Texas Children’s Global Health Network, in partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine, hosted its first-ever virtual Research. Art. Innovation. Scholarship. Education (RAISE) Symposium from June 28 to July 2, drawing more than 500 registered participants from more than 20 countries across the world.

After being awarded a grant to help nurture partnerships between kidney centers in low-resource and high-income countries, Texas Children’s physician Dr. Peace Imani is collaborating with colleagues in Uganda to raise awareness and improve care for patients and families facing childhood kidney disease.

Even if children are largely spared from COVID-19 direct effects, the pandemic will still cause long-lasting indirect impacts on children globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Building on a 20-year legacy of improving health systems for children, families and communities in limited-resource settings across the globe, Texas Children's Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) Network are working hard to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 in the 10 countries where we work.

Building upon the energy of Global TB Program staff members and with nearly a decade of robust TB experience and innovation, the Global TB Program was most recently awarded a five-year, $5 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant that will operate from September 2020 through September 2025. This five year project, “Closing – TB GAPS – for people living with HIV: TB Guidance for Adaptable Patient-centered Services” (TB GAPS), will focus on finding and preventing TB in children and youth, while simultaneously determining the most cost-effective prevention strategy and promoting best practices to sustain the impact of our work.

“Children with cancer in Africa don’t have the benefit of a central line,” Hockenberry said. “All chemotherapy is done through a peripheral vein, creating challenges for both our patients and our providers.”

The use of the RediStik PIV Trainer has greatly reduced these challenges, lessening both the number of PIV attempts and IV extravasation incidents. Hockenberry introduced the innovation to her clinics in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda more than a year ago holding regular hands-on training workshops, many of which are still being held today.

BIPAI and its network of Centers of Excellence that have saved a generation of children and young mothers from the ill effects of and possibly death from HIV/AIDS.

Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine are saving the lives of children and women across the globe through a network of physicians, fellows and residents that provide clinical support, training and academic leadership to underserved communities in 18 nations.