University of Washington, Georgetown University and KELiN Research Assistant Jobs in Nairobi Kenya

University of Washington, Georgetown University and KELiN Research Assistant Jobs in Nairobi Kenya

The University of Washington, Georgetown University, and Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network (KELiN) have come together on an exploratory study assessing community perspectives on HIV testing and disclosure practices in Kenya.

Kenyan health authorities and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are aggressively scaling-up HIV testing strategies with hopes of achieving greater testing rates overall and specifically among certain key populations and at-risk groups: sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who use injection drugs, and young women under 24 years old.

HIV testing and disclosure of status to third parties is vital towards achieving HIV prevention and control targets and getting people aware of their status and on treatment if need be.

Historically, however, these programs have skirted the legal and human rights of persons who are at risk for HIV. Privacy and confidentiality are important dimensions to human rights and protected under Kenyan law, and both testing and disclosure to third parties (such as to encourage someone to test for HIV themselves) require fully informed consent from the person who’s information is being shared.

These legal rights have not always been respected or protected, and where they are not the consequences from stigma, discrimination, and abuse may easily result. Over time, such instances might work against public health objectives to increase testing by dissuading persons at risk for HIV to test at all.

Ensuring proper legal and human rights awareness and protections can then support both the human rights of people living with or at risk for HIV and the public health objectives of increased testing and use of notification services to identify other persons for testing.

This study will discuss openly, yet with privacy and confidence itself, the concerns and perspectives of persons who are vulnerable to HIV.

Similarly, the study will interview health care workers and policy implementers to gauge their perspective on improvements made, or that must be made, in training and outreach.

The goal for the study is to identify what is working well as part of the scale-up, what could work better with suggested interventions, and how a human rights-based approach to HIV testing and disclosure can promote trust and confidence in the health care system.

The responsibilities for this position may include: