By Tapela Morapedi, 31 March 2022
InterCARE Study Physician, Dr Ponego Ponatshego and InterCARE Study Manager Dr Nabila Youssouf have been awarded $5,000 each to complete two research projects under the Small Research Project (RSP) program as part of the Heart, Lung and Blood Co-MorbiditieS Implementation Models in People Living with HIV (HLB-SIMPLe) Alliance.
Dr Ponatshego’s project is entitled “Acceptability and Feasibility of using Treatment Partners to Support Hypertension Management in People living with HIV” and it aims to apply implementation research mixed methods to measure implementation outcomes facilitating or hindering contextual determinants for successful implementation of this treatment partner strategy.
Dr Nabila’s project is entitled “Investigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of Heart, Lung, and Blood Co-morbidities Implementation Models in People Living with HIV” research programs (2020-2025 awardees)’ and aims to use mixed methods implementation research to understand cross-projects and individual country facilitating and hindering determinants and the strategies and implementation outcomes in supporting safe and effective research during a pandemic.
Both colleagues are mentored by Proffessors Mosepele Mosepele (University of Botswana) and Lisa Ruth Hirschhorn (North Western University) and Dr Laura Bogart (BHP/RAND) as part of their Early-Stage Investigators mentorship, which aims to prepare promising researchers with the necessary skills and experience to apply for future K-awards.
ACTG Award
Dr Ponego Ponatshego who is also a Study Physician for ACTG studies at BHP, has received a $50,000 award from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) to conduct a pilot study on HIV and aging utilizing the data and specimen from the HIV Infection, Aging and Immune Function Long –Term Observational Study (HAILO), with a focus on age-related issues. The HAILO study assesses clinical, immunological and functional health of older U.S persons living with HIV.
Dr Ponatshego responded to a Request for Applications for funding from the ACTG with a proposal titled “Comparative Analysis of Frailty Prevalence, Association with Levels of Systemic Biomarkers of Inflammation and Immune Function in HIV Infection in HAILO VS in a sub-Saharan Africa (Botswana) Cohort.” The ACTG Request for Application (RFA) targeted early career investigators to submit proposals for pilot studies for completion within one year. Dr Ponatshego is the Principal Investigator of the study and he will be working with Kesaobaka Molebatsi (UB) and Prof Monty Montano (BWH).
The primary aim of the study is to compare frailty risk factors and biomarker predictors of the frailty phenotype in HAILO and in a cohort of people living with HIV in Botswana. The study will also identify demographics and systemic biomarkers of inflammation and immune function that predict frailty in the two cohorts. A related secondary objective of the study is to assess weather albuminuria is associated with or predicts frailty for each cohort and overall. The comparison has a good potential of determining whether the burden of frailty in the aging HIV population in Sun-Saharan Africa is comparable to that of the U.S.
