CHAI is finding a Coordinator, Malaria Operational Research Study (Volunteer)

Recruitment Team

For decades, most fevers in Africa have been treated as malaria, and international guidelines, national policy, and treatment interventions have all assisted in institutionalizing this practice. Today, however, scale-up of malaria control efforts has in many places resulted in significant reductions of malaria morbidity and mortality rates. The age-old practice of equating fever with malaria is no longer appropriate as on average over 60% of clinically diagnosed malaria is not malaria. Those other fevers are often caused by treatable yet potentially lethal diseases that, with the continued over-diagnosis of malaria, remain untreated.

 

An important first step to reversing the trend of overtreatment is to consistently test febrile cases with a microscopy blood slide or Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its guidelines to emphasize that all suspected malaria cases should be confirmed prior to treatment. RDTs have attracted interest in recent years because of their high sensitivity, specificity, and simplicity for use in resource-poor settings.  They are seen as a way to address the gap in confirmatory diagnosis by extending parasitological diagnosis of malaria to areas without access to microscopy.

 

As countries adopt the new WHO guideline change, a number of organizations, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), are providing support to the public sector scale-up. One of main challenges is identifying the right combination of supportive interventions (e.g. training) to ensure effective RDT rollout.  Therefore, CHAI is working in several countries to pilot different supportive interventions to improve RDT uptake and adherence to test results. In Cameroon, CHAI will test whether the combination of improved health care provider training and SMS messaging will increase rates of confirmatory diagnosis and adherence to test results.

 

CHAI is currently seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding problem solving, organizational, analytical, and communication skills to coordinate the implementation of this research study.  The study coordinator will be responsible for the implementation of a baseline and endline assessment, which will measure availability, use and adherence to diagnostic tests in public health facilities before and after the implementation of the interventions. Additionally, the Study Coordinator will be responsible for research-related project activities and overseeing the rollout of the different intervention arms.  S/he will be based out of Yaounde, Cameroon with frequent and extended travel to the field.  The position will start in April for a period of six-months.

 

Responsibilities: