A global matchmaking web platform facilitating equitable institutional partnerships and mentorship to strengthen health workforce training capacity

The critical human resources deficit in the healthcare sector in low-resource settings (LRS) has an overwhelming impact on health outcomes and disparities in growth and development of the global healthcare workforce. There is a lack of qualified trainers and mentors and this makes it challenging to connect existing capacity gaps with existing expertise and established programs. Through global health partnerships, training programs, and mentorship, individuals and institutions from around the globe can connect to share training resources and strengthen clinical and research capacity in LRSs. Global health partnerships focused on capacity building face many challenges including; unequal access to information about potential partners and training opportunities, a lack of transparency regarding each institutions training priorities, and inequity and absent reciprocity within global health partnerships that have disproportionate power division between high-resource and LRSs. This initiative, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Capacity Strengthening Platform (CUGH-CPS) (CUGHCapacityBuilding.org), aims to empower institutions and individuals in LRSs to address these challenges and drive partnership engagement through avenues that are beneficial to the LRS agent needs and context by leading the prioritization of training capacity development across clinical and research domains. The CUGH-CPS helps to identify and create a platform for the dissemination of training and mentorship needs from LRS institutions and share this information with the global community. This manuscript describes this new initiative officially launched to a global audience at the April 2023 CUGH meeting

Society of behavioral medicine supports increasing HPV vaccination uptake: an urgent opportunity for cancer prevention

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage remains low in the USA. The Society for Behavioral Medicine (SBM) supports the goals outlined by Healthy People 2020, the President\u27s Cancer Panel, and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee to increase vaccination coverage among both males and females. SBM makes the following recommendations in support of efforts to reduce structural and other barriers to HPV vaccination services in order to increase rates of series completion. We encourage legislators and other policymakers to improve administration authority, insurance coverage, and reimbursement rates to healthcare providers who make the HPV vaccine available to adolescents; provide instrumental support to fund the development of school curricula on HPV vaccination; and increase public awareness that HPV vaccination can prevent cancer. We urge healthcare providers and healthcare systems to increase the strength, quality, and consistency of HPV vaccination recommendations for all eligible patients; to treat HPV vaccination as a routine preventive service; employ culturally appropriate communication strategies in clinical settings to educate eligible patients, parents, and guardians about the importance, effectiveness, and safety of HPV vaccination; and to strengthen and better coordinate the use of electronic medical records and immunization information systems

Stigma and Cervical Cancer Prevention: A Scoping Review of the U.S. Literature

Cervical cancer is preventable through HPV vaccination and screening however, uptake falls below national targets. A scoping review was conducted to describe stigmas related to HPV infection and vaccination and cervical cancer and screening in the US. Results were organized into the domains proposed by Stangl and colleagues’ Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework. Common drivers of stigma were fear of social judgement and rejection, self-blame, and shame. Positive facilitators included social norms that provided motivation to receive HPV vaccination and screening. Gender and social norms were notable negative facilitators of stigma. HPV infection and cervical cancer resulted in stigma marking through the belief that both result from incautious behavior—either multiple sexual partners or failing to get screening. Stereotyping and prejudice were stigma practices attributed to HPV infection and cervical cancer through these same behaviors. Stigma experiences related to HPV infection, cervical cancer, and abnormal screening results included altered self-image based on perceived/anticipated stigma, as well as discrimination. This review advances understanding of the multiple dimensions of stigma associated with these outcomes in the US population. Three areas warrant additional consideration. Future studies should 1) assess how stigma dimensions affect uptake of cervical cancer preventions efforts; 2) focus on US women most affected by cervical cancer incidence and mortality to identify potential differences in these dimensions and tailor interventions accordingly; 3) include women from geographic areas of the US with high rates of cervical cancer to adapt interventions that address potential regional variations in resources and need. <br

Community-Academic Perspectives in Partnership Development: Lessons from Rural Senegal

This research brief presents quantitative data describing an assessment of a global health partnership focused on cervical cancer prevention in rural Senegal over a two year period (2015-2017)

PRISMA flow diagram for review of manuscripts.

<p>PRISMA flow diagram for review of manuscripts.</p

Emerging thematic areas from breast and cervical cancer reviews in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

<p><b>Note</b>: “Reviewed” indicates that the publication reviewed studies that pertained to this theme. “Recommended” indicates that the publication presented recommendations on the given subject.</p><p>^a Include reviews that assess technical or behavioral interventions</p><p>^b Includes reviews that discuss policy, regulation, financing, public education, needs, constraints, barriers, and partnerships.</p><p>^c Includes reviews that discuss considerations of organizational improvement would have commented on topics such as implementation, quality improvement, quality assurance, performance management, guidelines, and systems strengthening.</p><p>^d Includes reviews that discuss training, continuing education, and peer learning.</p><p>^e includes reviews that discuss considerations of community empowerment, participation, information and education, social marketing, community-managed services, public health approaches, and community mobilization</p><p>Emerging thematic areas from breast and cervical cancer reviews in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p

Reviews of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

<p>^a P = prevention, De = detection, Di = Diagnosis, T = Treatment, S = survivorship, All = all aspects</p><p>Reviews of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p

Descriptive summary of breast and cervical cancer reviews in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

<p>Descriptive summary of breast and cervical cancer reviews in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p

Reviews of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

<p>^a P = prevention, De = detection, Di = Diagnosis, T = Treatment, S = survivorship, All = all aspects</p><p>Reviews of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p