On October 3, ICHAD’s Director Dr. Fred Ssewamala was part of a select panel of Washington University faculty to discuss research and discovery in a symposium honoring the inauguration of Chancellor Andrew Martin. Dr. Ssewamala’s presentation titled “Global Health Work in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for Scientific Researchers” detailed the work of ICHAD and SMART Africa in Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana. He began by describing the reality of children in Sub-Saharan Africa living in extreme poverty and their dream of obtaining a better education. Dr. Ssewamala explained that the number of children in this region is growing rapidly and that classrooms are often overcrowded, yet the children yearn to study. The region also has the largest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in the world. He illustrated how poverty impacts child development, mental health functioning, risk-taking behavior, and more. Therefore, instead of focusing solely on the outcomes of poverty, Dr. Ssewamala structures combination interventions around financial stability. In addition to reducing poverty, these interventions positively affect physical health, mental health functioning, ART adherence for HIV-positive adolescents, family cohesion, school performance and risk-taking behaviors. Dr. Ssewamala emphasized the importance of collaboration across sectors and with families in order to implement successful interventions. Lastly, he noted the bi-directional importance of the research and how findings from the study in Sub-Saharan Africa can be used as a potential framework to address similar needs in the U.S. You can watch the video here (1:10:10).
