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Impact

Evidence is key to scaling and sustaining the WISH model. Our team has collectively published several peer-reviewed journal articles on each prong of the WISH model. We have also received peer-reviewed grants from a number of agencies including the NIH, USAID, and Grand Challenges Canada.

International Collaborations

Archival Publications

Pocket Colposcope
Callascope
Algorithm
Thermal Ablation
HPV Testing cont.

 

 

HPV Testing

Funds Raised To Date

"*" = denotes past support

PI - Nimmi Ramanujam, PhD
Project Name
Date
Description

HOPE: Women Empowering Women to Adopt New Technologies for Cervical Cancer Screening

 1/1/2020 - 1/1/2021 The project will implement an innovative model of healthcare delivery that is community-based, relying on women empowering women to be active agents of change in their own health care. This model gives women privacy and agency over cervical cancer screening, allowing 98 out of every 100 women to complete care at home
Closing the gap between identification and treatment of cervical abnormalities 4/1/2019 - 4/31/2021 This project aims to conduct a randomized controlled trial of 20,000 women in Peru to test a new screening, diagnosis, and treatment protocol using the Pocket Colposcope to improve the accessibility and affordability of cervical cancer care
SBIR: Innovations in cervical cancer diagnosis for low resource settings using advanced optical imaging and machine learning diagnostic algorithms 4/1/2019 - 3/31/2022 This 3-year project aims to adapt a portable, low-cost, easy-to-use Pocket-sized Colposcope (developed under other funding) for use in a community setting and cluster randomized clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of this technology in a see-and-treat paradigm in Kenya
Novel see and treat strategies for cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings 2/1/2019 - 1/31/2024 The goal of the project is to develop a technological strategy to transform the screening, diagnosis, and treatment paradigm for cervical cancer prevention in low-resource communities
Culturally Appropriate Screening and Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer in East Africa 8/1/2015 - 7/31/2020 The goal of this Academic-Industry Partnership is to work with various collaborators to bring a culturally relevant cervical cancer screening program to Eastern Africa and Latin America that will facilitate scaling of population wide screening and sustainability of see and treat programs. Our vision is to develop and implement a technological strategy that will improve patient acceptance and scalability at the community level, and physician acceptance and sustainability at the see and treat level. At the community level, we will implement a transvaginal digital colposcope, called the Pocket Colposcope, with the performance of a state of the art digital colposcope (magnification of 4-7X) but with the form factor of a tampon, that allows for speculum-free, automated and high quality VIA with magnification (VIAM) of the cervix with the potential for telemedicine
A Viable Solution for a See and Treat Paradigm for Cervical Pre-cancer in Africa*

 

 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2018 Our long-term goal was to leverage community-clinics as a way to bring early detection and treatment of cervical pre-cancer to as many patients as possible in LMICs, particularly in places where hospitals are not easily accessible. We proposed to implement a portable, point of care technology that consolidates the colposcope into a hand-held device and with an integrated visible light diffuse reflectance optical spectroscope that rapidly measures oxygen saturation, neovascularization and the morphological composition of acetowhitened sites identified by VIAM that are known to be altered with neoplastic progressions. The colpospectroscope enabled surveillance with VIAM followed by spectroscopy (in lieu histopathology on a biopsy specimen) to diagnose cervical dysplasia “on the spot,” thereby enabling a see-and-treat paradigm for women with cervical pre-cancer with cryotherapy and/or LEEP in at the same visit

 

PI -  Megan Huchko, MD, MPH                                  
Project Name
Date
Description
Developing a tool to measure cervical cancer stigma among HIV+ women in Kenya (NIH) 04/1/2019 – 03/31/2020  This project will aim to better understand the relationship between HIV stigma and HPV or cervical cancer related stigma. We will develop and validate stigma measures to guide interventions to improve cervical cancer prevention and treatment services among HIV-positive women.
Novel see and treat strategies for cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings (NIH) 02/01/2019 – 01/31/2024 Validate the accuracy and acceptability of a low-cost insertable colposcope in Peruvian primary care settings
mHealth-supported telecolposcopy for cervical cancer programs in low-resource settings (NIH) 07/1/18-06/30/20 The overall goal of this grant is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an mHealth-supported telecolposcopy approach in community settings in Lima Peru, to reduce the screening-to-treatment gap among women with cervical cancer.
Evaluating a Community-Driven Cervical Cancer Prevention Model in western Kenya (NIH/NCI) 09/01/14-8/31/19 Use Implementation and Dissemination Science to improve the reach and efficacy of evidence-based cervical cancer prevention strategies among rural women in western Kenya
Uganda-UCSF Consortium on Prevention and Early Detection of HIV-Associated Cancer (NIH/NCI) 09/01/14-08/31/19 Community based initiatives to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma through screening and early detection
An Exploration of Community Health Volunteer Characteristics, Motivations, and Experiences in western Kenya (MACH Pilot Grant)* 2/1/2018 - 3/31/2019 This project will use in-depth-interviews to explore the community health volunteer experience in the context of reproductive health
Development of a tailored text message campaign to facilitate follow-up after cervical cancer screening in western Kenya (The Charles hammond research fund)* 7/1/2018 - 6/31/2019 Develop a tailored text message campaign improve treatment acquisition among HPV positive women in western Kenya
Developing an mHealth Intervention to Improve Cervical Cancer Prevention in Western Kenya (Duke Global Cancer)* 9/1/2018 - 8/31/2019 Develop and pilot test an integrated mobile application that facilitates quality cervical cancer care through a multifaceted approach that includes patient education, appointment reminders, CHV counseling, and protocol support
Coupling Cervical Cancer Prevention with HIV testing in Community Health Campaigns in Western Kenya (Center for AIDS Research)* 2/1/2018-6/30/2019 This project will test the uptake and experience with HPV testing offered through large-scale, multi-disease campaigns running in the Kisumu region of western Kenya
Exploring preferences related to cervical cancer prevention among HIV-infected women: What are they and how to they differ from low-risk women? (NIH-NCI – Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center’s support grant)*

 

 5/1/2015 - 4/30/2016 Measuring preferences for cervical cancer screening strategies employing HPV testing among HIV-infected women to develop utilities for use in cost-effectiveness analysis

 

PI -  Patricia Garcia, PhD, MD, MPH 
Project Name
Date
Description

Kuskaya: An Interdisciplinary Training Program for Innovation in Global Health (NIH Supplement)

 08/31/2019-08/31/2020 Specific aims are: 1) provide interdisciplinary research training in innovations in GH and establish a curriculum program that addresses global health leadership, design thinking, business models, policy analysis and implementation science; 2) engage and integrate young US and Peruvian professionals and mentors from diverse disciplines to collaborate in the development of innovative GH interventions, processes, policies, business models and products appropriate for developing countries; 3) fund interdisciplinary mentored team projects to bring innovative ideas to the field; and 4) create an enabling environment to encourage meaningful innovation in global health. We aim to establish the Kuskaya (which in Quechua means “gathering together”) Center for Innovations in GH at the UPCH

Closing the gap between identification and treatment of cervical abnormalities in Lima,Peru through integration of pocket colposcopy, telemedicine and visual counseling(USAID subcontract through Duke University)

 04/04/19 – 04/03/2022 The continuum of care is one of the main challenges to ensure effective actions against cervical cancer. We are proposing to leverage what we are doing within the project “HOPE Peru: Women helping women fight cervical cancer” and improving treatment at the health center for those women found to be HPV (+). Our goal is to demonstrate that the combination of HPV self-sampling with the participation of community women, the Pocket colposcope and the thermocoagulator will yield a high proportion of HPV positive women who complete treatment and follow-up care. Main Aim To perform a demonstration trial on the feasibility of HPV self-sampling as a way to mobilize women to get to the next level of care and the feasibility of a “see and treat” strategy in a community health setting and the effectiveness of the Pocket colposcope and the thermocoagulator to improve the rates of treatment and follow up care to women who have a positive HPV results. Role: Subcontract PI. 

Interamerican Bank for Development (IBD) Social Pulse: skills, perceptions and time use in the Peruvian health sector

 01/01/2019-31/12/2019 The study aims to assess how health workers (doctors, nurses, and medical technicians) use their time during a regular workday and to assess health workers’ perceptions of their own skills perceptions as well as the skills people in their positions will need to fulfill their jobs in the future

HOPE – Women who help women to fight cervical cancer (Grand challenges Canada)

 

 09/01/2018-08/31/2021 This project proposes to implement and evaluate a new model of cervical cancer screening, including using women in the community as promoters of disease prevention; the use of "self-sampling", ex. that every woman can be sampled with a vaginal swab at home, and the introduction of molecular tests for HPV. The objective is to be a self-sustained social enterprise that provides self-testing for the detection of HPV to a commercial segment (commercial component) whose benefits allow subsidizing a low-income segment (social component) and generate awareness among the female public about the vital importance of having an HPV test as part of the cervical cancer prevention strategy.

HOPE Human Papillomavirus Screening to Improve Women’s Lives (Grand Challenges Canada and Concytec)*

 

 10/15/2014 – 04/07/2016  This project proposes to implement and evaluate a new model of cervical cancer screening, including using women in the community as promoters of disease prevention; the use of "self-sampling", ex. that every woman can be sampled with a vaginal swab at home, and the introduction of molecular tests for HPV. The study will be conducted in the Health Network in Ventanilla and last 18 months.