Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya

HIV - continuum of care and implementation science

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) was established in 1901 as a national teaching and referral hospital and a medical research site. It serves as the most senior referral hospital in the Kenya health system. The KNH campus hosts the oldest medical school in Kenya - the College of Health Sciences at the University of Nairobi - as well as several other training and medical research institutions, including the Kenya Medical Training College, the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the National Laboratory Service. Additionally, KNH offers Specialized Nursing Training in the in-house nursing school which was established in 1996. The nursing school now provides specialized training for nurses from East and Central Africa and graduates approximately 100 nurses each year. KNH will provide an inter-professional training opportunity related to the continuum of HIV care, among other conditions, within an implementation science framework. This site offers a wealth of experience, including but not limited to research related to HIV prevention, treatment and care, infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases.

KNH has a dedicated Research and Programs Department which is responsible for coordinating research within the hospital. The Research and Programs office provides research support for personnel within the hospital as well as students at the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences who wish to conduct research within the hospital. Support provided includes technical assistance crafting research studies and biostatistical or epidemiological consultation. The department also organizes several training opportunities within the institution on conduct of clinical research studies and convenes symposia on other topics of interest such as radiation safety, diabetes, mental health, and alcoholism. Additionally, the Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi Ethics and Research Committee (KNH/UoN ERC) is responsible for implementing basic ethical principles and the regulations from the National Council of Science and Technology, Government of Kenya and University of Nairobi/KNH policies governing protection of research participants. The Office for Human Research Protection, a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has granted KNH/UoN ERC the authority to perform these activities under KNH’s Federal Wide Assurance (FWA#00002173).

KNH has longstanding and robust relationships with the University of Washington, New York University and Yale University through various projects and programs. These collaborations have resulted in innumerable projects being implemented at KNH and in Kenya and many publications in the fields of HIV, STIs, and malaria. In 1988, the University of Nairobi (affiliated with KNH) and the University of Washington, through the Fogarty-funded International AIDS Research and Training Program (IARTP), initiated a collaboration for a reciprocal training program for Kenyan and US-based health professionals. The IARTP has facilitated the training of Kenyan-based researchers at the University of Washington, including Dr. James Kiarie, Dr. Nelly Mugo, Dr. Irene Inwani, and Dr. John Kinuthia. This program demonstrates the kind of innovative and timely collaboration that supports the capacity building of health professionals based at KNH and ultimately improves the quality of research conducted at the institution. Through IARTP, KNH and the University of Washington, 10 Kenyans and 21 US fellows have been trained. We believe that because of this collaborative history, KNH has the capacity and necessary infrastructure to successfully engage with Yale University to mentor future cohorts of global health professionals.