UoM, Canada
UoM, Canada
Established in 1877, the University of Manitoba (UM) is the oldest university in Western Canada and has been active in international HIV-related research, programming and knowledge translation since the early 1980s. The UM’s Institute of Global Public Health (IGPH) focuses on scientific approaches to policy development and program implementation and has extensive global experience in research, policy development and program implementation. This field experience has been translated into program guidelines and policies that have been incorporated into national policies in several countries across the globe including Pakistan. It has established important partnerships with global health policy leaders, national government agencies, international agencies (i.e. BMGF, World Bank, WHO, UN organizations, US Centre for Disease Control etc.,) and key research institutions to create essential platforms for research and knowledge translation. These platforms link with the Global program of the University of Manitoba provides Pakistan an opportunity to share its experience at various global platforms and also learn from others experiences to accelerate the development, translation and dissemination of knowledge generated by the country level activities.
CGPH-Pakistan is the local collaborative office of the Institute for Global Public Health (IGPH), University of Manitoba, Canada who is a lead in the Global Program Science Initiative, whereby facilitation is provided for the development of key public health knowledge networks with experts from around the globe. IGPH, University of Manitoba promotes the translation of knowledge gained in global public health research and projects for application in international and domestic public health settings. IGPH also facilitates the development of key public health knowledge networks with experts from around the globe.
Program Science Approach
University of Manitoba has established and managed many global knowledge networks and consultations related to HIV prevention. It has taken the lead in the establishment of a global “Program Science” consortium. It has mobilized leading policy-makers from key international organizations (including UNAIDS, the Global Fund for AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, the CDC (USA) and the World Bank), key academic institutions (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College, Johns Hopkins University, University of Washington, Harvard and Duke), and program leaders from key countries (Kenya, Nigeria and India) to play their part in forming of an effective HIV surveillance system. Within the two years (2012-13) the UoM coordinated four global “HIV Program Science Initiative” meetings, supported by the National Institutes of Health and Canadian Institutes for Health Research, involving the global policy, program and science leaders to articulate the concept, scope and key domains for “program science”, identify key opportunities for improvement of the impact of HIV prevention programs and commence “program science initiative” in the aforementioned countries.
This collaborative initiative was built on UoM’s extensive networking with leading global and local academic institutions. On a global level, the UoM has ensured a successful engagement of health leaders from the international institutes listed below:
- Imperial College (London) – Epidemic modeling and strategic planning.
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – Program evaluation.
- University of Washington – Capacity building for Program Science.
- The Johns Hopkins University – Health systems and program scaling up.
- University College London – Behavioral research.
- University Level – HIV epidemiology.