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Greetings!
On Monday, DGHI Director Michael Merson was appointed interim vice president and vice provost for global strategy and programs at Duke. Dr. Merson's leadership and expertise will provide a smooth transition following the resignation of Greg Jones, who established the Office of Global Strategy and Programs in 2010. This new responsibility will be in addition to his roles as director of the Institute and vice chancellor for Duke-National University of Singapore affairs.
This week, President Richard Brodhead begins his whirlwind trip to the United Kingdom, China, Singapore, Tanzania and Uganda, where he'll see firsthand Duke's commitment to global education, research and service. Along the way, he'll visit with DGHI faculty, students and partners. Subscribe to his travel blog for daily updates, photos and video.
Until next time,
Geelea Seaford and Everyone at DGHI |
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Merson Named Interim Leader of Global Programs at Duke
Michael H. Merson, the founding director of the Duke Global Health Institute and vice chancellor for Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Affairs, has been named interim vice president and vice provost for global strategy  and programs, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead announced Monday. Merson succeeds on an interim basis Greg Jones, who is stepping down from the position for health reasons after creating the Office of Global Strategy and Programs (OGSP) in 2010. The university will launch an international search for a permanent successor to Jones at the start of the academic year in September. In the meantime, Merson will oversee the OGSP and engage the Duke community in the development of global academic programs across the university, including the planning for Duke's efforts in Kunshan, China. Merson will continue to lead the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI). "Greg Jones laid a strong foundation for Duke's global identity, and we are profoundly grateful for his leadership and ability to connect Duke's many programs, across the university and around the world, into a unified strategic vision," Brodhead said. "We wish Greg a speedy return to full health and are glad that he will remain a valued member of our faculty and the Duke community." Jones moved into the global role after serving as dean of the Duke Divinity School for 13 years. He was responsible for the launch of a number of new interdisciplinary and international programs, the construction of a new building, and significant fundraising. Over the past year, as the chief advocate for Duke's global initiatives, Jones helped to articulate Duke's international engagement and oversaw the planning and negotiations that led to the creation of Duke Kunshan University.  |
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HIV/AIDS Intervention Hailed as Model for Coping with Childhood Sexual Trauma
A mental health intervention developed by Duke clinical psychologist Kathleen Sikkema was added this month to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The Duke intervention, Living in the Face of Trauma (LIFT), is a 15-session group intervention for HIV positive individuals with a history of childhood sexual abuse, and has been shown to reduce unprotected sex and substance abuse among individuals with HIV.
NREPP is a searchable online registry of reviewed, rated and scientifically-tested mental health and substance interventions that can be used for broader implementation and dissemination.
Research has shown that rates of sexual abuse among people with HIV are nearly double that of the general population, and those with childhood sexual abuse histories are more likely to abuse substances and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. By addressing the stressors related to sexual abuse in this population, LIFT may improve health outcomes for those living with HIV and prevent further HIV infections.
LIFT was designed to help people make linkages between their sexual abuse histories and current risk behaviors, and to develop adaptive strategies for coping with sexual abuse and HIV infection. A primary focus of the program is on social support, identification of emotions and perceptions related to sexual trauma and HIV, reducing avoidant coping, and improving interpersonal relationships. Through discussion, coping skill-building exercises and goal setting, participants are able to develop communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills, as well as relaxation techniques and emotion regulation to improve coping and reduce HIV sexual transmission risk behavior and substance use.
"The cornerstone of the LIFT intervention is its integration of mental health treatment and HIV prevention to improve health related outcomes," said Sikkema, professor of psychology and neuroscience and global health at Duke and DGHI. "Our treatment program works because people develop the skills to cope effectively with the combined stressors resulting from sexual abuse and HIV infection. When they develop adaptive coping skills, psychological functioning is improved and they are able to reevaluate harmful behaviors like sexual risk behaviors and substance abuse. In addition, the group setting helps to reduce stigma and shame, therefore having the potential to improve self esteem and overall quality of life."
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Nine Community Leaders Participate in Statewide Fellowship Program, Improve Health Disparities in North Carolina
Nine mid-level health or social work professionals are poised to improve health disparities in their community with their participation in the North Carolina Health Disparities Fellowship Program, sponsored by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund and the Duke Global Health Institute.
The two-year fellowship aims to increase the leadership skills of individuals working to eliminate health inequalities in North Carolina through training, mentorship and opportunity. Through a community-based project on a health disparity topic, two classes of fellows are learning to effectively design and implement community assessments and interventions that address complex issues related to health disparities. North Carolina Central University, East Carolina University and Duke University have worked together to implement the training and mentorship.
"The Duke Global Health Institute was pleased to participate in the North Carolina Health Disparities Fellowship Program," said Dennis Clements, faculty director, senior advisor at the Duke Global Health Institute and a Duke pediatrician. "Interacting with the fellows and seeing them grow as community health professionals has been a rewarding experience for me and for them."
At a special networking and appreciation event held at Duke last week, the first and second classes of fellows gathered with their mentors, community partners and program leaders to celebrate their accomplishments thus far and discuss how their projects are shedding light on a health topic they are passionate about. The first class of fellows has completed the program; the second class is currently implementing their projects in the community and will complete the program later this year. As part of her fellowship project, NC Health Disparities Fellow Crystal Dempsey secured a three-year, $300,000 grant from the North Carolina Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities to establish a 15-county Eastern Health Network that seeks to empower African Americans to become their own health advocates.
"The North Carolina Health Disparities Fellowship really helped me with the vision to create this network and help me accomplish my goals," said Dempsey, regional health disparities coordinator for the Northeastern North Carolina Partnership for Public Health.
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Grants Awarded to DGHI, CHPIR Researchers in May and June
Sumi Ariely, assistant professor of the practice of global health, has been awarded a one-year, $40,000 grant from Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) to study the experiences of orphaned and abandoned children in Ethiopia who are forced to leave institutions and enter other care placement options.
Christopher Conover, research scholar at the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research (CHPIR), has received a one-year, $151,290 grant from the Searle Foundation to conduct research on the costs and benefits of health services regulation. He was also awarded a six-month, $40,000 grant from the American Enterprise Institution for Public Policy for the development and dissemination of a guide on American Health Economy Marketing Activities.
Joanna (Asia) Maselko, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and global health, has received a one-year, $124,740 grant from NIH-Fogarty International Center for the Sri Lanka Healthy Minds Study (SLHMS), a new collaborative research project between Duke University and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ruhuna that aims to describe the epidemiology of depression and cognitive impairment among elderly Sri Lankans.
Jan Ostermann, associate research professor of global health, has been awarded a one-year, $40,000 grant from Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) to identify preferences for HIV testing options that are associated with uptake in testing in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.
Kimberly Walker, associate director of the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, has been awarded a one-year, $64,000 grant from The France Foundation for research that addresses specific unmet needs and clinical gaps in the health of patients with HIV.
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