HSPH Tanzania Program establishes two Local Not-for-Profit Organizations in Dar es Salaam

· On January 25, 2010, Harvard School of Public Health and the Boards of Directors of two new, Tanzania-chartered not-for-profit organizations working with Harvard will hold a celebration to commemorate the public launch of the two organizations, Management and Development for Health (MDH) and the Africa Academy for Public Health, which will be done by the Minister of Health, Honourable Professor David Mwakyusa. The new organizations will focus primarily on public health service and research in the Dar es Salaam region of the United Republic of Tanzania. MDH and AAPH will seek to promote collaboration among government, academic institutions, the private sector and the non-profit sector to advance the public health and health care interests of the people of Tanzania, working together to address the problems of tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases in Tanzania. The mission of these two organizations is to improve nutrition, and maternal, neonatal and child health in Tanzania; and to undertake initiatives to advance public health research, education, and services for improving the lives of people in Tanzania and other countries.
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· Management and Development for Health was originally formed with the purpose of assuming responsibility for the implementation of Harvard University’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Program in Tanzania, MDH will soon take the lead in supporting the provision of high quality HIV/AIDS care and treatment services in the Dar es Salaam region. MDH is committed to success through continued collaboration with current long-time partners Harvard University, Dar es Salaam City Council, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, and Muhimbili National Hospital, and through newly established relationships within the Government of Tanzania, academic institutions and public health organizations. Over the next three years the governance of MDH will transition to citizens of Tanzania, with Harvard University continuing to provide technical support.
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· Working side by side with MDH, Africa Academy of Public Health will provide an intense focus on public health research and training, both within Tanzania and in other African countries. AAPH will launch research and education initiatives relating to the problems of tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases in Tanzania, and will aim to expand health-related research and education services to other countries in the African region.
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· MDH and AAPH will build upon the foundation of a relationship between Harvard faculty and counterparts in Tanzania that goes back more than 35 years. Stronger ties were developed over the past 15 years when Harvard faculty and their partners in Tanzania have jointly conducted several large clinical trials and epidemiological studies investigating perinatal health outcomes, nutrition, and infectious diseases. Presently, ten HSPH research studies and six training grants are actively being implemented in Tanzania, funded by NIH, the Gates Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and others. The number of current staff in Tanzania working on these research and educational efforts is over 450; additional 1,000 or more members provide services as part of the PEPFAR program based at the three municipalities in Dar es Salaam.

· The first meetings of the Boards of Directors of the two organizations were held in October 2009, at which Dr. Guerino Chalamilla was confirmed as Executive Director for both MDH and AAPH. Board Members include three Tanzanians with considerable experience and involvement in public health practice: Dr. Hassan Mshinda, Director General of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (equivalent to NSF); Japhet Killewo, Professor of Epidemiology at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS); and Dr. Deo Mtasiwa, Regional Medical Officer for Health.

· Harvard Board Members are: Jorge Dominguez, Vice Provost for International Affairs, Harvard University; David Hunter, Dean of Academic Affairs, Harvard School of Public Health (AAPH only); Walter Willett, Chair of Department of Nutrition and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health (MDH only); and Wafaie Fawzi, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health.

For further information about Management and Development for Health and Africa Academy for Public Health, please contact: Dr. Guerino Chalamilla, Executive Director of MDH and AAPH, tel number: 0773700666.