News and Stories
Rethinking Global Health: The Third Symposium on Integration Science
What could global health achieve if it stopped organizing itself along traditional lines? On October 27, the Third Symposium on Integration Science will explore the latest advancements in integration science, a growing field that bridges fundamental gaps in traditional, disease-specific approaches to global health by applying expertise and methodologies from a range of disciplines. The Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital will host the symposium in Boston and online.
PEN-Plus Spurs Specialized Higher Education Programs
Advanced training for care providers has been a pillar of PEN-Plus from the start. Now two African universities are building that training into higher education: The University of Rwanda is preparing to launch a nursing master’s degree in noncommunicable disease management, while Kampala International University is exploring a program in cardiology training.
With PEN-Plus Mentoring, a Tanzanian Doctor Helps Patients Reclaim Their Lives
Once a month, specialists travel to Kondoa District Hospital in central Tanzania to see patients alongside Dr. John Reuben. For Dr. Reuben, the hospital’s district coordinator for noncommunicable diseases, those visits have become an essential hands-on education for treating patients with more complex conditions. “There were certain tests I couldn’t perform at my level,” he said. “The specialists have taught me how to treat these patients more effectively.”
Research Sought on PEN-Plus in Africa
Preparations are in full swing for the Third International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, slated for June 23–25 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference will celebrate the accelerating momentum of the PEN-Plus movement and highlight the latest research, for which the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has issued a call for abstracts.
‘Positioned as a Solution’: Three Intensive Years Preceded Kenya’s National Plan for PEN-Plus
Several countries that have already implemented PEN-Plus are now launching national operational plans to detail how they will use the model to expand, integrate, and decentralize care for people living with noncommunicable diseases. A leader in Kenya’s Ministry of Health recently revealed critical steps in ensuring that country’s plan would be a success.
Cameroon Opens Its First PEN-Plus Clinics
The clinics at Mfou and Djoum district hospitals arose from years of collaboration driven by Cameroon’s Ministry of Health and the WHO Regional Office for Africa, with boosts from an informal coalition of health officials in Francophone countries.
Type 1 Diabetes Study in Liberia Shows Value of Patient Education and Peer Support
A recently published study found that patient education and peer support helped people living with type 1 diabetes in rural Liberia manage their disease. “Their extra barriers to health,” said Dr. Alma Adler, the Network’s research director, “make it even more critical for patients in low-resource settings to gain both problem-solving skills and a strong clinical understanding of their condition.”
Kenya’s Milestones in Noncommunicable Disease Care Follow Years of Collaboration
The Kenya Ministry of Health, NCD Alliance Kenya, NCDI Poverty Network, and partners convened for Kenya’s inaugural National NCD Conference, which featured the launch of a PEN-Plus National Operational Plan.
Mozambique Hosts a Regional PEN-Plus Study Tour
The NCDI Poverty Network’s co-secretariat in Maputo, Mozambique, and the Southern Africa Regional Hub recently hosted a study tour to enable representatives from the Ministries of Health of Angola, Eswatini, and Lesotho to learn about PEN-Plus implementation.
‘I Am a Warrior’: PEN-Plus Camp Shows the Power of Peer Support for Young People Living with Severe NCDs
“I am a warrior. I am brave. I am triumphant.” With that mantra, participants in Camp Tuli Bonse—an integrated camp for young people living in Zambia with type 1 diabetes or sickle cell disease—learned how a sense of unity can confer benefits beyond physical health.
African Health Leaders Call for a Greater Investment in Integrated Models of Care
Dr. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network, represented PEN-Plus at a high-level side event during the recent 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. There delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Open for Care: Zambia Cuts the Ribbon on Fourth and Fifth PEN-Plus Clinics
Zambia health officials recently opened the country’s fourth and fifth PEN-Plus clinics, marking both occasions within weeks of launching the country’s national operating plan for the care of people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. Both new clinics have received support from the Scottish Government.
Health Leaders Commit to Accelerating PEN-Plus in Africa
At the second International Conference for PEN-Plus in Africa, recently held in Abuja, health leaders, policymakers, and development partners across Africa renewed their commitment to an accelerated implementation of the PEN-Plus to significantly expand access to care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Toolkit Offers Guidance for Monitoring and Evaluating PEN-Plus Care
The NCDI Poverty Network recently launched the PEN-Plus Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help clinicians, implementers, and planners deliver high-quality care to people living with severe noncommunicable diseases in resource-limited settings.
ICPPA Positions Nigeria as Leading PEN-Plus Advocate, Media Coverage Shows
The second International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa positioned Nigeria as a leading advocate for PEN-Plus across the African continent, media coverage of the July conference showed.
Zambia Launches National Operational Plan
Zambia health officials recently took a significant step forward in PEN-Plus implementation with the launch of a national operational plan to support and expand care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, or CIDRZ, a PEN-Plus implementing partner working with the NCDI Poverty Network, hosted a launch event in Lusaka.
Clinicians and Peer Educators Share Tools for Diabetes Self-Management
A peer education event in May brought clinicians and community advocates from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda together for training on type 1 diabetes management and symptoms, leadership, and…building towers out of spaghetti.
Webinar Series Solidifies PEN-Plus Collaboration Among Francophone Countries
Health officials from several French-speaking countries in western and central Africa have begun meeting in a new webinar series to share—in French—their challenges and successes in expanding care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. The new series solidifies a groundbreaking collaboration that began with a February study tour in Sierra Leone.
Four New Countries Join the NCDI Poverty Network
In just the past several months, the NCDI Poverty Network has grown from 23 partner countries to 27, with the most recent additions being Eswatini, Lesotho, Niger, and Somaliland.
Partners In Health Details a PEN-Plus Clinic Opening in Sierra Leone
An audience of patients, clinicians, Ministry of Health officials, and community members recently gathered to celebrate a historic milestone for Sierra Leone: the launch of a purpose-built PEN-Plus clinic at Koidu Government Hospital. Partners In Health, the implementing partner for PEN-Plus in Koidu, has published an account of the clinic’s services.