steven specter, phd, chair of the asm international laboratory capacity building committee (lab cap)...
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Steven Specter, PhD, Chair of the ASM International Laboratory Capacity Building Committee (Lab Cap)
International Laboratory Capacity Building (Lab Cap)
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Microbiology
The oldest & largest life science organization in the world -1899-2006
Membership >42,000 worldwide (30% reside outside the United States)
ASM members represent 26 disciplines of microbiological specialization plus a division for microbiology educators
Publications and journals Translated books 11 journals covering the spectrum of microbiology Microbe – the News Magazine of ASM
Meetings and conference ASM General Meeting Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy
(ICAAC)
International Affairs
Ensuring that ASM's products & services effectively serve its international membership & the broader international microbiological community;
Establishing collaborative relationships with international societies & organizations;
Fostering access to microbiological knowledge worldwide;
Developing programs that address issues of global concern.
International Affairs
The International Affairs Department is under the following structure:
International Committee International Membership Committee International Education Committee International Laboratory Capacity Building (Lab
Cap) Committee
International Laboratory Capacity Building (Lab Cap) Program
Capacity Building of Global Clinical Microbiology Laboratories
Cooperative agreement with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – signed in Fall 2005
Technical support to the CDC’s Global AIDS Program (GAP) & U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiatives – activities initiated in Fall 2006
Technical support to the CDC’s Global Disease Detection Program for five sites of the International Emerging Infections Programs (IEIP) – activities to commence Fall 2007
American Society for Microbiology – Comparative Advantage
ASM’s main strength is its more than 42,000 members, >5,000 of which are clinical microbiologists. ASM is rapidly able to engage numerous experts as volunteers to provide clinical microbiological technical assistance.
Other key points:
• Many ASM clinical microbiologists are nearing retirement and/or have the capacity to travel in their current positions; and
• Many ASM clinical microbiologists have spent years developing quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programs, managing labs, instituting good laboratory practices (GLPs), and training on and designing diagnostic tools/procedures.
American Society for Microbiology – Comparative Advantage
Upon requests for technical assistance, ASM sends out calls to its massive membership to quickly mobilize world renown experts.
Examples include:
• October 2006 request for TB diagnostic experts – database of 200 qualified individuals compiled in 1 month
• August 2007 request for TB lab infrastructure design and renovation experts – current database includes 52 qualified individuals, compiled in 2 weeks
PEPFAR-funded Countries Currently Requesting Technical Assistance (TA) from ASM
Botswana – OIs/TB Cote d’Ivoire - TB Kenya - OIs Mozambique – OIs Namibia – TB Nigeria – TB/OIs Zambia – TB/OIs Zimbabwe - SOPs
OI/TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
BotswanaASM to provide technical support for strengthening
clinical laboratory diagnostics for common OIs, as well as to the National Tuberculosis Reference
Laboratory (NTRL) for TB diagnostics.
TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
Côte d’IvoireASM to provide technical assistance to the national TB laboratory network for infrastructure design and renovation of labs to support TB culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST); support for training in Lowenstein-Jensen and liquid (MGIT 960) culture,
DST, and identification.
OI/TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
KenyaASM is working with CDC-Kenya and the Kenyan
National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) to establish a central microbiology laboratory at the
NPHL to serve as a reference microbiology laboratory. This will strengthen the organizational
structure of the NPHL to establish and offer clinical microbiology services to HIV/AIDS patients
countrywide. Kenya is also interested in expanding their TB culture
capacity with the BD MGIT 960 at multiple sites, which ASM may help support.
OI Diagnostic Capacity Building
MozambiqueASM to provide technical assistance to its laboratory
system, specifically for the strengthening of diagnostics for common OIs through laboratory
infrastructure improvement and training of laboratory personnel.
TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
Namibia Since Fall 2006, ASM is assisting the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) to:Renovate central TB lab for efficient and
quality testing and establishing a safe work environment
Strengthen TB lab staff at central and peripheral labs
Improve quality of testing for TB smear microscopy, culture, & drug susceptibility testing (DST)
OI/TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
NigeriaASM to develop a comprehensive QA/QC system
for TB; suggest improvements to the AFB Microscopy training curriculum currently used in
Nigeria; provide technical expertise on the structural design of new and existing labs for TB culture/DST; and improve training for simple OI
diagnostics (emphasis on microscopy).
OI/TB Diagnostic Capacity Building
Zambia
Since Fall 2006, ASM has offered support with strengthening basic bacteriology and the
implementation of new technologies for AFB microscopy, blood culture, TB culture, and
DST.
SOP Writing Capacity Building
ZimbabweDuring a 2-week TA mission, ASM assisted CDC-Zimbabwe & ZINQAP to:
Review the National Clinical SOPs for accuracy & content Develop & include procedural details required by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that were not in the original SOPs
Transcribe SOPs into the ISO format Develop QC procedures that would meet minimum ISO
standards.
ASM Lab Cap Successes
Large pool of technical experts to select from ASM membership >42,000
Providing timely advice on laboratory renovations, equipment and supply needs Detailed lists on lab renovation requirements, equipment and supply
needs have enabled countries to better allocate their funds Mentoring that has enabled visible, immediate results in
improving laboratory diagnosis of TB and OIs Maintenance of relationships with in-country laboratorians
ASM consultants’ expertise has lead to constant requests from in-country laboratorians to have them return and ongoing, even remote relationships have been maintained
ASM Lab Cap Successes
Collaborations with key individuals from international agencies such as CDC, WHO, International TB Union, Merieux Foundation, FIND, leading to development of experience-based best practices
Pulling from strong international collaborators to gain information on activities already ongoing in-country and harmonizing our efforts accordingly
Developing and harmonizing international training tools for TB and OIs
Developing specific national strategic plans and scopes of work for each consultant
Shorter term contracts leading to more frequent monitoring and evaluation of deliverables
ASM Lab Cap Challenges
Limited comprehension of TB/OIs and the long-term commitment needed to build capacity Underestimation of the amount of TA needed to
implement TB and OI procedures Limited resources (i.e. training materials, SOPs,
etc) available for OI diagnosis in low-income settings
Misunderstanding of technical consultancy vs. implementing partner roles
Inconsistencies in ability to communicate with in-country USG contacts
Lapses in three-way communication between CDC-ATL, CDC-country staff, and CoAg partner
Most Successful Operating Environments
Supportive Ministry of Health and National Programs
Good working relationships between National Reference Lab and corresponding National Programs
Collaboration between National AIDS Program and Microbiology-related Programs (i.e. NTP)
TB Expert and/or Microbiologist within USG team Facilitates proper planning; creates continuity in
activities; enables knowledge sharing
ASM International Affairs Staff
Lily Schuermann, Director
Lynee Galley, Manager Mah-Sere Keita Sow, Manager Todd Peterson, Manager Alexis Greenan, Coordinator Jessica McLean, Coordinator Jennifer Sanwogou, Coordinator
American Society for Microbiology
Visit the ASM Website atwww.asm.org
American Society for Microbiology1752 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036Phone - 202-737-3600
Fax - 202-942-9328E-Mail - international@asmusa.org
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