February 2024 – ETiCCS

Establish a colposcopy clinic at OBGYN department, University of Gondar GIZ funded project (ZV 81224625) from 10 Apr 2018- 31 Okt 2021

As part of the GIZ-funded project (ZV 81224625) to establish a colposcopy unit at the OBGYN department, University of Gondar, Ethiopia, Dr Robel, stayed for 4 weeks in Wolfsburg with Prof Petry and his team, to extend his knowledge and skills in colposcopy and modern techniques to treat precancerous and early cancer lesions of the cervix. At the same time Dr Zelalem’ s colleague Dr Chernet received similar training at the MVK Fürstenfeld with Prof A. Schneider.

Mentoring visits by German gynecologists

Between April 2019 and February 2020 4 gynecologists from Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf visited the OBGYN department to mentor the Ethiopian colleagues in colposcopy and LEEP.

Janina Betzler 27Apr-4Mai2019

Elisabeth Maier visit 21-30Sept2019

Franca Christina Martignoni Bericht 13-20 November 2019

Monika Hampl 2-10 Feb 2020

Portable colposcopy training in Health Centers funded

VIA-enhanced digital imaging of the cervix (VIA-DC) and thermocoagulation Training nurses in 3 health centers in Gondar 01.02.2022 bis zum 31.01.2024 verlangert bis Jul2024.

A colposcopy follow up project was awarded by the clinic partnership program to train nurses in 3 Gondar health centers in VIA-enhanced digital imaging of the cervix (VIA-DC) and thermocoagulation. As part of the project Dr Dawit Kassahun Mekonen attended the dysplasia clinic of Prof Hampl in Cologne from 19 Nov -16 Dec 2022. A second Ethiopian gynecologist, Maseresha Dagnu Dejen, unfortunately, was refused a visum by the German embassy in Addis Adeba.

Participation at 1st International conference of Hospital Partnerships, Berlin on 14-15 October 2022

We participated with a poster and co-author of publication in the first 1st International conference of Hospital Partnerships, Berlin on 14-15 October 2022. Again, the German embassy in Addis Adeba denied a visum to our Ethiopian partner.

Neues project: HPV self sampling project in Amhara region of Ethiopia funded.

Kickoff meeting 8 March 2021

The ETiCCS initiative successfully applied for funding from the BMZ develoPPP.de programme which aims to foster the involvement of the private sector in areas where business opportunities and development policy initiatives overlap. With support from Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (“Roche”), we will screen 3200 women at their homes using HPV selfsampling and follow up HPV infected women with, digitally enhanced VIA and the molecular biomarker dual stain cytology. The kick-off meeting of the project ‘Strategies to triage HPV-positive women. A community-wide, HPV-based cervical cancer screening approach in rural Ethiopia assisted by digital information technology’ took place virtually on 8 March 2021 in the presence of GIZ, Roche and the implementation partners in Gondar.

GIZ 01.10.2020 bis zum 31.10.2021 (Förderzeitraum) extended to 21.06.2022 ZV 81262346

Roche Feb2021-Dec 2023 signed 21 Oct 2021

Implementation and training workshop in Gondar, Ethiopia (24-30 Apr 2022)

Between 25-30 April 18 data collectors were trained in Gondar. The training included skills training in the promotion of selfsampling using the Evalyn brush and the use of the ETiCCS app on tablet PCs as well training in cervical cancer awareness, protocol, research ethics and the implementation details of the household survey.

Visit of EPHI laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (25 Apr 2022)

During a site visit at Ethiopian National HIV/AIDS Laboratory at the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute in Addis Abeba the opportunity of HPV DNA analysis using the cobas 4800 technology was explored and a workplan was developed.

Community data collection completed in Gondar Ethiopia (31 Jul 2022)

3200 women aged 30 to 64 years were successfully invited in their homes to participate in HPV selfsampling cervical cancer screening campaign. Samples will be analysed at the EPHI laboratory in Addis using the cobas 4800 platform. HPV positive women will be invited for triage testing at their local clinic in Gondar.

Exisiting news, but new images: Doctoral degree awarded from University of Antwerp 21 Nov 2019

On Thursday 21 November 2019 Orang’o Elkanah Omenge, head of the Department of Reproductive Health, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya, defended his doctoral thesis Novel Technologies in Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment. Going Beyond VIA and Cryotherapy in Kenya before the Doctoral committee

(P. Van Dam and V. Verhoeven from the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp, and the External members of the doctoral jury

Prof H. Botha, Executive Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,

Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Prof A. Kaufmann, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.

Dr Omenge’s thesis was promoted by Professor Dr. JP Bogers, University of Antwerp, and Co-Promotor Professor Dr. M. von Knebel Doeberitz, Heidelberg

Site exploration visit to Cambodia (5-15 March 2022)

In December 2021 the University Hospital Heidelberg entered a research cooperation with the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, Frankfurt, entitled Effectiveness analysis and economic evaluation of a modified program for cervical cancer screening in Cambodia assisted by a cloud-based digital system as a German contribution to the Cambodia Health Equity and Quality Improvement Program (H-EQIP) co-financed by the KFW.

A first site exploration visit took place amidst the CoVID -19 pandemic between 5-15 March 2022 led by our partners (Dr Hero Kol, Dr Sathiarany Vong) at the Department of Preventive Medicine (DPM), Ministry of Health, Cambodia.

During the visit we met with key government and regional stakeholders and visited the two proposed study hospitals, Siem Reap Provincial Hospital and Soth Nikum District Hospital. We also visited several laboratories in Phnom Penh to explore potential collaborators to perform our laboratory analyses including the Institut Pasteur de Cambodge.

The visit paved the ground to prepare the study implementation, i.e to complete the study protocol, order the necessary equipment, adjust the digital data management system and finalize the laboratory supply and support.

Training visit to Cambodia (30 November to 9 December 2022)

Between 30 November and 9 December 2022 a skills/training workshop took place at the Siem Reap Provincial Hospital, led by Dr A Denecke, gynaecologist at the Hannover Medical School. The workshop was attended by the gynaecologists and midwives from the Siem Reap Provincial Hospital and the study physicians and midwives of the Soth Nikum District Hospital. The workshop provided successful refresher training in colposcopy and VIA through theoretical training and practical mentoring sessions. Two German medical students also attended the workshop in preparation of their doctoral thesis within the cervical cancer screening project.

Implementation visit to Cambodia (20 Febr-3 Mar 2023)

The study PIs Dr Sathia and Dr Bussmann conducted the study implementation workshop jointly with Prof M Hampl, gynaecologist, St.Elisabeth-Krankenhaus, Köln Hohenlind. On 20 February 2023 the Undersecretary of State officially launched the project with a cervical cancer awareness presentation to the large audience of 176 participants who will be part of the recruitment, enrollment and study conduct. Also present were the study PI Dr Hero Kol, the OD and hospital directors.

During the following 2 weeks the Village Health Support Groups and health centers were trained in recruitment of eligible women to the study, and the hospital and health center teams (gynaecologist and midwives) received a comprehensive study training including protocol and SOP training, research ethics, skills training (e.g. cervicography, LEEP, biopsy, self-sample collection) and sample storage and transport.

At the end of the workshop all necessary steps for enrollment of study participants were completed.

26 Oct 2023 Enrollment completed

Study participant enrolment of 2500 screening-naïve women completed in the two study hospitals,Siem Reap Provincial Hospital and Soth Nikum District Hospital: DATE

The 7500^th women was enrolled in the HPV self-sampling arm of the study in 6 health centers: DATE

Gynecologists from Ethiopia visiting Wolfsburg and Berlin clinics in July 2019

Cambodia project funded by KfW (Dec 2021)