Internship @ KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation Ethiopia

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) is one of the leading international non-profit organizations dedicated to fighting tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. We are an international center of expertise for TB control that stimulates effective, efficient and sustainable tuberculosis control strategies in a national and international context. We are an organization of passionate TB professionals, including medical doctors, researchers, training experts, nurses and epidemiologists.

Over the past century, we have built a wealth of knowledge and expertise, initially by successfully driving back TB in the Netherlands, and subsequently by partnering in the fight against TB in over 40 countries worldwide.

We operate from a central office in The Hague in the Netherlands and additional country offices worldwide. KNCV raises funds from individual, institutional and corporate donors.  In Ethiopia, KNCV has more than 13 years of experience in comprehensive TB program support of the national program.

Background

Ongoing transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a major obstacle to the United Nations (UN) End-TB strategy. To reach targets of 90% reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality by 2035, implementation of new and improved diagnostic and treatment approaches are urgently warranted. This study will adopt a Triage-and-Treat approach using novel TB diagnostic technologies to guide implementation of short, all-oral regimens for DR-TB.

The TriAD study is a multi-center, multi-country Prospective Pragmatic Cohort study assessing the effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of implementing the GeneXpert MTB/XDR (Xpert XDR; Cepheid) assay for rapid triage-and-treatment of DR-TB. The proposed study aims to screen approximately 4800 GeneXpert MTB/RIF or Ultra positive (irrespective of rifampicin resistance status) patients from 13 study sites in South Africa (2), Nigeria (6) and Ethiopia (5) to enroll 880 rifampicin-resistant (RR, cohort 1) and 400 isoniazid-resistant (HR, cohort 2) patients. The Xpert XDR assay that tests for resistance to isoniazid, fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable agents, will be implemented as a reflex test to provide rapid genotypic susceptibility testing for DR-TB detection and its result will be used for selection of appropriate, evidence-based all-oral DR-TB treatment regimens of shortest possible duration. In parallel, the molecular bacterial load assay will be used to provide bacillary load monitoring over the course of treatment to assess real-time treatment response.

Outcome data among patients enrolled in Cohort 1 of this study will be compared to historic outcome data of similar DR-TB patients diagnosed and managed at study sites 12-18 months before the proposed prospective study. Diagnostic data of Xpert XDR assay screening for HR, pre-XDR and XDR will inform optimal placement of Xpert XDR within the current DR-TB diagnostic algorithm. Furthermore, operational and cost-effectiveness research generated in this study will be used to inform policies and guidelines for programmatic implementation of the triage-and-treat model.

In Ethiopia, five DR-TB treatment initiation centers (TICs) will need to enroll approximately 220 patients for cohort 1 and 100 patients for cohort 2 over the course of 18 months for the main study. For these patients, baseline and follow-up data will be collected (demographic information, detailed information about all assessments done at baseline, clinical response to treatment, as well as any treatment changes, adverse events, etc.). Additional data will be collected for cost-effectiveness and feasibility and acceptability side studies.

In Ethiopia, this project is carried out by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) in collaboration with   KNCV.

Purpose of the position and organizational position

KNCV is looking for an intern who will facilitate data collection in two Addis Ababa study sites (Alert and St Peter Hospital) and research activities of the EDCTP TRiAD multicenter cohort study project, in close coordination with the TRiAD in-country team (KNCV and EPHI), M&E and Research Officer, Data Management unit for TriAD at EPHI, study site coordinators, data clerks at study sites, KNCV Netherlands, and Data management team of the consortium.

The intern will report hierarchically to the TRiAD study coordinator and functionally to TRiAD M&E and research officer, TriAD study coordinator and in-country team.

Duties and responsibilities

• Facilitate study participant recruitment at two of the study sites in Addis Ababa (St Peter and Alert Hospital)
• Monitor patient flow, sample referral and ensure documentation as per the SOP and GCP standard.
• Maintain confidentiality in clinical files
• Support/assist health facility staff in completing the various CRFs as well as patient management related activities whenever needed
• Keep day to day communication with the M&E and research officer in updating daily findings
• Participant in a weekly TRiAD in-country update meetings
• Monitor the quality of data collected at site-by-site level study staff
• Oversees the standard operating procedure is in place and being followed in study implementation together with the TRiAD study team
• Ensure the data queries from TRiAD consortium and other stakeholders are addressed in an accurate and timely manner together with M&E and research officer
• Participate in workshops prepared on the TriAD study
• Participate in other scheduled activities
• Get familiarized with the study protocol, data collection tools and consent form of the study
• Maintain diplomacy and confidentiality
• Other related necessary duties as per the supervisor’s request

Qualifications and experience

• BSC in Health Officer or Nursing preferably with experience in TB control activities and preferable in Drug resistant TB clinical management and control activities
• Experience in research specifically done with focus on ensuring ethical standard, data collection with exceptional attention to detailed clinical monitoring of DR-TB patients
• Knowledge on ICH-GCP is a plus
• In depth knowledge and experience in research (experience in Operational Research is desirable)
• Up to date knowledge of Tuberculosis diagnosis and care is a plus
• Able to pay close attention to details
• Excellent oral and writing skill in English
• Ability to speak Affan Oromoo is a plus
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently

What does KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation offer?

• A full time (37.5 hours) contract for three months, with the intention to extend the contract;
• An informal work atmosphere in an international environment, where initiative is appreciated;
• A highly motivated team of experienced, self-driven colleagues;
• The salary as per the scale:
•  The KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation has its own HR Manual.