Samara Toussaint
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Country Program Coordinator
United States Agency for International Development
10.2020 - Current
- Serves as the headquarters-based program manager for the West Africa Regional President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program at the Office of HIV/AIDS (OHA), providing technical support to the West Africa Regional portfolio ($81 Million): Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Liberia, Togo, Senegal, and Sierra Leone
- Provide in-country technical support to advance PEPFAR activities in the field
- Facilitates effective communication between USAID overseas Missions and field teams, GH/OHA, and Agency leadership
- Assists in developing monthly GH/OHA senior management briefers to ensure ongoing awareness of USAID’s challenges and successes in meeting PEPFAR and OHA goals
- Coordinates special analyses in consultation with OHA experts and assists in preparing routine and special reports, presentations, speeches, and briefings on developments in the West Africa Region as required by field teams and headquarters staff
- Supports analysis of countries’ performance against targets through PEPFAR’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting system and comprehensively understands the latest epidemiologic data in-country
- Coordinate and communicate with the State Department's Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC) on the country budget and targets
- Updates GH/OHA and Agency leadership on challenges and successes in the West Africa Region's progress toward local partner transition goals
- Assists with strategic planning activities for GH/OHA, including developing annual documents (e.g., Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justification, Bureau Operating Plan and Budget Submission, Annual Program Statement, Performance Plan and Report, Mission Strategic Plan, Partnership Framework, COP, etc.) for the HIV/AIDS components of regional and country programs
Case Investigator (COVID-19)
Virginia Department of Health
07.2020 - 09.2021
- Monitored and documented newly diagnosed cases to ensure they respected compliance and isolation protocols
- Called newly diagnosed cases and collected data on symptoms, exposures, and persons they have been in contact with while infectious
- Provides cases with approved information about state isolation procedures and monitors compliance with isolation
- Alerted Epidemiologists if cases are associated with congregate or other high-risk settings that require additional public health investigation or intervention
Contact Tracer (COVID-19)
NORC at The University of Chicago
05.2020 - 06.2021
- Called patients newly diagnosed with COVID-19 to provide support and gather information
- Helped patients recall everyone with whom they had had close contact during the timeframe while they may have been infectious
- Called the contacts to discuss their potential exposure
- Provided contacts with information about how to separate themselves from others who are not exposed and how to monitor themselves for illness
Research Program Analyst
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, The National Institutes of Health
01.2019 - 10.2020
- Assisted in desk-based research centered around alcohol use in adolescents, binge drinking, fetal alcohol syndrome, and policies associated with underage drinking
- Prepared briefing documents, gathers, organizes, and summarizes selected information using excel and Tableau
- Read outgoing correspondence for executive-level approval and alerts writers to any conflict, and makes recommendations for problems that arise
- Gathers and analyzes information about processes and programs; prepares reports, letters, and other documents for review and input for programs, policies, and activities
- Tracked, recorded and directed manuscripts to reviewers
- Developed and maintain spreadsheets to analyze and synthesize information for Program Officers
- Coordinated meetings and travel using Concur Government Solutions for workshops and courses for staff
- Assist in the development, review, and analysis of program technical updates
Associate Program Manager, Global Fund Management Unit
Populations Services International
08.2018 - 11.2018
- Provided routine programmatic and administrative support to the Mali and Madagascar Global Fund malaria and HIV portfolio and assisted technical staff in supporting field as necessary
- Worked closely with the GFMU Finance Team to provide significant financial management support to the country offices, including tracking of project and annual budgets from a programmatic perspective
- Supported the sub-award management process by implementing sub-award management tools, templates, methods, and processes
- Completed monthly financial reviews with the GFMU Finance team and country teams and ensured coordination of frequent procurement and supply chain management reviews
- Liaised across various departments such as grants and contracts, procurement, finance, and accounts payable to provide support to the country teams
Project Coordinator, USAID Reading within Reach Project (REACH)
University Research Co., LLC
03.2018 - 08.2018
- Technically supported international literacy education research through literature reviews, qualitative research analysis, and publication editing
- Provided administrative, technical, and logistical management support for project staff to carry out workshops, meetings, and training sessions
- Prepared and processed documentation related to recruiting and contracting consultants and subcontractors
- Assisted in the management of 14 subcontractors and 20 consultants
- This included review of monthly expenditure vouchers against budgets and monitoring subcontractor’s technical inputs
- Contributed to the development of the USAID mission Global Digital Library survey in support of the Enabling Writers program
- Supported the preliminary analysis of the USAID Education Strategy survey
- This included coding responses through NVivo and categorizing responses in excel, and summarizing qualitative data in a presentation
Improvement Specialist, USAID ASSIST
University Research Co., LLC
06.2017 - 02.2018
- Provided administrative, technical, and programmatic support to HQ quality improvement team and field offices in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Burundi, and Niger in budget monitoring and modification, documentation, work plan development, and serving as the point of contact for the field teams
- Supported cultivation of new business development opportunities and served as the proposal manager for the 'Supporting Local Organization in the Implementation of Programs for the Prevention, Care, and Treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)' and the USAID Rwanda Health Service Delivery activity
- Coordinated the USAID ASSIST-CI project close-out process in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
- This included the preparation of an inventory disposition list, calculating final salary payments to staff, and ensuring all deliverables were met
- Tracked and monitored project expenses, reviewed and processed monthly field reports, prepared and analyzed quarterly financial reports, and assisted in preparing, monitoring, and realigning budgets
- Assisted in the preparation of reports and project deliverables, including proofreading, editing, and translating for USAID submission as well as supporting Knowledge Management activities
- Contributed to developing the ASSIST-Zika Jamaica needs assessment protocol and led the development of 13 data collection tools
- This included drafting the Request for Proposals, recruiting of local data collection firm, reference reviews, obtaining IRB approval, and drafting purchase orders for vendors
- Expertly planned the logistical components of the Zika Data Collection workshop in Kingston, Jamaica
- This included the review of venues, ensuring best rates for conference packages, and served as the primary point of contact for vendors
National Malaria Coordinator
Peace Corps Benin
03.2016 - 06.2017
- Managed the daily operations of the 10-person Benin Against Malaria Committee and served as the point of contact for Peace Corps Benin staff and volunteers
- Provided technical support and guidance in efforts to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality to Peace Corps Benin volunteers
- Engaged with stakeholders in national malaria meetings and served as the point of contact: Roll Back Malaria, Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI), and Ministry of Health meetings
- Collaborated with the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to develop a malaria analysis survey that assessed the malaria response in local health centers to disseminate to volunteers
- Prepared training materials and co-facilitated malaria training for ten volunteers and 10 Beninese Nationals
- Represented Peace Corps Benin at the Stomping Out Malaria workshop in Thies, Senegal
- This included: the presentation of the Peace Corps Benin malaria initiative, participating in workshops focused on GIS mapping, CommCare survey development, and grassroots soccer malaria training
Rural Community Health Advisor
Peace Corps Benin
06.2015 - 06.2017
- Secured a USAID small project assistant (SPA) grant to develop and implement a community health fair in close collaboration with a private hospital and lead all logistical components of transporting 500 mosquito nets and 500 bottles of moringa powder for distribution to 1,000 pregnant women in rural Benin
- This also included coordinating a large-scale mass media campaign on malaria prevention in French and the local languages of Fon and Yoruba
- Designed and facilitated six capacity-building workshops where 40 healthcare workers have trained on malaria best practices and social, behavioral change communication strategies
- Implemented and managed an income-generating project for an association of 20 women and provided training on accounting, business development, and financial literacy funded by a Feed the Future grant
- Recruited and trained 2 peer educators in conjunction with Populations Services International (PSI) who disseminated sexual health education to 40 non-scholars youth
- Developed a Care Group to address specific community health issues by identifying and training ten leader mothers to disseminate health messages to 100 households
- This included promoting oral rehydration therapy, cooking demonstrations, nutritional and breast-feeding counseling, family planning promotion, maternal and child health campaigns, and home visits
- Co-founded and designed a proactive Diversity & Inclusion Committee to promote cultural sensitivity and to broaden Peace Corps Benin’s capacity for supporting volunteer needs while developing and facilitating sessions for trainees, volunteers, and Beninese nationals
Intern, Best Babies Zone Program
Louisiana Public Health Institute
01.2014 - 04.2014
- Provided door-to-door recruitment in the Hollygrove neighborhood to recruit mothers of color to participate in a program to understand the social determinants of health and improve birth outcomes
Student Assistant
University of South Florid
09.2009 - 07.2010
- Processed interlibrary loan requests by verifying all elements of the request, located materials, and prepared the necessary paperwork for submission
- Communicated with other libraries to verify if documents were available
- Maintained interlibrary loan transactions and correspondence files
- Recorded and tabulated the number of requests processed
- Assisted with collection maintenance in checking local bibliographic records and deleting holdings as needed
Education
Ph.D. - Behavioral and Community Health
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland05-2026
Master of Public Health -
Tulane University School of Public Health And Tropical Medicine (SPHTM)
New Orleans, Louisiana05.2017
Bachelor of Science - Public Health
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida08.2013
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida05.2013
Skills
Programming:
Atlasti, NVivo, SAS, SPSS, Tableau, Microsoft Office Suite
Donor Experience:
USG, USAID, CDC, The Global Fund
Country Experience
Benin, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Niger, Jamaica, Haiti, Nigeria, Uganda
Other Relevant Skills:
Project Management, Qualitative Research, Qualtrics, REDCap Grant Writing
Research and Teaching Experience
- Graduate Research Assistant (HIV STEP+ Project), George Washington University, Washington, DC, 12/01/22 - 05/01/2024
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 08/01/21 - 05/30/2024
- Graduate Research Assistant (Independent Study Contract), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 01/01/22 - 12/31/22
- Research Assistant (Tulane Innovations in Positive Parenting), Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 09/01/14 - 05/31/15
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (Training Methods for Health Care Workers), Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 01/01/15 - 02/28/15
- Research Intern, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, 03/01/11 - 12/31/12
Publications And Abstracts
- Stoebenau, K., Muchanga, G., St-Onge, S., Bwalya, C., Mwale, M., Toussaint, S., Maambo, C., Peters, C., Baumhart, C., Mwango, L.K., Lavoie, MC., Claassen, CW, Barriers and Facilitators to Uptake and Persistence on PrEP among Key Populations in Southern Province, Zambia., AIDS and Behavior, Under Review
- Mhando, F., Mushy, SE., Nyankomo, M., Conserve, D.F., Janson, S., Toussaint, S., Clients and provider Perspectives to Inform a Technology- Driven Intervention to Improve Linkage to care for HIV Self-Testing patients in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania., Under review
- Toussaint, S., Stoebenau, K., Muchanga, G., Mwale, M., Maambo, C., Mwango, L.K., Claassen, CW, Barriers and facilitators of PrEP uptake among DREAMS beneficiaries in Zambia, Accepted to IAS, 2024; Accepted to INTEREST Conference 2024
- Kopeka, M., Toussaint, S., Conserve, D.F., Mhando, F., Mushy, SE., Nyankomo, M., Janson, S., “I’m ready to go now to do the verification tests.” Barriers and facilitators to confirmatory testing following HIV Self-testing among men in Tanzania., Under Preparation
Awards
- NIH Fogarty LAUNCH Global Health Equity Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Awarded 2024.
- Fulbright- Fogarty Fellowship, Fulbright Program and the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Awarded 2024.
- Boren Fellowship, Boren Awards. Awarded 2024.
Volunteer Experience
- Masters International Student, Peace Corps Program, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 08/01/13, 06/30/17
- Project Assistant, Project Istwa, Santiago, Dominican Republic, 06/01/14, 07/31/14
- Volunteer, Global Medical Brigades, Panama, 05/01/13, 06/30/13
Professional Development
- Sampling of Populations: Methods and Applications, Epidemiology and Population Health Summer Institute at Columbia University, 06/01/20
- Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau, University of California, Davis (Coursera), 05/01/20
- Introduction to GIS Mapping, University of Toronto (Coursera), 05/01/20
- Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis in R for Public Health, Imperial College London (Coursera), 05/01/20
- French Grammar and Conversation, The French Academy DMV, 12/01/22
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Full Professional
Haitian Kreyol
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Country Program Coordinator
United States Agency for International Development
10.2020 - Current
Case Investigator (COVID-19)
Virginia Department of Health
07.2020 - 09.2021
Contact Tracer (COVID-19)
NORC at The University of Chicago
05.2020 - 06.2021
Research Program Analyst
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, The National Institutes of Health
01.2019 - 10.2020
Associate Program Manager, Global Fund Management Unit
Populations Services International
08.2018 - 11.2018
Project Coordinator, USAID Reading within Reach Project (REACH)
University Research Co., LLC
03.2018 - 08.2018
Improvement Specialist, USAID ASSIST
University Research Co., LLC
06.2017 - 02.2018
National Malaria Coordinator
Peace Corps Benin
03.2016 - 06.2017
Rural Community Health Advisor
Peace Corps Benin
06.2015 - 06.2017
Intern, Best Babies Zone Program
Louisiana Public Health Institute
01.2014 - 04.2014
Student Assistant
University of South Florid
09.2009 - 07.2010
Bachelor of Science - Public Health
University of South Florida
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
University of South Florida
Ph.D. - Behavioral and Community Health
University of Maryland
Master of Public Health -
Tulane University School of Public Health And Tropical Medicine (SPHTM)
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