TB DIAH 2023 Union Conference Wrap-Up
The TB DIAH project closed out 2023 with robust participation in the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health. The Union Conference is the preeminent international conference on lung health for TB stakeholders to showcase the latest scientific research in all aspects of lung health. Held in Paris, France from November 15th-18th, 2023, this event was the first in-person meeting of the conference since COVID-19 pushed the event to virtual-only. From poster sessions to panel discussions, presentations, and the USAID booth, TB DIAH staff were busy sharing their work, learning from colleagues, and supporting the dissemination of USAID’s global TB efforts.
Presentations
The head of TB DIAH’s team in Nigeria, Dr. Abiodun Hassan, prepared and completed an oral presentation entitled “Improving TB Data Quality with Interoperability and Data Exchange in Nigeria.” More information about TB DIAH’s work in Nigeria can be found here.
Jeanne Chauffour, TB DIAH’s MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning) Technical Advisor, gave an oral presentation called “Implementing the Data-to-Action Continuum Toolkit in Ghana, Nigeria, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Bangladesh.” You can read all about the D2AC here.
Posters
Dr. Hassan also prepared and completed an e-poster presentation on “The Automated Partners Progress Report (APPR): Strengthening Data-driven Approach to TB Case Notification in Nigeria.”
TB DIAH’s Margie Joyce supported an e-poster presentation from USAID’s Anna Meltzer entitled “USAID-supported eLearning platform to train front-line workers and promote active TB case finding through contact investigations and screening of persons living with HIV.” Margie assisted with slide development and supplemental materials development and distribution. More details about the e-poster can be found on the Union Conference website. The eLearning platform can be found here.
Satellite Session
TB DIAH’s work in Nigeria was also highlighted during a satellite session entitled “Reimagining System Strengthening – What New Approaches are Needed to Improve the Experience of People with TB?,” organized by project partner JSI. At the session, Dr. Obioma Chijioke-Akaniro, of Nigeria’s National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, shared the NTBLCP’s thinking about the outcome of their work with TB DIAH in a talk entitled, “Interactive data-use: Using a TB Situation Room in Nigeria for real-time decision-making.”
In her discussion, Dr. Chijioke-Akaniro said of the Situation Room, “People say, ‘Data speaks,’ but I say, ‘On what platform?’ If data is hidden, we can’t use it to make change. TB DIAH gave us the platform to let the data speak…The impact of the Situation Room cannot be overstated because we in the government have seen the difference. There is no issue of sustainability because it’s already fully integrated into the government’s data system…By the time you are done with looking at the dashboard, you are excited about the work that Nigeria is doing.”
To see the NTBLCP’s new website, re-launched with support from the TB DIAH project, visit Home | NTBLCP | National Tuberculosis & Leprosy Control Programme.
USAID Booth
Finally, TB DIAH helped coordinate a booth at the conference that served as a headquarters for USAID, its missions, and its implementing partners and projects. TB DIAH hosted a series of informational sessions at the booth during the conference, with our experts available to answer attendee questions about the project’s work and resources. And TB DIAH organized the first-ever in-person meeting of the TB Data Special Interest Group, with over 40 attendees from USAID missions around the world re-connecting with or meeting their colleagues in person for the first time.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s conference. After several years of being unable to gather in person, it was an especially rewarding experience. Please visit the Union Conference website to learn more about the event.
