DR CAROLINE KANKWENDE

I support the USAID Washington GHSC-PSM project on programmatic initiatives in PEPFAR-supported countries. I am responsible for developing research concepts and analysis plans across the full supply chain spectrum, utilizing PEPFAR Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (MER) and other data sets to provide an understanding of the end-to-end commodity landscape. I conduct complex analyses where appropriate and provide technical leadership on analyses related to data triangulation (using country supply chain and patient level data), public health outcomes, and health system outcomes for the HIV Task Order team. I also collaborate with USAID Washington, USAID country offices, Ministry of Health offices and Implementing Partners to analyze and use routinely collected HIV/AIDS data to improve health programs and the supply chain. My key achievement to date includes co-authoring 2 scope of works that were approved by USAID Washington, first author on 6 fact sheets approved by USAID Washington and disseminated to countries, and developed a quarterly data quality check template.

I worked closely with project managers to provide technical Quality Improvement (QI) guidance aimed at improving the quality of services that HIV and TB clients access with a key focus on the treatment cascade and reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Conducted data analysis on routinely collected data to understand the performance of the HIV program; provided insight and analysis on how to decrease the target gap; highlighted best practices; and developed QI materials and tools. My key achievement was producing QI materials and tools for use by Panagora, South Africa USAID District Support Partners (DSPs) and USAID South Africa teams

The largest PEPFAR programme globally is managed by USAID South Africa Health Office and working within the Care and Treatment Team, my role involved helping to create and coordinate strategic KM initiatives that maximized the effectiveness of USAID's technical guidance and management of the Care and Treatment programme in South Africa. To promote innovation, boost productivity and enhance service delivery, I created a platform and helped develop a workshop for five USAID Care and Treatment District Supporting Partners to exchange knowledge, insights, and best practices. I developed and led the implementation of a KM strategy within the Health Office which included conceptualize and implement a KM plan that ensures activities reflect the Health Office strategy, designed efficient processes to identify, store, manage, synthesize, package, and disseminate information for strategic use both internally and externally to our district support partners. Finally, as part of PEPFAR Operational Phuthuma Support (POPS), I also served as a district point of contact for QI and assurance work. This involved visiting health facilities, create plans for facility improvements, and using data from daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly analyses to inform programmatic adjustments and measure progress towards performance indicators. My key achievement was leading the implementation of a KM strategy within the Health Office which included conceptualize and implement a KM plan that ensures KM activities reflect the Health Office strategy, designed efficient processes to identify, store, manage, synthesize, package, and disseminate information for strategic improvements.

As a member of the Data and Analytics Team, my role included but was not limited to conducting deep dive data analytics, participating in multidisciplinary technical working groups, provide technical support, dissemination and knowledge translation. Largely, my role included working on the design, evaluation, analysis and report write up of various PEPFAR supported programs that supported health services and were aimed at identifying gaps in programme implementation. I worked across all departments with program managers to identify and initiate projects of broader interests aligned with both the organizational and USAID South Africa or other funding organizations mission and vision. My key achievement includes an oral presentation at Public Health Association of South Africa conference.

I was primarily responsible for data management and research in addition to my work as an epidemiologist and as a knowledge management officer, I developed the knowledge management policies and standard operating procedures. I oversaw a variety of operational research projects both inside RTC and with affiliated organisations. Here, I developed my talents in engaging stakeholders and my responsibilities across the various RTC departments included but not limited to writing research policies, project conceptualization, selection of appropriate study design, sample size calculations and statistical methods for research projects, proposal write up, and submission to the relevant Ethics committee. After receiving ethical clearance for the projects where I am listed as an investigator, I oversaw the project and developed and trained personnel in standard operating procedures specific to the research study, created tools for collecting data, tracked the projects progress, supervised the project team, and maintained the confidentiality of the study and the data collected. As a Data Manager/Epidemiologist, my role on my projects consisted of data cleaning, conducting statistical analysis, writing up results and distribution of results to relevant organizations, and departments and submission to relevant conferences and/or peer- reviewed journals. My key achievements include a poster presentation at International AIDS conference, an oral presentation at Southern African HIV Clinicians Society Conference and 4 peer reviewed journal articles.

I was based at University Hospital South Manchester Education and Research Centre which serves approximately 350,000 local patients and 6.3 million in the North West. I managed data collection, verification and entry of cardiovascular surgical procedures for the clinical audit. I motivated and provided technical support to other hospitals in the North West to conduct identical clinical audit in their hospitals. I independently analyzed and constructed vascular history summaries for each patient from their respective case notes and online hospital records for Health Economics Proforma for publication. I successfully managed the local and national Vascular Governance North West (VGNW) surgery database and delivered quality control data to Clinical Audit Coordinator in order to drive improvements and innovative solutions. I developed and grew my expertise and proficiency in Good Clinical Practice (GCP). My key achievement was my contributions to the design of data collection form for the Health Economics Proforma on vascular surgery for publication and maintenance of the VGNW database.

I was the lead researcher responsible for the Breast Screening annual report (2011). I managed and coordinated data collection from relevant hospitals, PCTs and health promotion committee for report write up and I provided updates and presented the final report at several Breast Cancer Consortium meetings. Selected by public health consultant to shadow Sandwell funding assorted committee, which focused on assessing patients eligibility for healthcare funding, I developed administrative duties such as writing minutes for the meeting, weekly report update and report distribution to internal and external stakeholders. I developed proficiency in the development of cancer health promotion campaigns (breast and bowel cancer), wrote detailed quarterly reports outlining health promotion progress and developed presentation skills and team working skills for both local and remote teams. My key achievement was authoring the City of Sandwell and Walsall breast screening service for 2011 annual report.