Short-Course Workshops

General Description: Surveillance workshops guide program officers in conducting HIV surveillance activities in their country. Course topics include, but are not limited to:

• Introduction to HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance
• Introduction to Behavioral Surveillance for Senior Surveillance Officers and Epidemiologists
• Introduction to Respondent-Driven Sampling
• Introduction to TB/HIV Surveillance
• Producing a National HIV Sentinel Surveillance & Estimates Report
• Surveillance Training of Trainers
• Many more specialty topics.

Length: Workshops typically run between 2 and 5 days each and can be adapted to participants' needs.

Location: Surveillance workshops are held in your country or region.

For more information about the surveillance process, to see our completed country reports, or to find downloadable modules, please see our Surveillance page. To begin planning a surveillance workshop, please Contact Us.

General Description: Technical data use and data analysis workshops are designed to assist country staff to use their existing data for decision making. These workshops include developing skills in database development, data cleaning, and data analysis, and they are often followed by a writing workshop. Examples of activities include:

• Assessment and analysis of an existing single source of data
• Rapid synthesis of multiple-source data for program planning
• GIS and mapping (see GIS workshops)
• Development of plan for data analysis, use, and dissemination
• Capacity-building for future data analysis, use, and dissemination.

Length: Workshops typically run between 2 and 5 days each and can be adapted to participants’ needs.

Location: Surveillance workshops are held in the country or region.

For more information or to begin planning a data analysis workshop, please Contact Us.

General Description: Triangulation workshops are designed to assist with the synthesis and integrated analysis of data from multiple sources, such as sub-national data, regional or provincial data, and NGO data, for program decision making. Triangulation seeks to examine existing data quickly to strengthen interpretations and improve policy and programs based on the available evidence. Triangulation is a powerful tool that can be used to:

• Demonstrate program impact
• Identify areas for improvement
• Direct new programs and enhance existing programs
• Strengthen understanding of complex health issues
• Provide support for making evidence-based public health decisions.

Length: Workshops typically run between 2 and 5 days each and can be adapted to participants’ needs.

Location: Surveillance workshops are held in the country or region.

For more information about the process or to see our completed country reports, please visit our Triangulation page. To begin planning your Triangulation workshop, please Contact Us.

General Description: GIS is software that helps data users to think spatially about available information. It assists in the guidance of strategic decision making. GIS has a variety of different capacities and can be tailored to a range of needs to create a more accurate representation of the real world, link features to information, and assist in solving public health–related questions. We use GIS with our triangulation activities.

Length: Workshops typically run between 2 and 5 days each and can be adapted to participants’ needs.

Location: Surveillance workshops are held in the country or region.

For more information or to begin planning your GIS workshop, please Contact Us.

General Description: UCSF is a center of excellence for evaluation science. We provide guidance and services to develop and test evaluation information systems. Training and technical assistance in various aspects of monitoring and evaluation include effective use of data and strategic information for program planning and improvement.

Technical assistance in data-use activities includes:

• Helping sites develop data collection strategies and training staff to collect and clean study data
• Ensuring high quality datasets through local or remote database infrastructure
• Helping sites generate reports and translate results into strategic information
• Assisting in data analysis activities
• Developing program staff’s understanding about the use of data from key indicators collected routinely for program evaluation and improvement.

The technical assistance planning process allows us to assess program needs for monitoring and evaluating capacity and to establish flexible solutions for collecting, managing, analyzing, and returning information to country programs.

Length: Workshops typically run between 2 and 5 days each and can be adapted to participants’ needs.

Location: Surveillance workshops are held in your country or region.

For more information about our different methods of M & E, please visit our Monitoring & Evaluation page. To begin planning your M & E workshop, please Contact Us.

General Description: Scientific writing workshops are designed to assist researchers in developing countries to complete scientific manuscripts that use local data and to submit them for peer-reviewed publication. The workshops are offered to host country institutions or groups of individuals who have collected data from HIV prevention- and care-related research studies, including Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) or Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS), other surveillance or epidemiological data, triangulation activities, or other special studies. These workshops also build skills to write new protocols, operational plans, and annual reports.

To be able to take full advantage of the experience, participants are asked to prepare for the workshop by having their data “cleaned” and analyzed before the beginning of the session. If participants need assistance in how to focus data, please refer to Data Analysis workshops. At the writing workshop, participants can expect to engage in interactive learning modules on writing techniques, in addition to being paired one-on-one with an experienced UCSF faculty mentor.

Length: Writing workshops generally run between 5 and 15 working days, depending on participants’ needs and availability.

Location: Our courses are offered in the host country.

Languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese

Published Articles From Past Workshops:

Apondi R, Bunnell R, Awor A, Wamai N, Bikaako-Kajura W, Solberg P, Stall RD, Coutinho A, Mermin J. Home-based antiretroviral care is associated with positive social outcomes in a prospective cohort in Uganda. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2007 Jan 1; 44(1):71-6.

Homsy J, Kalamya JN, Obonyo J, Ojwang J, Mugumya R, Opio C, Mermin J. Routine intrapartum HIV counseling and testing for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in a rural Ugandan hospital. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006 Jun;42(2):149-54.

Kongkaew W, Siriarayaporn P, Leelayoova S, Supparatpinyo K, Areechokchai D, Duang-ngern P, Chanachai K, Sukmee T, Samung Y, Sridurongkathum P. Autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis: a report of a second case in Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Helath, 2007 Jan; 38(1):8-12.

Stangl A, Wamai N, Mermin J, Awor A and Bunnell R. Trends and predictors of quality of life among HIV-infected adults taking highly active antiretroviral therapy in rural Uganda. AIDS Care, 2007; 19(5):626- 636.