Prenatal Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation and Growth and Developmental Outcomes Among HIV-Exposed, Uninfected Young Children in Tanzania
The Seminars in Epidemiology organized by the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at the McGill School of Population and Global Health is a self-approved Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the maintenance of certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Physicians requiring accreditation, please complete the and send to admincoord.eboh [at] mcgill.ca
Nandita Perumal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Arnold School of Public Health | University of South Carolina
WHEN: Monday, November 25, 2024, from 4 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hybrid | SPGH, 2001 McGill College, Rm 1140 &
5252 boul. de Maisonneuve - 3rd floor, Kitchen |
Note: Nandita Perumal will be presenting In-Person at the SPGH
Abstract
In 2015, the World Health Organization recommended that all pregnant women with HIV initiate lifelong combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prevent mother-to-child transmission and sexual transmission of HIV. With increasing availability and administration of ART, approximately 14 million children are estimated to be exposed to HIV but uninfected globally. This talk will present research from an observational cohort of HIV-exposed but uninfected children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and leverage the natural heterogeneity in the timing of ART initiation during pregnancy to evaluate the implications for infant and child outcomes.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this talk, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the epidemiology of HIV-exposure in pregnancy and among young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs);
- Understand the application of epidemiologic methods for evaluating long-term consequences in young children;
- Recognize the strengths and limitations of contexts in which studies are conducted and contexts where the burden is high.
Speaker Bio
Nandita Perumal is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Carolina. Her research responds to the persistent burden of adverse maternal and newborn perinatal outcomes and suboptimal growth and neurodevelopment in young children through three main foci: (i) investigating the causes and consequences of adverse outcomes in the perinatal period; (ii) testing interventions in nutrition as a lever to prevent adverse perinatal outcomes and improve nutritional deficits in the most vulnerable children, as a means of improving long-term outcomes; and (iii) building research capacity through equitable partnerships, with a focus on rigorous methods and diversity of scientific perspectives. She holds an MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto, a BSc in Human Nutrition from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, and completed her postdoctoral training in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, where she is a Visiting Scientist.
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