Program History

• History
• Founding CHART-India
• Accomplishments 1998-2003
• International impact 2003-present
• Collaborative agreements signed
• International partners hosted
• Future projects
• Historical training program summaries
• Training curriculum

History

The USF College of Medicine's International Affairs office was established in 2005. Our history and guiding philosophy dates over a decade ago, with the founding of the Center for Health and HIV/AIDS Research and Training (CHART-India), in 1998. This Center was the initial venture of the Division of Infectious Disease into international activities. Under the leadership of John Sinnott, MD, Kiran Patel, MD, and Eknath Naik, MD, the Center united the efforts of the division with several not-for-profits, hospitals and academic institutions in India. The Office of International Affairs has grown out of the dedicated efforts that began at the division level to now support the international activities of the entire College of Medicine.

Founding CHART-India

Dr. Naik and Dr. Sinnott began the initial planning for CHART-India and were later joined by Sagar Galwankar, MD, MPH. In 2003, CHART-India was named a Type 3 Center within the University of South Florida. The initial funding was provided by Dr. Patel's philanthropy and the support of the Division of Infectious Disease and its faculty who contributed their time, effort and personal finances. CHART-India is a joint effort of the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health. CHART-India is based on the philosophy of collaboration between the United States and India with capacity building and shared knowledge goals. With the help of health care professionals who specialize in HIV/AIDS, training and education programs began across several resource-deprived regions in India.

Accomplishments 1998-2003

The Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine's initial international activities through CHART-India from 1998-2003 included:

• Creating an HIV Medicine Intensive Training Course, which is the first such intensive course in HIV management training offered in India, founded in 2002 (ongoing)
• Creating the Annual National HIV Update Symposium in India, founded in 2002. In conjunction with the HIV Intensive, this two day conference gathers the best and brightest from India and the US to share the most current information in HIV treatment (ongoing)
• Fellowships for Indian Physicians to train at USF in 2002, coordinated by Dr. Eknath Naik, sponsored in part by Dr. Kiran Patel
• Collaborative research with partners from India in HIV/AIDS (ongoing)
• Providing scholarships for Infectious Disease fellows since 2002 to attend International HIV/AIDS conferences
• Publication of an Infectious Disease journal in India
• Presentation of papers at national and international HIV and infectious disease conferences (ongoing)
• Infectious Disease and International Medicine faculty have worked in 26 different countries, donating ~$450,000 in time and personal philanthropy cumulatively
• Recruited USF research faculty members based in Pune, India
• 22 physicians from Indian states trained at USF in 2002-2003
• Total of 130 Physicians trained in India from 2002-2006 on infectious disease care and prevention
• Over 2000 physicians have participated in the HIV Update annual course to date
• Assisted in establishing and developing Vasai Regional AIDS Control Society (VRACS) in Maharashtra, India in 2003
• Helped launch state-of-the-art Leadership Training Center in Southern India with SVYM (Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement)
• National ART guideline development for India
• Organized multiple training programs for nurses and para-medicals in India (ongoing)

International impact 2003-present

• Sent first Public Health student to learn about infectious diseases at the Dr. Salvador Gautier Hospital in the Dominican Republic in April 2006
• Trained 49 physicians and public health officials including Public Health Minister from Maharashtra, India, in 2005
• Health Science International builds sanitary project in rural community of Dominican Republic 2005
• Developed AIDS curriculum in Kazakhstan in 2005
• US-India live videoconference in January 2004
• Development of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement Leadership Institute in India
• Established an exchange program for students, interns and faculty
• Sponsored a medical school scholarship for a student from a developing country since 2006

International collaborative agreements signed

• Gansu Provincial Health Department, China: January 2009
• Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand: November 2008
• Ain Shams University, Egypt: August 2008
• Capital Medical University, China: January 2007
• Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, School of Medicine, Dominican Republic: August 2006
• Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriques Urena, School of Medicine, Dominican Republic: August 2006
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, China: May 2006
• The Doctor Salvador B. Gautier Hospital, Dominican Republic: May 2006
• The Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Government of Maharashtra, India: January 2006
• Kripa Foundation, India: April 2003
• Sterling Hospital, India: November 2002
• Sir Sayajirao General Hospital and Medical College, India: August 2002
• Indu Health Research Foundation, India: August 2001
• M.G.M. Medical College, Devi Ahillya Vishwa Vidhyalaya, India: March 2001
• Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, India: March 2001
• Ruby Hall Clinic/Grant Medical Foundation & Hope Foundation: March 2001
• Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, India: March 2001

International partners hosted

• Deputy Director of the Gansu Province Health Department, China and other officials, March 2009
• Dr. Somchai Santiwattanakul, Dr. Somkiat Wattanasirichaigoon & Dr. Suthat Ruhgruanghiranya from Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand, November 2008
• Dr. Atul Patel, India: October 2008
• Ashraf El-Ghamrawy & Ashley Ansara, from Cairo, Egypt, August 2008
• Derek Lloyd, President, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay, 2006 
• Dr. Miguel Escala, INTEC, November 2006
• Dr. (Flt Lt) M. A. Balasubramanya, Dr. M.R. Seetharam, Dr. Padmaja, Founders, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement: June 2006
• Dr. Monica Thormann, Infectious Diseases Director, Salvador B. Gautier Hospital: May 2006
• Dr. Guo-Tong Xu, Associate Director for the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine: May 2006
• Dr. Vimal Mundada, Health Minister, Government of Maharashtra, May 2005

Future projects

Our future projects include:

• Physician training program, Gansu, China
• Online certificate program of core science lectures for international medical students
• AIDS education in the Caribbean

Historical training program summaries

• Stephen Klasko Observership Program: taught by faculty of Internal Medicine Department for international medical students hosted at USF Health
• USF-Ruby Hall Annual Course in HIV Management: taught by faculty of the Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine and colleagues from India
• Collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement: The Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine provides HIV management training and technical support to health care professional. Sponsorship of a Learning Center, medical student scholarship for student from Mysore Medical College, and commitment to teaching in SVYM's leadership program
• Collaboration with Directorate of Health Services, Maharashtra, India: Training of forty-nine policy makers and public health physicians from Maharashtra between June 2004 and May 2005, USF conducted four capacity building training programs aimed to educate physicians and administrators from Maharashtra, India.
• Medical Curriculum in Kazakhstan: USF Health faculty participated in a multifaceted academic intervention in Kazakhstan in March 2006.
• Indu Health Research Foundation, Gujarat: USF Health works closely with Indu Health Research Foundation to improve blood safety and tissue banking in India.
• Sterling Hospital and USF Health: Update on Neurological Manifestations of HIV in November 2004.
• Partnership between Kripa Foundation and USF's CHART-India: established the Vasai Regional AIDS Control Society. Faculty from the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine trained all of the VRACS physicians in HIV medicine. The Division also provides technical assistance in HIV research and management

Training curriculum