"CIDRZ has become, in a matter of a few years, the international paradigm for programs reaching successfully into the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and elsewhere." --A. James Heynen, founder, Greystone Global
With roots in both formal research institutions and local community development, CIDRZ offers a unique approach to training. The leadership of CIDRZ recognizes that training is not just institutional, it is also interpersonal.
Ongoing clinical training allows HIV prevention and treatment, TB, and cervical cancer programs to continue reaching new clinics and new communities. CIDRZ trains nurses and doctors in adult and pediatric HIV management; the prevention of mother-to-child transmission; infant HIV testing; and cervical cancer screening and treatment. We train pharmacy technicians in HIV patient management and good pharmaceutical practice, and laboratory technicians in using and maintaining lab equipment. Clinical staff also participate in ongoing professional development, in Zambia and in the U.S., through the UCSF international training program ASPIRE (AIDS Services, Prevention, Intervention, Research and Education).
Ongoing community member training allows “task-shifting” of non-clinical care to trained health care worker extenders. Support group members earn a routine income and support clinicians through health promotion outreach, HIV counseling, and community-based follow up of missed or critical patients.
CIDRZ has also developed an internship program, HIVCorps, to engage the next generation of Zambian and American public health leaders. Established in 2003, the CIDRZ HIVCorps Internship Program has trained 55 Zambian and American interns working on a variety of treatment and preventive projects. The program was established to provide logistical support for our HIV-related service projects, to provide volunteers with the opportunity to work in developing world settings, and to foster collaborations between the American and Zambian volunteers. At the start of its fourth year, we have trained 33 American and 22 Zambian interns through a variety of treatment and prevention projects.
CIDRZ is a fellowship training site for the Fogarty International Center/Ellison Medical Foundation’s Overseas Fellowship in Global Health and Clinical Research. The fellowship provides Zambian and American graduate-level students the opportunity to participate in a one-year training program in clinical research. The program begins with a one-month intensive training program at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland and is followed by 10 months of intensive clinical research training in Zambia.