Global Programs

The Institute has a long history of leadership and expertise in program development, education, training and research, working closely with international organizations, national TB programs, non-governmental organizations, healthcare providers and others. GTBI experts provide technical assistance on a variety of topics including ethical issues in TB, TB at the primary healthcare level, TB/HIV co-infection, multi-drug resistant TB and patient care in the private sector. Physicians and educators from the Institute have participated in training, conferences, presentations and symposia around the world.

Experience

GTBI has significant experience in the international TB arena.  Selected accomplishments, in collaboration with partners include:

• Development of an Ethics of Tuberculosis, Prevention Care and Control  Assessment Tool for National TB Programs and a supporting Ethics of Tuberculosis Prevention, Care and Control training curriculum that can be adapted and used by TB Programs and others
• Development of the online World Medical Association courses TB Refresher Course for Physicians and MDR-TB Course
• Providing tailored training for hundreds of health care professionals as individuals and as part of study tours from more than 25 countries over the last decade
• Membership in the Stop TB Partnership, where staff have participated in the DOTS Expansion Working Group, Working Group on MDR-TB and TB/HIV.  Our former Executive Director was Senior Advisor of the  Secretariat
• Workshops for members of the media in Moscow, Bucharest, Vilnius, Riga, Berlin and Mexico City to raise awareness and improve media coverage of TBActivities to support public-private partnerships in the Philippines, including a Pharmacy DOTS Initiative, TB Champions Project for medical schools and development of pre-service training materials for providers
• Development of the Brief Guide on Tuberculosis Control for Primary Health Care Providers for Countries of the WHO European Region with a High and Intermediate Burden of Tuberculosis in conjunction with the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

What GTBI can do for you

Specific services that GTBI can provide include:

• Needs assessments: Assessments can be conducted as background for programmatic interventions or specifically for development of training materials and curricula.  Assessments will provide understanding and insight for the development of innovative and effective ways to improve the management of TB
• Technical assistance and training for specific clinical and programmatic areas including:
• Development of training materials for health care workers, patients and community members, using a tailored  systematic approach
• Ethical issues in management of TB
• TB/HIV care and treatment, including integration of services and clinical care
• Strategies and approaches for preventing, diagnosing, and treating pediatric TB
• Use of surgical interventions for MDR-TB
• Technical assistance for planning and implementing a TB Center of Excellence
• Human resources development:  Specific training and guidance on development and implementation of HRD plans can be provided including development of an overall strategy as well as specific training or approaches to meet identified needs
• Individualized training programs: Development programs in specific aspects of TB control for physicians, nurses, educators, government officials and others. Specialized training can be tailored to meet the interests and needs of international participants, aiming to build the knowledge and skills of persons working in these settings

For more information, contact Rajita Bhavaraju at: rajita.bhavaraju@rutgers.edu