery Camps

Project leads: Dr. Eleanor Reimer, Dr. Geoff Blair

Partner organizations:

Makerere University and Mulago Hospital

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Providing fellowships for Ugandan surgeons and anaesthetists to train in Canada at the BC Children’s Hospital, as well as holding camps every two years in Uganda to provide specialized surgical care for Ugandan children most in need

[Project website]


Project title: Micro-Research Coaching Project

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts, Dr. Kris Kang

Partner organizations: Dalhousie University

Timeline: 2010 - ongoing

Description: Providing local researchers the opportunity to create their own projects/questions via mentorship opportunities

[Project website]


Project title: Post-Discharge Survival 

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson, Dr. Matthew Wiens, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Tex Kissoon

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2011 – 2015

Description: Researching post-discharge survival of under-5 children admitted for treatment of serious infection (syndromic sepsis) to test post-discharge interventions, with the aim of preventing these deaths

[Project website]


Project title: UBC Global Health Initiative - Soroti Children’s Project

Project leads: Dr. Videsh Kapoor, Mr. Damian Duffy, Dr. JP Chanoine

Partner organizations: Soroti Regional Referral Hospital

Timeline: 2013 - ongoing

Description: Providing students with collaborative service-learning opportunities that address relevant community health priorities

[Project website]


Project title: Tissue Oxygen Saturation in Malnutrition and Pneumonia

Project leads: Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2016 - 2017

Description: Investigating the use of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess metabolic reserve in children with severe malnutrition and pneumonia

[Project website]


Project title: Defining Opportunities for Creating an Integrated Package of Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents and their Infants in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Patricia Spittal, Dr. Ashley Roberts

Partner organizations: University of British Columbia, Northern Uganda Program on Health Sciences

Timeline: 2016 - 2018

Description: Leveraging the infrastructure of an existing cohort in post-conflict Northern Uganda to explore key factors related to adolescent maternal and reproductive health services


Project title: Smart Discharges Project 

Project leads: Dr. Tex Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Matthew Wiens

Partner organizations: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Timeline: 2016 - 2020

Description: Validating post-discharge mortality prediction models and regionally scaling a Smart Discharges program to determine its effectiveness on post-discharge health seeking behavior and mortality

[Project website]


Project title: Population-Based Cervical Cancer Screening in Uganda

Project leads: Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Dr. Carolyn Nakisige

Partner organizations: Uganda Cancer Institute

Timeline: 2017 - 2022

Description: Exploring different implementation approaches for population-level implementation and scale up of HPV-testing based cervical cancer screening in Uganda through a clinical trial

 

Bangladesh

Project title: Senior Pediatric Resident Electives 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner organizations: LAMB Hospital

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a pediatric resident electives and simulation program in Bangladesh

[Project website]


Project title: Interrupting Pathways to Maternal, Newborn and Early Childhood Sepsis Initiative (IPSI)

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson, Dr. Tex Kissoon, Dr. Mark Ansermino

Partner organizations: International Centre for Diarrhea Disease Research 

Timeline: 2012 - 2015

Description: Conducted a multidisciplinary project linking community engagement and a call-in emergency transport system with higher quality care of seriously ill children in sub-district hospitals

[Project website]


Project title: Pediatric Oncology & Nursing Training in Curative and Palliative Care

Project leads: Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, Dr. Paul Rogers

Partner organizations: World Child Cancer

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Building the capacity of oncology nurses in Bangladesh

[Project website]


Cambodia

Project title: Operation Rainbow Canada 

Project leads: Doreen Lore, Cheryl Baldwin, Dr. Naz Bhanji

Partner organizations: Preah Ketmelea Hospital 

Timeline: 2000 – ongoing

Description: Establishing a plastic surgery residency program, providing on-the-job training to Cambodian surgeons, and assisting with surgeries for patients with cleft palates

[Project website]

 

China

Project title: Neuroscience Partnership in Advancing Disability and Epilepsy Care for Children in China

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre

Timeline: 2008 – 2015

Description: Strengthened the management of paediatric epilepsy and neuro-motor disorders through “training the trainers”


Project title: Born in Guangzhou Birth Cohort Study

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

Timeline: 2012 - 2015

Description: Investigated short and long term health consequences of the genetic, environmental and social factors during pregnancy and the first few years of life for mothers and babies in Guangzhou

[Project website]


Project title: Capacity-building in gastroenterology

Project leads: Dr. Kevan Jacobson

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Providing capacity building in gastroenterology in China


Project title: Pediatric sepsis: intervention and outcome assessment in resource limited regions

Project leads: Dr. Niranjan Kissoon

Partner organizations: Huai’an Women and Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University

Timeline: 2016 – 2018

Description: Preventing pediatric sepsis for infants and children, neonatal sepsis, and disorders of prematurity in China


India

Project title: Ladakh Disability & Rehabilitation Training (LDRT) Project

Project leads: Alexis Davis (project led by Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children)

Partner organizations: Canadian Himalayan Association for Innovation (CHAI)

Timeline: 2007 - ongoing

Description: Building capacity of rehabilitation staff in an established pediatric unit at the local government hospital

[Project website] 


Project title: Pneumonia Research

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts

Partner organizations: Various Universities

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Establishing relationships with centres for infectious disease fellowship rotations and collaborating on research endeavors


Laos

Project title: Micronutrient Interventions

Project leads: Dr. Charles Larson

Partner organizations: Micronutrient Initiative UNICEF

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Conducting a randomized field trial of alternative micronutrient interventions, providing evidence and guiding decision making that will influence the content of micronutrient supplementation programs

[Project website]

 

Canada

Project title: Establishment of a Project for Diarrhoeal Illness Surveillance at Sentinel Sites in Nunavut

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: Government of Nunavut and McMaster University

Timeline: 2014 - 2017

Description: Explored causes of diarrhea and if a rotavirus vaccine or other interventions would lessen the burden of diarrhea in Nunavut


Project title: Building an Arctic Enteric Infections Research Agenda

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: McMaster University and the Nunavut Research Institute

Timeline: 2015 - 2016

Description: Organized a two-day "Arctic Enteric Infections Research Agenda" meeting held at the Nunavut Research Institute that included partners representing public health policy makers, clinicians, researchers and community members


Project title: Diarrheal Illness and Enteric Infections Among Young Children in Nunavik and Nunavut

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb

Partner organizations: ArcticNet

Timeline: 2015 - 2018

Description: Researching the impact of harmful germs in stool from preschool-age children in two large Arctic communities

[Project website] 


Project title: Post-discharge readmission and mortality among children being repatriated from northern communities: Derivation of prediction models

Project leads: Dr. David Goldfarb, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon

Partner organizations: University Hospital of Northern BC, Healthy Starts programs, Northern Health Authority

Timeline: 2016 - 2018

Description: Creating a post-discharge tool kit to prepare families and clinicians for safer re-integration of at risk children to home communities in northern Canada

 

 

Argentina

Project title: International Network of Women Against Tobacco Control

Project leads: Dr. Lorraine Greaves

Partner organizations: BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health

Timeline: 2006 - ongoing

Description: Strategic planning focusing on issues related to the tobacco use of women, domestically and internationally

[Project website]


Guatemala

Project title: Guatemala Health Missions 

Project leads: Dr. Robert Purdy, Cheryl Davies, Caitlin Johnson

Partner organizations: Health 4 Humanity 

Timeline: 2002 - ongoing

Description: Providing pediatric anesthesia care for the repair of cleft lips and palates in indigenous Mayan patients 

[Project website]


Project title: HPV Infections and Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

Project leads: Dr. Rafael Meza, Dr. Carlos Mendoza Montano, Dr. Gina Ogilvie

Partner organizations: University of Michigan, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

Timeline: 2016 - 2019

Description: Assessing factors that determine uptake of cervical cancer screening in indigenous and rural populations in Guatemala, and assessing the feasibility and potential acceptability of HPV screening as an alternative to Pap smears, through community based survey-administration in Santiago Atitlan and Livingston


Nicaragua

Project title: Capacity Building

Project leads: Dr. Nancy Lanphear

Partner organizations: Tesoros Centre de Dios; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Timeline: 2005 - 2015

Description: Providing capacity building training in Nicaragua

 

 

Project title: Medicos en Accion

Project leads: Dr. Gareth Eeson

Partner countries: Guatemala and The Gambia

Partner organizations: Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro Hospital and Serrekunda Hospital

Timeline: 2001 - ongoing

Description: Offering surgical and medical care in Guatemala and the Gambia

[Project website] 


Project title: Branch for International Surgery

Project leads: Mairi Murchison

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Advancing surgical care through an innovative education program designed for graduate students, postgraduate trainees, surgical faculty, or surgery-related health care workers across the globe 

[Project website]


Project title: Global Health Program for the UBC Pediatric Residency Program 

Project leads: Dr. Jenny Druker, Dr. Laura Sauve, Dr. Jennifer Smitten

Partner countries: South Africa, Botswana, Bangladesh (see individual countries for additional details)

Timeline: 2009 - ongoing

Description: Developing a three-tier pediatric resident electives and training program for pediatric residents interested in global health

[Project website] 


Project title: Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) - Global Health Program 

Project leads: Various Medical Students

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Providing representation, services and communication to its membership in response to a growing need for coordinated programming, advocacy and collaboration focused specifically on global health issues

[Project website]


Project title: Global Health Pediatric Infectious Diseases Program

Project leads: Dr. Ashley Roberts, Dr. Tobi Kollmann

Partner countries: Kenya, Thailand, Singapore

Timeline: 2012 - ongoing

Description: Establishing relationships with centres for infectious disease fellowship rotations, and collaborating on research endeavors

[Project website]


Project title: Neonatal Hemodynamics and Application of Neonatal Echocardiography

Project leads: Dr. Joseph Ting

Partner countries: Ireland, Australia, and China

Timeline: 2013 - ongoing

Description: Collaborating with international research sites on issues related to neonatal hemodynamics


Project title: Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia

Project leads: Dr. Peter von Dadelszen and Dr. Zulfiqar A Bhutta

Partner countries: Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan, and India

Partner organizations: St. George’s University of London, University of British Columbia, Olabisi Olabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria, Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique, Aga Khan University in Pakistan, and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and S. Nijalingappa Medical College in India

Timeline: 2014 - 2018

Description: Addressing the excess maternal and perinatal mortality that derive from the failure to identify and rapidly manage pre-eclampsia and eclampsia at the community level in LMICs

[Project website] 


Project title: Global Impact Fellowship Program

Project leads: Damian Duffy

Partner countries: Honduras, Ghana, India

Partner organizations: Unite for Sight

Timeline: 2014 – ongoing

Description: Supporting eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in social ventures to eliminate preventable blindness and patient barriers to eye care


Project title: Promoting Access to Essential Medicines in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes 

Project leads: Dr. Jean-Pierre Chanoine

Partner organizations: Global Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (GPED)

Timeline: 2014 - ongoing

Description: Surveying the existing situation in LMICs around access to medicines, with a focus on congenital adrenal hyperplasia, as well as developing programs that facilitate this process in specific countries

[Project website]


Project title: CERTAINp (Checklist for Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Illness and Injury – Pediatrics)

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Partner countries: India, Croatia, China, Democratic Republic of Congo

Partner organizations: Mayo Clinic

Timeline: 2015 – ongoing

Description: Examining, through a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, the implementation of decision-support tools in hospitals in low-resource settings that can assist clinicians in achieving best practices


Project title: SPRINT-SARI (Short Period Incidence Study of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections)

Project leads: Dr. Srinivas Murthy

Timeline: 2015 – ongoing

Description: Implementing a global period prevalence study of severe acute respiratory infections in hospitals around the world


Project title: The Pocket Doc for Pneumonia

Project leads: Dr. Mark Ansermino, Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, Dr. Guy Dumont, Dr. Matthew Wiens, and Dr. Mattias Görges

Partner countries: Uganda

Partner organizations: Google.org

Timeline: 2017 – 2019

Description: Developing a low-cost smartphone tool that uses a light-weight sensor and a data-driven app to assess a child’s vital signs and overall condition, deliver an accurate diagnosis and recommend inexpensive, life-saving treatments such as antibiotics, oxygen and fluids

[Project website]

 

Project spotlight

Still curious? We are shining a spotlight on some of the exciting global health work listed above.

Smart Discharges

Smart Discharges are a way to help mothers, newborns, and children stay healthy after they leave the hospital to return home. Children hospitalized for serious infections in Africa have a very high post-discharge mortality rate. This means that many children who seem healthy after an infection return to their homes and then get sick again and die. In places like Uganda, as many children die during the weeks after they are discharged from a hospital as die during hospitalization — about 5% in each case. One solution is identifying vulnerable children before they go home from the hospital so that we can make sure they have the tools to survive after they go home. This is the Smart Discharge model. 

We are now extending this model to identify and improve care for mothers and newborns following discharge from healthcare facilities after birth. This is a vulnerable period that carries a high risk of death and complication for the mother-newborn dyad.

Learn more about Smart Discharges and how predicting risk can help to more efficiently and effectively use limited resources where they are needed most. Smart Discharges is being supported by Mining4Life, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Thrasher Research Fund.

Smart Triage

In resource-limited countries, many healthcare facilities lack of systems that enable healthcare workers to judge the severity of illness, especially within emergency departments. The resulting delays in treatment disproportionately affect young children under five with severe infections, particularly if these infections lead to sepsis – the number one cause of death in this age group. Smart Triage is a digital platform that makes it easier for frontline healthcare workers with limited training to identify critically ill children, ensuring they receive timely and appropriate care. This powerful tool has been designed for, and in collaboration with, health workers working in remote and developing parts of the world. 

Learn more about Smart Triage and how we are improving the quality of care for children suffering from the leading cause of death worldwide. Smart Triage is being supported by Wellcome Trust UK (as the Pediatric Rapid Sepsis Trigger Tool) and previously by Google.org (as the Pocket Doc for Pneumonia).

Pediatric Sepsis Data CoLaboratory

The Sepsis CoLab is a new international data sharing network to address the impact of sepsis in children. The network's main aim is to develop and validate tools for collecting and sharing clinical data. This will enable continuous quality improvement of care in secondary level health facilities, initially in low-resource settings, and ultimately, across the world. The Sepsis CoLab is supported by a partnership between the Centre for International Child Health and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS).

Learn more about the Sepsis CoLab and how we are advancing WHO's resolution to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of sepsis.

Pediatric disability unit in India

The Ladakh Disability & Rehabilitation Training project is an interdisciplinary Canada-India partnership focusing on improving rehabilitation services in Ladakh and surrounding areas. Since 2007, participants from BC Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children have travelled annually to Ladakh to build capacity of local healthcare professionals in pediatric disability assessment and treatment. In 2010, the Pediatric Unit for Special Children was established collaboratively at the Sonam-Norboo Memorial Hospital in Leh Ladakh. Most recently, work has begun to strengthen the pediatric unit’s training partnerships with other India-based disability centres, including one in the district of Kullu supported by the Handimachal Project. This is an important step towards providing better and more sustainable care for children with disabilities.

Learn more about the Ladakh Disability & Rehabilitation Training project and how it is supporting children with disabilities in India.

Global control of HPV-related diseases and cancer

The Advances in Screening and Prevention in Reproductive Cancers (ASPIRE) project was established in 2006 through collaboration between the University of British Columbia and Makerere University in Uganda. This women's health initiative has saved tens of thousands of lives by implementing a scalable and affordable integrated cervical cancer screening program that uses a novel technology developed specifically for resource-limited countries. The project examines ways that women can self-collect the samples needed for diagnosis of the human papillomavirus (HPV). With new DNA technology, testing, diagnosis and treatment can be done by existing health care professionals such as nurses, midwives and lab technicians at a lower cost than traditional screening. The program has since expanded to include primary prevention of HPV through vaccination in BC and South Africa, focusing on identfiying opportunities for improving sexual, reproductive, and maternal health for adolescents. 

Learn more about the Global HPV Control project and how it is helping some of the over four million women worldwide who are expected to die from cervical cancer in the next twenty years.

 

Interrupting pathways to sepsis in Bangladesh

Funded by the Canadian Government's Muskoka Initiative, this project was designed with the objective of improving maternal and child survival by interrupting pathways to sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. The project was implemented in two rural sub-districts of Bangladesh from 2011-2015, covering a total population of about 500,000. The project had five components, each focusing on a specific objective: 


  1. Community engagement to ensure earlier and increased use of health facilities for deliveries and for suspected moderate to severe infectious illness episodes
  2. High quality, facility-based deliveries and the early detection and management of maternal sepsis 
  3. Fully functional m-Health diagnostic and communication application in support of sepsis identification and decision support
  4. A sustainable, replicable call-in centre, referral and transport system
  5. Earlier detection and high quality, rapid management of suspected newborn and early childhood sepsis in district or sub-district hospital settings

Learn more about the Interrupting Pathways to Sepsis Initiative and its results.

Publications

The Centre for International Health's team and members are leaders in global health innovation and research. They publish widely. Explore the list of selected publications below to find out more about the new knowledge being generated every day.

 

Mawji A, Li E, Komugisha C, Akech S, Dunsmuir D, Wiens MO, Kissoon N, Kenya-Mugisha N, Tagoola A, Kimutai D, Bone JN, Dumont G, Ansermino JM. Smart Triage: Triage and Management of Sepsis in Children Using the Point-Of-Care Pediatric Rapid Sepsis Trigger (PRST) Tool. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020 Jun 3;20(1):493


Popescu CR, Cavanagh MMM, Tembo B, Chiume M, Lufesi N, Goldfarb DM, Kissoon N, Lavoie PM. Neonatal Sepsis in Low-Income Countries: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Prevention. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2020 May;18(5):443-452


Kinshella MW, Walker CR, Hiwa T, Vidler M, Nyondo-Mipando AL, Dube Q, Goldfarb DM, Kawaza K.
Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Bubble CPAP to Improve Neonatal Health in sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. Public Health Rev. 2020 Apr 28;41:6.


Ong JSM, Tosoni A, Kim Y, Kissoon N, Murthy S. Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Critically Ill Children: A Narrative Review of the Literature. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Apr 7:10.1097/PCC.0000000000002376

Kawaza K, Kinshella MLW, Hiwa T, Nijirammadzi J, Banda M, Vidler M, Newberry L, Nyondo-Mipando AL, Dube Q, Molyneux E, Goldfarb DM. Assessing quality of newborn care at district facilities in Malawi. BMC Health Serv. Res. 2020 Mar 18;20:227.

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Nyondo-Mipando AL, Kinshella MLW, Bohne C, Suwedi-Kapesa LC, Salimu S, Banda M, Newberry L, Njirammadzi J, Hiwa T, Chiwaya B, Chikoti F, Vidler M, Dube Q, Molyneux E, Mfutso-Bengo J, Goldfarb DM, Kawaza K, Mijovic H. Barriers and enablers of implementing bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): Perspectives of health professionals in Malawi. PLoS One. 2020 Feb 13;15(2):e0228915.


Weiss SL, Peters MJ, Alhazzani W, Agus MSD, Flori HR, Inwald DP, Nadel S, Schlapbach LJ, Tasker RC, Argent AC, Brierley J, Carcillo J, Carrol ED, Carroll CL, Cheifetz IM, Choong K, Cies JJ, Cruz AT, De Luca D, Deep A, Faust SN, De Oliveira CF, Hall MW, Ishimine P, Javouhey E, Joosten KFM, Joshi P, Karam O, Kneyber MCJ, Lemson J, MacLaren G, Mehta NM, Møller MH, Newth CJL, Nguyen TC, Nishisaki A, Nunnally ME, Parker MM, Paul RM, Randolph AG, Ranjit S, Romer LH, Scott HF, Tume LN, Verger JT, Williams EA, Wolf J, Wong HR, Zimmerman JJ, Kissoon N, Tissieres P. Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Septic Shock and Sepsis-Associated Organ Dysfunction in Children. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Feb;21(2):e52-e106


Makacha L, Makanga PT, Dube YP, Bone J, Munguambe K, Katageri G, Sharma S, Vidler M, Sevene E, Ramadurg U, Charantimath U, Revankar A, von Dadelszen P. Is the closest health facility the one used in pregnancy care-seeking? A cross-sectional comparative analysis of self-reported and modelled geographical access to maternal care in Mozambique, India and Pakistan.
Int J Health Geogr. 2020 Feb 3;19(1):1


Görges M, Kissoon N. Grappling With Real-Time Diagnosis and Public Health Surveillance in Sepsis: Can Clinical Data Provide the Answer? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Feb;21(2):196-19


Nakisige C, Trawin J, Mitchell-Foster S, Payne BA, Rawat A, Mithani N, Amuge C, Pedersen H, Orem J, Smith L, Ogilvie G. Integrated cervical cancer screening in Mayuge District Uganda (ASPIRE Mayuge): a pragmatic sequential cluster randomized trial protocol.BMC Public Health. 2020 Jan 31;20(1):142


Rudd KE, Johnson SC, Agesa KM, Shackelford KA, Tsoi D, Kievlan DR, Colombara DV, Ikuta KS, Kissoon N, Finfer S, Fleischmann-Struzek C, Machado FR, Reinhart KK, Rowan K, Seymour CW, Watson RS, West TE, Marinho F, Hay SI, Lozano R, Lopez AD, Angus DC, Murray CJL, Naghavi M. Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990-2017: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet. 2020 Jan 18;395(10219):200-211.

 
Kwizera A, Kissoon N, Musa N, Urayeneza O, Mujyarugamba P, Patterson AJ, Harmon L, Farmer JC, Dünser MW, Meier J; "Sepsis in Resource-Limited Nations" Task Force of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. A Machine Learning-Based Triage Tool for Children With Acute Infection in a Low Resource Setting. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019 Dec;20(12):e524-e530.

Teo TL, Schaeffer EK, Habib E, Cherukupalli A, Cooper AP, Aroojis A, Sankar WN, Upasani VV, Carsen S, Mulpuri K, Reilly C. Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip: An Examination of Care Practices of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons in North America. J Child Orthop. 2019 Dec 1;13(6):569-574.

Lissauer D, Cheshire J, Dunlop C, Taki F, Wilson A, Smith JM, Daniels R, Kissoon N, Malata A, Chirwa T, Lwesha VM, Mhango C, Mhango E, Makwenda C, Banda L, Munthali L, Nambiar B, Hussein J, Williams HM, Devall AJ, Gallos I, Merriel A, Bonet M, Souza JP, Coomarasamy A. Development of the FAST-M maternal sepsis bundle for use in low resource settings: a modified Delphi process. BLOG. 2019 Nov 2. [Epub ahead of print].

Gray NJ, Chanoine JP, Farmer MY, Jarvis JD, Armstrong K, Barr RD, Faunce TA, Lashley PM, Ndikumwenayo F, Hauerslev M, Karekezi CW, Klein JD; NCD Child Task Force on Essential Medicines and Equipment. NCDs and the WHO Essential Medicines Lists: children need universal health coverage too. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2019 Nov;3(11):756-757

GBD 2017 Lower Respiratory Infections Collaborators (includes Murthy S and Kissoon N). Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of lower respiratory infections among children younger than 5 years: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Oct 30. pii: S1473-3099(19)30401-3. 

Murchland AR, Gottschlich A, Bevilacqua K, Pineda A, Sandoval-Ramírez BA, Alvarez CS, Ogilvie GS, Carey TE, Prince M, Dean M, Mendoza Montano C, Rivera-Andrade A, Meza R. HPV self-sampling acceptability in rural and indigenous communities in Guatemala: a cross-sectional study.  BMJ Open. 2019 Oct 28;9(10):e029158.

Mokomane M, Esona MD, Bowen MD, Tate JE, Steenhoff AP, Lechiile K, Gaseitsiwe S, Seheri LM, Magagula NB, Weldegebriel G, Pernica JM, Mwenda JM, Kasvosve I, Parashar UD, Goldfarb DM. Diversity of Rotavirus Strains Circulating in Botswana before and after introduction of the Monovalent Rotavirus Vaccine. Vaccine. 2019 Oct 8;37(43):6324-6328.

von Oettingen JE, Craven M, Duperval R, Sine St Surin F, Eveillard R, Saint Fleur R, Van Vliet G, Chanoine JP, Louis R. Experience With Store-and-Forward Consultations in Providing Access to Pediatric Endocrine Consultations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Front Public Health. 2019 Sep 25;7:272

Nemetchek B, Khowaja A, Kavuma A, Kabajaasi O, Olirus Owilli A, Ansermino JM, Fowler-Kerry S, Jacob ST, Kenya-Mugisha N, Kabakyenga J, Wiens MO. Exploring healthcare providers' perspectives of the paediatric discharge process in Uganda: a qualitative exploratory study. BMJ Open. 2019 Sep 6;9(9):e029526.  

Donken R, Dobson SRM, Marty KD, Cook D, Sauvageau C, Gilca V, Dionne M, McNeil S, Krajden M, Money D, Kellner J, Scheifele DW, Kollmann T, Bettinger JA, Liu S, Singer J, Naus M, Sadarangani M, Ogilvie GS. Immunogenicity of 2 and 3 Doses of the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine up to 120 Months Postvaccination: Follow-up of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Sep 6. pii: ciz887.

Walker CR, Lechiile K, Mokomane M, Steenhoff AP, Arscott-Mills T, Pernica JM, Goldfarb DM.
Evaluation of Anatomically Designed Flocked Rectal Swabs for Use with the Biofire FilmArray™ Gastrointestinal Panel for Detection of Enteric Pathogens in Children Admitted to Hospital with Severe Gastroenteritis. J Clin Microbiol. 2019 Sep 11. pii: JCM.00962-19. 

Lavoie PM, Popescu CR, Molyneux EM, Wynn JL, Chiume M, Keitel K, Lufesi N, Levine GA, Ansermino JM, Kissoon N. Rethinking management of neonates at risk of sepsis. Lancet. 2019 Jul 27;394(10195):279-281.

Sheikh S, Qureshi RN, Raza F, Memon J, Ahmed I, Vidler M, Payne BA, Lee T, Sawchuck D, Magee L, von Dadelszen P, Bhutta Z; CLIP Working Group. Self-reported maternal morbidity: Results from the community level interventions for pre-eclampsia (CLIP) baseline survey in Sindh, Pakistan. Pregnancy Hypertens. 2019 Jul;17:113-120. 

Nwankwor OC, McKelvie B, Frizzola M, Hunter K, Kabara HS, Oduwole A, Oguonu T, Kissoon N. A National Survey of Resources to Address Sepsis in Children in Tertiary Care Centers in Nigeria. Front Pediatr. 2019 Jun 11;7:234.

Magee LA, Sharma S, Nathan HL, Adetoro OO, Bellad MB, Goudar S, Macuacua SE, Mallapur A, Qureshi R, Sevene E, Sotunsa J, Valá A, Lee T, Payne BA, Vidler M, Shennan AH, Bhutta ZA, von Dadelszen P; CLIP Study Group. The incidence of pregnancy hypertension in India, Pakistan, Mozambique, and Nigeria: A prospective population-level analysis. PLoS Med. 2019 Apr 12;16(4):e1002783.

Macuácua S, Catalão R, Sharma S, Valá A, Vidler M, Macete E, Sidat M, Munguambe K, von Dadelszen P, Sevene E; CLIP Working Group.Policy review on the management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia by community health workers in Mozambique. Hum Resour Health. 2019 Feb 28;17(1):15

Makanga PT, Sacoor C, Schuurman N, Lee T, Vilanculo FC, Munguambe K, Boene H, Ukah UV, Vidler M, Magee LA, Sevene E, von Dadelszen P, Firoz T; CLIP Working Group. Place-specific factors associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in Southern Mozambique: a retrospective cohort study.
BMJ Open. 2019 Feb 19;9(2):e024042.

Fung JST, Akech S, Kissoon N, Wiens MO, English M, Ansermino JM. Determining predictors of sepsis at triage among children under 5 years of age in resource-limited settings: A modified Delphi process. PLoS One. 2019 Jan 28;14(1):e0211274.

 

Nemetchek BR, Liang LD, Kissoon N, Ansermino JM, Kabakyenga J, Lavoie PM, Fowler-Kerry S, Wiens MO. Predictor variables for post-discharge mortality modelling in infants: a protocol development project.
Afr Health Sci. 2018 Dec;18(4):1214-1225. 

Kan B, Michalski C, Fu H, Au HHT, Lee K, Marchant EA, Cheng MF, Anderson-Baucum E, Aharoni-Simon M, Tilley P, Mirmira RG, Ross CJ, Luciani DS, Jan E, Lavoie PM.
Cellular metabolism constrains innate immune responses in early human ontogeny. Nat Commun. 2018 Nov 16;9(1):4822. 

Insights from the WHO and National Lists of Essential Medicines: Focus on Pediatric Diabetes Care in Africa.
Rowlands A, Ameyaw E, Rutagarama F, Dipesalema J, Majaliwa ES, Mbogo J, Ogle GD, Chanoine JP. Insights from the WHO and National Lists of Essential Medicines: Focus on Pediatric Diabetes Care in Africa.
Horm Res Paediatr. 2018;90(2):82-92

 

Liang LD, Kotadia N, English L, Kissoon N, Ansermino JM, Kabakyenga J, Lavoie PM, Wiens MO. Predictors of Mortality in Neonates and Infants Hospitalized With Sepsis or Serious Infections in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review. Front Pediatr. 2018 Oct 4;6:277. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00277.


Rudd KE, Kissoon N, Limmathurotsakul D, Bory S, Mutahunga B, Seymour CW, Angus DC, West TE. The global burden of sepsis: barriers and potential solutions. Crit Care. 2018 Sep 23;22(1):232. doi: 10.1186/s13054-018-2157-z. Review.


Charanthimath U, Vidler M, Katageri G, Ramadurg U, Karadiguddi C, Kavi A, Joshi A, Mungarwadi G, Bannale S, Rakaraddi S, Sawchuck D, Qureshi R, Sharma S, Payne BA, von Dadelszen P, Derman R, Magee LA, Goudar S, Mallapur A, Bellad M; and the Community Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) India Feasibility Working Group, Bhutta Z, Naik S, Mulla A, Kamle N, Dhamanekar V, Drebit SK, Kariya C, Lee T, Li J, Lui M, Khowaja AR, Tu DK, Revankar A. The feasibility of task-sharing the identification, emergency treatment, and referral for women with pre-eclampsia by community health workers in India. Reprod Health. 2018 Jun 22;15(Suppl 1):101.


Fleischmann-Struzek C, Goldfarb D, Schlattmann P, Schlapbach LJ, Reinhart K, Kissoon N. The global burden of paediatric and neonatal sepsis: a systematic review. Lancet Respir Med. 2018 Mar;6(3):223-230.

 

Wiens MO, Kissoon N, Kabakyenga J. Smart Hospital Discharges to Address a Neglected Epidemic in Sepsis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. JAMA Pediatr. 2018; 172 (3): 213-214. 


Eltemamy M, Crane A, Goldfarb D. Urinary Diversion in Renal Transplantation. Urologic Clinics of North America. February 2018.


Perez AJ, Kebbe M, Holt NL, Gokiert R, Chanoine JP, Legault L, Morrison KM, Sharma AM, Ball GD. Parent Recommendations to Enhance Enrollment in Multidisciplinary Clinical Care for Pediatric Weight Management. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2018 Jan 1;192:122-9.

 

Mandelzweig K, Leligdowicz A, Murthy S, Lalitha R, Fowler RA, Adhikari NK. Non-invasive ventilation in children and adults in low-and low-middle income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Critical Care. 2018 Jan 12.

 

Ukah UV, Payne B, Karjalainen H, Kortelainen E, Seed PT, Conti-Ramsden FI, Cao V, Laivuori H, Hutcheon J, Chappell L, Ansermino JM. Temporal and External Validation of the full PIERS Model for the Prediction of Adverse Maternal Outcomes in Women with Pre-eclampsia. Pregnancy Hypertension. 2018 Jan 5.

 

Lagoo J, Lopushinsky SR, Haynes AB, Bain P, Flageole H, Skarsgard ED, Brindle ME. Effectiveness and meaningful use of paediatric surgical safety checklists and their implementation strategies: a systematic review with narrative synthesis. BMJ open. 2017 Oct 1;7(10):e016298.


Lamontagne F, Fowler RA, Adhikari NK, Murthy S, Brett-Major DM, Jacobs M, Uyeki TM, Vallenas C, Norris SL, Fischer WA, Fletcher TE. Evidence-based guidelines for supportive care of patients with Ebola virus disease. The Lancet. 2017 Oct 17.

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Asafo-Agyei SB, Ameyaw E, Chanoine JP, Zacharin M, Nguah SB, Jarrett OO. Anogenital Distance in Term Newborns in Kumasi, Ghana. Hormone Research in Paediatrics.

Shrestha GS, Kwizera A, Lundeg G, Baelani JI, Azevedo LC, Pattnaik R, Haniffa R, Gavrilovic S, Mai NT, Kissoon N, Lodha R. International Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines 2016: the perspective from low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2017 Sep 30;17(9):893-5.

Kranenburg LJ, Reerds ST, Cools M, Alderson J, Muscarella M, Magrite E, Kuiper M, Abdelgaffar S, Balsamo A, Brauner R, Chanoine JP. Global Application of the Assessment of Communication Skills of Paediatric Endocrinology Fellows in the Management of Differences in Sex Development Using the ESPE E-Learning. Org Portal. Hormone Research in Paediatrics.

Dugani S, Bhutta ZA, Kissoon N. Empowering people for sustainable development: the Ottawa Charter and beyond. Journal of Global Health. 2017 Jun;7(1).

Dugani S, Kissoon N. Global advocacy needed for sepsis in children. Journal of Infection. 2017 Jun 30;74:S61-5.

Reinhart K, Daniels R, Kissoon N, Machado FR, Schachter RD, Finfer S. Recognizing Sepsis as a Global Health Priority—A WHO Resolution. New England Journal of Medicine. 2017 Jun 28.


Asafo-Agyei SB, Ameyaw E, Chanoine JP, Zacharin M, Nguah SB. Clitoral size in term newborns in Kumasi, Ghana. International journal of pediatric endocrinology. 2017 Jun 6;2017(1):6. 


Kassebaum N, Kyu HH, Zoeckler L, Olsen HE, Thomas K, Pinho C, Bhutta ZA, Dandona L, Ferrari A, Ghiwot TT, Hay SI. Child and adolescent health from 1990 to 2015: findings from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2015 Study. JAMA pediatrics. 2017 Jun 1;171(6):573-92. 


Kelly MS, Surette MG, Smieja M, Pernica JM, Rossi L, Luinstra K, Steenhoff AP, Feemster KA, Goldfarb DM, Arscott-Mills T, Boiditswe S. The Nasopharyngeal Microbiota of Children with Respiratory Infections in Botswana. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2017 May 11. 


Murthy S. SPRINT-SARI: Short-Period Incidence Study For Severe Acute Respiratory Infections: Year 1 Rapid Data From 2015-16. C104. ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION: CLINICAL STUDIES. 2017 May:A6854-. 


Wolbrink TA, Kissoon N, Mirza N, Burns JP. Building a Global, Online Community of Practice: The OPENPediatrics World Shared Practices Video Series. Academic Medicine. 2017 May 1;92(5):676-9. 


Machado FR, Nsutebu E, AbDulaziz S, Daniels R, Finfer S, Kissoon N, Lander H, Malik I, Papathanassoglou E, Reinhart K, Rooney K. Sepsis 3 from the perspective of clinicians and quality improvement initiatives. Journal of Critical Care. 2017 Apr 26. 


Marchant A, Sadarangani M, Garand M, Dauby N, Verhasselt V, Pereira L, Bjornson G, Jones CE, Halperin SA, Edwards KM, Heath P. Maternal immunisation: collaborating with mother nature. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2017 Apr 19. 


Fink EL, Kissoon N. Pediatric multiple organ dysfunction in resource limited settings. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 2017 Mar 1;18(3_suppl):S83-5.


Mezei AK, Armstrong HL, Pedersen HN, Campos NG, Mitchell SM, Sekikubo M, Byamugisha JK, Kim JJ, Bryan S, Ogilvie GS. Cost‐effectiveness of cervical cancer screening methods in low‐and middle‐income countries: A systematic review. International Journal of Cancer. 2017 Mar 1. 


Schultz MJ, Dunser MW, Dondorp AM, Adhikari NK, Iyer S, Kwizera A, Lubell Y, Papali A, Pisani L, Riviello BD, Angus DC. Current challenges in the management of sepsis in ICUs in resource-poor settings and suggestions for the future. Intensive Care Medicine. 2017 Mar 27:1-3. 


Gottschlich A, Murchland A, Bevilacqua K, Pineda A, Rivera-Andrade A, Alvarez C, Ogilvie G, Mendoza-Montano C, Meza R. Abstract C64: Use of HPV self-sampling to increase screening for cervical cancer in indigenous and rural communities in Guatemala. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers. 2017 Feb 1;26(2 Supplement):C64-. 


Slogrove AL, Esser MM, Cotton MF, Speert DP, Kollmann TR, Singer J, Bettinger JA. A Prospective Cohort Study of Common Childhood Infections in South African HIV-exposed Uninfected and HIV-unexposed Infants. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2017 Feb 1;36(2):e38-44.


Asafo-Agyei SB, Ameyaw E, Chanoine JP, Nguah SB. Normative penile anthropometry in term newborns in Kumasi, Ghana: a cross-sectional prospective study. International journal of pediatric endocrinology. 2017 Jan 26;2017(1):2.


Kissoon N. Reducing the global burden of sepsis. Canadian Medical Association. Journal. 2017 Jan 9;189(1):E2.


Mitchell SM, Pedersen HN, Stime EE, Sekikubo M, Moses E, Mwesigwa D, Biryabarema C, Christilaw J, Byamugisha JK, Money DM, Ogilvie GS. Self-collection based HPV testing for cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in Uganda: a descriptive analysis of knowledge, intentions to screen and factors associated with HPV positivity. BMC women's health. 2017 Jan 13;17(1):4.


Payne B, Sharma S, Dumont G, Magee L, Vidler M, von Dadelszen P, Ansermino JM. The PIERS on the Move mobile health application. Annals of Global Health. 2017 Jan 1;83(1):129.


Rahman AE, Iqbal A, Hoque DE, Moinuddin M, Zaman SB, Rahman QS, Begum T, Chowdhury AI, Haider R, El Arifeen S, Kissoon N. Managing Neonatal and Early Childhood Syndromic Sepsis in Sub-District Hospitals in Resource Poor Settings: Improvement in Quality of Care through Introduction of a Package of Interventions in Rural Bangladesh. PloS one. 2017 Jan 23;12(1):e0170267.


Nwankwor OC, Wiens MO, Kissoon N. Post-Discharge Morbidity and Mortality in Children with Sepsis. Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2017. 2017:431-44.






Get involved

Support for trainees

We support Canadian health professional trainees who choose to think globally about their health care work. Every year, the Centre for International Child Health provides funding to several trainees who pursue global health electives focused on children (neonates to adolescents) as part of their approved training program. Trainees can be students in any health care discipline: doctors, nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, and more. Past grant recipients have travelled to Nepal, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, Laos, Thailand, and South Africa. 

In 2020, we awarded grants to 17 more talented trainees! While global health electives were cancelled due to COVID-19, we're working with these trainees to see how we can continue to support their global health education.

  • Alyssa Labrosse, UBC Midwifery - Uganda
  • Ashley Yip, UBC Internal Medicine Residency, Rwanda
  • Atasha Chretien, UBC Midwifery - Uganda
  • Briar Findlay, C&W Pediatric Residency - South Africa
  • Chris Badenhorst, C&W Pediatric Anesthesia Fellow - Uganda
  • Christina New, C&W Midwifery - Nepal & Uganda
  • Elizabeth Hankinson, C&W Pediatric Residency - South Africa
  • Emilie Nevill, UBC Occupational Therapy - Malawi
  • JeongMin Marie Kim, UBC Internal Medicine Residency -Rwanda
  • Jessica Herwynen, UBC Occupational Therapy - Malawi
  • Kazuko Hiroe, UBC Midwifery - Nepal
  • Mary Juliet Nampawu, C&W Clinical Fellow - Uganda
  • Meghan Radebe, UBC Midwifery - Uganda
  • Nicole Jedrzejko, C&W General Surgery Residency - Uganda
  • Padmavathy Venkatasubbu, C&W General Pediatric Critical Care Residency - India
  • Sarah Cochrane, UBC Midwifery - Uganda
  • Vanessa Hiroti, UBC Midwifery - Uganda

Learn more about how global health electives are strengthening education and partnerships around the world by exploring stories from global health trainees.

Events

Global Health & Innovation Lunch and Learns

We have 2 upcoming events showcasing global health work at BC Children's and beyond!

Global Health Information Systems - Lunch and Learn
When: Thursday, September 3, 12-1 pm

RSVP here.

Zoom Meeting ID: 857 9793 4812
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85797934812

2020-09-03 GH Lunch and Learn Poster Final.jpg

Determinants of Breastfeeding in Malawi - Coffee and Learn
When: Thursday, September 24, 8:30-9:30 am

Registration and Zoom links to be posted shortly. 


Global Health Conference 

Vancouver, BC

In January 2019, the School of Population and Public Health at UBC and the Centre for International Child Health at BC Children's Hospital hosted the first ever, wildly successful Global Health Conference. In 2020, we were excited to host the conference for a second year at the Chan Auditorium at the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. Our keynote speakers were Dr Tim Evans, Associate Dean at McGill University's School of Population and Global Health and Dr Stephen Rulisa, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Dean of the School of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Rwanda. Thank you to everyone who attended this year's conference! To view highlights from the conference, read our recap or search #GHC2020 on Twitter.

Funding opportunities

Have a great idea for a global health project? Take a look at these funding opportunities for research, capacity building and implementation projects. This includes funding opportunities for fellows involved in global child health.

 

Deadline for 2020/21 has passed.


CICH and the Medical Staff Association of BC Children's and Women's Hospital are working together to support trainees in health professions who are engaged in global health with clinical activities related to the health care of neonates, children, adolescents, or women. Funding is in the amount of $1,000 CAD for trainees who elect to go on global health electives between January to December 2020 as part of their academic training. 

 

Deadline: Rolling


AWDF's grantmaking ensures resources reach the hundreds of African women's organisations that are working in diverse ways to improve the lives of women and African society at large. 


AWDF has three thematic areas of funding, which are: Body and Health Rights, Women's Economic Security and Justice, and Leadership, Participation and Peace. 


Learn more on their website here. 

 

International Fellowships: These biannual competitions are open to Master's, post-doctoral fellows, and early- and intermediate- stage researchers from low- and middle-income ‎countries. In addition, the tri-annual Senior Research Fellowships are open to established researchers in low- and middle-income countries. These fellowships provide salary support, research expenses, and tuition (as appropriate) for 2 - 5 years for basic, public health, and clinical research.


Research Support: Wellcome Trust also provides support to established researchers in low- and middle-income countries, the UK, and Ireland through a number of awards and grants. These are for multi-year, large-scale projects (£1 - 3M of support), and include Investigator Awards, Biomedical Resource Grants, and Technology Development Grants. Innovator Awards are also available for smaller projects (£500, 000 - £750,000 for 2 - 3 years).

For a full list of awards and upcoming deadlines, visit the Wellcome Trust website or check Twitter for updates.

 

E.W. "AI" Thrasher Awards


Deadline: Rolling


Supports hypothesis-driven medical research that addresses significant health problems in children's health and offers innovative and broader applicable solutions with low barriers to implementation. Up to 3 years of support. Median grant previously awarded was USD $320,000 total. Open to applicants from any country. Full details.

 

Operating Grants for Early Career Investigators in Maternal, Reproductive, Child & Youth Health


Delayed. Most up-to-date details here.‎

 

The Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health is accepting proposals in maternal, reproductive, child, and youth health, including one proposal jointly supported by the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. These will provide CAD $105,000 over 3 years for Canadian investigators who have held their position for less than 5 years.


Project Grants


Fall 2020 competition delayed. Most up-to-date details here.


Supports research projects or programs that focus on creating new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Projects or programs that have a global health research focus, or include international collaborations, are eligible. Typically $500K - $1M CAD over 4-5 years. 

 

IDRC Research Awards 2021


Due date: Sep 16, 2020


Salary support (CAD $42,033 to $48,659) for graduate students or recent post-graduates (within 3 years) wishing to undertake research in developing countries. May include up to CAD $15,000 for travel/research support. During this time, the candidate will be considered a full-time employee at IDRC. Open to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries enrolled in a master's or a doctoral degree at a Canadian university or graduate from a recognized university. Details here.

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Summer Studentships (Undergraduate):


Deadline has passed for 2020.


$3,100 - $4,720 for a 8, 10, or 12 week period in May to August of 2020. Open to undergraduate and medical students supervised by a BCCHR Investigator at BC Children's Hospital working to improve the health of children and their families. Full details here.


Graduate Studentships (Master's or Doctoral students):


Deadline for 2020/21 has passed. 


$10,000 - $20,000/year for up to 2 years. Open to students actively engaged in research at the C&W campus and supervised by a investigator at BC Children's Hospital working to improve the health of children and their families. Full details here.

 

Faculty‎ of Medicine Summer Student Research Program


Deadline has passed for 2020.


Open to MD (years 1 and 3) and non-MD undergraduate students at UBC, this program provides $1,600 - $3,200 for 4 - 8 weeks of full-time work on a health research projext supervised by an investigator in the Faculty of Medicine. Full details here. 

 

2020 Exploration Competition

‎

NOI deadline: Aug 18, 2020

Full application: Oct 20, 2020


Up to $125,000 per year for 2 years to support high-risk, high-reward, and interdisciplinary research. The PI must be affiliated with a Canadian institution, while the co-PI does not. The grants will support research with social, cultural, economic, health-related or technological impacts, and led from any discipline, including social sciences and humanities, health, the natural sciences and engineering. More details here.


2020 Transformation Competition


NOI deadline: Feb 18, 2020

LOI deadline: Jul 15, 2020 

Full application: Apr 13, 2021


This new funding stream supports large-scale, Canadian-led interdisciplinary research projects that address a well-defined, major challenge with the potential to realize significant, real and lasting change. Projects are expected to be draw on global research expertise, and propose a novel world-leading approach to the issue. Successful applicants can receive between $2 - $4M per year for up to 6 years. More details here.

 

Global Effort on COVID-19 (GECO) Health Research 


Due Date: Jul 22, Aug 10, or Sep 28, 2020

 

Up to £1m over 18 months to support projects that address the impacts of COVID-19 in LMICs and has a direct and primary focus on improving health in LMIC countries. This includes the indirect consequences of the pandemic on issues such as maternal and neonatal health. Open to investigators in LMICs. More details.

‎

MRC/DFID African Research Leader Scheme 2020


Due date: Sep 8, 2020


Meant to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by supporting early- to mid-career African researchers in leading high quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to the region. The African Research Leader (PrincipaI Investigator) should be supported by their local research environment and by a strong linkage with a UK partner (i.e. the Co-Investigator). £750k for up to 5 years, including salary, research, & mentorship support. Full details here.


Joint Global Health Trials (JGHT) Call 11


Due date (outline stage): Oct 10, 2020


Supports late-stage (Phase 3/4) clinical and health intervention trials evaluating efficacy and effectiveness of interventions that address health problems affecting LMICs. Priority is randomized controlled trials that are likely to produce implementable and generalizable results to change policy and practice. Up to £20 million available, and trials can last up to 5 years. Principal Investigators must be based at academic institutions in LMICs or the UK. Details here.

 

Mobile Health: Technology and Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (mHealth)


LOI Deadline: Aug 24, 2020. Full application: Sep 24, 2020.


Supports research to study the development, validation, feasibility and effectiveness of innovative mobile health (mHealth) interventions or tools specifically suited for LMICs. Open to investigators in the US or LMICs, but the proposal must include a partnership between at least one organization in the US and one organization in an LMIC. Provides USD $250,000 over 2 years. Full details here.


Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa)


LOI: Early Nov 2020. Full application: Early Dec 2020


Supporting the development of a collaborative consortium to spur discoveries and innovations through application of data science that will ultimately improve health for African individuals, communities, and populations. NIH is calling for applications in 4 areas: an open data science platform and coordinating center; research hubs; research training programs; and ethical, legal and social implications research. 5 years of funding, must be led by an African academic institution or not-for-profit organisation. Full details here.


 Gr

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