CENTER ACTIVITIES

Training technology developers and users

People in training.This unit of the GHDx Center, led by the University of Washington Departments of Global Health, Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), and Laboratory Medicine, offers a four-tier progressive training program to engage individuals with varied experience and backgrounds from the fields of assay and device development, clinical laboratories, and disease specialties.

The Global Health Diagnostic (GHDx) courses create a networked group of POC test developers and POC test users from low-resource settings for training in state-of-the-art technology and challenges for global health in low-resource settings. Networking and collaboration among individuals with this unique skill set is more likely to result in the development of technologies appropriate for use in low-resource settings, thus expediting the transition from research to meaningful clinical use.

POC IDEA progressive courses

The GHDx Center training program is implemented in four progressive courses. Key UW professors and staff manage curriculum content with significant input from PATH’s diagnostics development team. Courses are taught by UW professors and PATH researchers, including those who are recognized leaders in the fields of infectious diseases, laboratory diagnostics, point-of-care test development, and needs assessment in low-resource settings.

There will be no courses offered in 2013.

Interactive course material online

Interactive course material related to Course 1 is available to everyone online at http://pocidea.mrooms.org/.

Course 1: Point-of-care diagnostics for global health

Dates: June 25-29, 2012
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Application Deadline: March 15, 2012 This course is now closed.

A description of the fifth annual GHDx Course 1 to be offered in 2012, an application form, and the syllabus from 2011 are available for download here.

Course 2: Advanced didactic and laboratory training for global health

Dates:

  • Complete course: July 16–August 3, 2012
    (Includes laboratory class, STD and HIV research class, and operations research class)
  • Laboratory class only: July 30-August 3, 2012
  • Operations mini course: July 27, 2012

Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Application Deadline: April 1, 2012 This course is now closed.

This course is for graduates of Course 1. A description of the course is available for download below. Note that course participants have the option of taking only the laboratory training class (July 30-August 3, 2012) or the full course which also includes an extensive STD and HIV research course and an operations research class, along with the laboratory training class. Dates for this complete course are July 16–August 3, 2012.

Tuition, travel, and housing costs for GHDx Courses 1 and 2

Once a candidate is accepted into the course, the GHDx Center will pay expenses necessary for that person to attend, including:

  • Coach class airfare to Seattle.
  • Round trip transportation between Sea-Tac airport and the University of Washington (UW).
  • Lodging for one person at the UW dormitories.
  • Meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at the UW cafeteria.
  • Course tuition.
  • Transportation to course-related activities.

For inquires about Courses 1 and 2, their application process, or cancellations, please contact:

Sabina Astete
sabinaS@uw.edu
Phone: 206.897.5335
Fax: 206-897-5363 (attention: Sabina Astete)

Course 3: Field-based clinical and user training for assay developers

Course Date: February 20-24, 2012

Location: China

Application Deadline: December 2, 2011. This course is now closed.

GHDx Center staff will take a group of three to six participants from our previous Courses 1 and/or 2 to China for a five-day introduction to the medical settings, study sites, and patients that are typical for that country. We plan to give participants insights to be used within their organizations, and tools to advocate for effective development of diagnostics for low-resource settings.

This course is for prior GHDx Center course participants who are diagnostics developers, scientists, and engineers in companies, nonprofit organizations, or universities, and who are involved in developing assays. Individuals who are actively working on assays intended for widespread use and/or commercialization are especially encouraged to apply.

For more details, and instructions on how to apply, download the course announcement:

2011 Course announcement and application instructions (37 KB PDF)

Course 4: Fellowship for laboratory scientists in low-resource settings

Application Deadline: July 15, 2011. This course is now closed.

Eligibility: Open to individuals from low-resource settings who have completed Course 1 of the GHDx Center training program series.

We invite eligible individuals to apply as a trainee in a fully funded fellowship. This fellowship will consist of six months of training in Seattle followed by a three-month period of continued, but distant, mentorship upon return to your country. The fellowships focus on diagnostic assay development and implementation. This GHDx Center Fellowship, Level 4 in our training program series, is offered to individuals from low-resource settings who completed GHDx Center Training Course 1 (in the GHDx Center training program series) in 2008, 2009, or 2010. If you are interested in participating in this fellowship, please read further details in the announcement and fellowship descriptions below. To apply, please use the application form also available below.