# Building capacity for patient-centered outcomes research to improve the quality and impact of HIV care in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH D43** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $298,715

## Abstract

Abstract
Over the last 10 years, Tanzania has made significant progress expanding antiretroviral treatment (ART) to the
1.4 million people living with HIV (PLWH). With improved access to these life-saving therapies, PLWH in
Tanzania are living longer, challenging the health system to provide long-term effective HIV care and
treatment, ensure adherence to ART and retention, and adequately manage chronic co-morbidities in the
growing number of PLWH with chronic disease. Meeting this demand will require a redesign of how HIV and
primary care are delivered. Patient centered care (PCC) is an essential component of high quality care.
Defined as `providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs and
values', PCC is critical to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Tanzania where the health
demographic is changing from more acute to chronic disease. A growing literature in HIV has shown the crucial
role of PCC in improving patient ART and visit adherence, satisfaction and quality of life. Patient centered
outcomes research (PCOR) is designed to study how health systems and care delivery should be organized to
ensure PCC and improve clinical and patient-reported outcomes that are most relevant to patients and their
caregivers. In this grant, we propose to strengthen the PCOR capacity of the Tanzanian Muhimbili University of
Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) HIV research community with a long-term goal of incorporating this
discipline into studies to optimize PCC in HIV facilities in Dar es Salaam, and improve patient and health
system outcomes. MUHAS has a successful track record of NIH-funded research training programs in HIV with
a growing faculty of accomplished HIV investigators with expertise in several HIV disciplines and socio-
behavioral sciences. Our novel research training program in HIV and PCOR will support short, medium and
long-term trainings combined with capacity building in mentorship and curriculum design to achieve the
following aims and plan for sustainability: Aim 1. Build the capacity and expertise in MUHAS HIV
researchers to design and conduct PCOR in HIV in Tanzania; Aim 2. Develop a team of faculty leaders and
mentors at MUHAS able to provide mentorship and training for new HIV PCOR investigators and sustain the
PCOR scientific agenda; and Aim 3. Advance the in-country HIV PCOR agenda by formally integrating PCOR
courses into existing graduate degree programs. This grant will support 6 post-doctoral fellows, 2 Masters and
2 Ph.D. students through long and medium-term PCOR trainings. Short-term PCOR skills building, mentorship
and teaching and curriculum design workshops will train over 100 participants in PCOR, mentorship and
teaching. Annual symposia will provide opportunities for the broader community of HIV investigators
to disseminate their research and form new collaborations. Through this program we will achieve the overall
goal of training a new generation of independe...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141330
- **Project number:** 5D43TW010946-03
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Claudia A Hawkins
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $298,715
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-12 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141330

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141330, Building capacity for patient-centered outcomes research to improve the quality and impact of HIV care in Tanzania (5D43TW010946-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141330. Licensed CC0.

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