1998-1999
Focus: Curriculum Development, Tuberculosis
- The Partners
- Partnership Objectives
- Key Events
- Achievements
- Partnership Data
- Participating Institutions
- Partnership Contacts
The Partners
US Partner: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is the only graduate health science institution in the state of Arkansas. Developed in the 19th Century from the merger of a proprietary and a public school, UAMS occupies three campuses in the Arkansas state capital city of Little Rock. With 15 percent of its budget from state funds, UAMS generates much of its own support from patient care, which includes tertiary as well as primary care. It boasts unique resources in subspecialties of cancer therapy, pediatrics, geriatrics and tuberculosis treatment. In 1993, UAMS established an affiliation with the Volgograd State Medical Academy in order to train family practice physicians according to the successful twenty-year-old model of family medicine residency programs of UAMS.
NIS Partner: Located in Volgograd, Russia, now a municipality of 1.2 million people, in the oblast of the same name, the predecessor of the Volgograd State Medical Academy (VSMA) was founded in 1935 and graduated its first physicians in 1940. Its facilities were ruined in the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II, but it recommenced operation in 1943. Since 1962, many foreign students have trained there, and in 1993, it was granted the status of "Academy." Basic research and academic programs in medical sciences leading to doctoral degrees are conducted. The Academy also trains allied health workers. In addition, a large part of medical care in the oblast, including tuberculosis treatment, is directed by the Academy.
Partnership Objectives
Tuberculosis Improve delivery of services for the control of tuberculosis in Volgograd through introduction of current evidence based practices. Specific objectives:
- Demonstration of current therapy among a panel of Volgograd TB patients.
- Demonstration of current standards of technology for screening and tracing TB infections.
- Longer term training of two Volgograd TB experts at UAMS.
- Shorter term on-site training of thirty physicians practicing in special TB hospitals in Volgograd.
- Incorporation of current TB control measures into VSMA curricula for physicians training for family medicine, infectious disease, and other specialties.
- Initiate development of a regional reference TB laboratory in Volgograd to test specimens from the oblast for M. tuberculosis, perform drug susceptibility tests, set standards for other laboratories in the oblast, and train their technicians.
- Through intensive training in the US, substantially improve the English and research skills of the two VSMA tuberculosis scientists to become competent in conversing about laboratory activities and reading laboratory procedures as well as tuberculosis literature, all in support of sustaining their programmatic roles in the future.
- Assist Oblast in developing plans for adoption of current TB therapy in Volgograd.
Key Events
1998
- Partnership Memorandum of Understanding signed January 23, 1998 with UAMS, involving the state health department (ADH) and Veterans Administration Health System (VAHS).
- During an exchange visit in June, three US partners presented lectures on tuberculosis treatment and tuberculosis control programs at the Regional Tuberculosis Dispensary in Volgograd. Approximately sixty physicians attended the lectures. The US partners also met with the deputy governor, regional health director, VSMA rector, regional and municipal TB directors, and faculty. In Moscow they met with Russian leaders of TB research and treatment.
- Two VSMA physicians studied TB in Arkansas, one epidemiology and surveillance at ADH and the other laboratory methods at UAMS and VAHS.
- In November five US partners and three other international authorities participated in the first Russian-American TB Conference, at VSMA, along with the two physicians who just returned from their training in Arkansas.
- A referral by a National Institute of Health official led to an agreement with a group at SUNY Albany and New York State Health Department (NYSHD) for a grant to educate VSMA physicians.
1999
- The partnership received a limited grant award from AIHA in January 1999 to sustain the partnership by building upon their previous accomplishments in targeted areas.
- This grant supported study of two laboratory specialists' study for four months at ADH, one from the oblast TB laboratory and the other from the City Anti-Tuberculosis Dispensary. They learned safe handling of TB specimens, maintaining quality control, identifying positive M. tuberculosis, and ascertaining drug sensitivity. They returned to their positions in Volgograd and implemented these procedures.
- In July, at the July annual convention of Sister Cities International in Little Rock, Chancellor Ward and Vice Chancellor Cranford of UAMS along with VSMA Vice Rector Spasov participated on a panel that reviewed international health partnerships.
- Vice Rector Spasov discussed post-graduate training in toxicology with officials of the National Center for Toxicological Research near Little Rock and the development of a poison control center with the director of the UAMS poison center.
- In July ADH and UAMS jointly arranged interviews and video taping of the two visiting administrators and the two laboratory specialists by UPI and Little Rock TV Channel 12. Stories were broadcast that evening and printed in the newspaper the following day.
- A Belarussian physician, a student at Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, supported by AIHA, carried out her required project in the ADH TB Program.
- Third physician from VSMA, supported by contract with NIH-funded program at SUNY completed six-month training in Little Rock at ADH and UAMS, enrolling in epidemiology and statistics courses at the Graduate School.
- An Arkansas Department of Health TB epidemiologist lectured at VSMA and interviewed candidates for future study in Arkansas. In Moscow he discussed project coordination with a WHO and a USAID official, with other TB experts at the Central Tuberculosis Research Institute and with a TB epidemiologist at the Research Institute of Phthysiopulmonology.
- At AIHA Partners Conference the Russian Federation Minister of Health invited Vice Rector of UAMS to travel with him to Volgograd and review the TB situation.
- VSMA Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and regional director of health visited UAMS and discussed the TB project with ADH officials, TB Program and laboratory directors, and UAMS faculty. The regional health director committed to trials of TB management methods practiced in Arkansas.
- In mid-December 1998 preparations began for submitting a request to NIH for training in HIV-AIDS and TB. The NIH program would provide five years' support. Application for NIH supplemental funds for education at UAMS and ADH of two physicians from Volgograd was made in June 1999.
- In December 1999 UAMS Vice Chancellor for Regional Programs met with the Minister of Health for the Russian Federation in Moscow regarding the partners' TB project in Volgograd.
- Two physicians from Volgograd State Medical Academy completed a six-month internship in Little Rock in molecular biology and public health management and epidemiological control of tuberculosis.
- Joint conference in Volgograd on laboratory methods and clinical treatment of TB held with international authorities.
- Two TB laboratory experts learned methods for advancing performance of the regional and city TB laboratories in Volgograd.
- Partners established current evidence-based methods for collecting, handling, and testing specimens to be taught along with quality-assurance and data management at the laboratory at the Volgograd State Medical Academy.
- The VSMA laboratory procedures have been revised to improve effectiveness of testing methods and analyzing data in the absence of modernized equipment.
- Partners conducted a survey of laboratory capacities, volumes, and methods to supply necessary data for planning the reference laboratory.
- VSMA laboratory initiated quality assurance procedures, safety measures, and laboratory methods to the extent possible within resource constraints.
- Strategic planning continued for future development of a poison control center in Volgograd and training in toxicology and environmental health.
- English skills of one laboratory specialist became sufficient for conversation with her international and US peers. The other became proficient in English communications in the laboratory.
- VSMA Partners linked to Russian Federation TB experts at Central TB Research Institute and International experts at CDC, NIH and WHO.
- The partners sustained partnership activities in 2000-2001 without additional AIHA funding. The activities included: One of the first physicians from Volgograd to study in Arkansas returned to UAMS for another six months in 2000, studying epidemiology and statistics; a second year of funding continued training supported by NIH program in Albany, NY; ADH and UAMS TB experts continued both short-term instruction in Volgograd and recruitment of VSMA TB experts to study in Arkansas; the second Russian-American Tuberculosis Conference occurred at VSMA in November 2000; the third will convene in June 2001 and include a two-day course in preparing grant proposals.
| Dates of MOU Signing: | January 23, 1998 | |
| Exchanges: | NIS Partner Exchanges NIS Partner Exchange Days US Partner Exchanges US Partner Exchange Days Total Exchanges Total Exchange Days |
7 |
| Estimated Value of In-Kind Contributions: |
Medical Equipment and Supplies, Educational Materials Food and Lodging Human Resources Total |
|
- Volgograd State Medical Academy
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Contact Information for Volgograd, Russia / Little Rock, Arkansas
NIS/CEE Partner
NIS Partnership Representative
Ozerov, Alexander
Volgograd State Medical Academy
Pl. Pavshikh bortsov, 1
Volgograd, Russia 400066
Email: ozerov@vlink.ru
Phone 1: (8442) 33-99-32
Fax: (8442) 33-68-00
US Partners
US Partnership Representative
Wohlleb, James
Assistant Director
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
1123 South University Avenue, Suite 400
Little Rock, AR United States 72201-1611
Email: wohllebjamesc@exchange.uams.edu
Phone 1: (501) 686-2596
Phone 2: (800) 882-0841
Fax: (501) 686-2585
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