Position/Title: Clinical Advisor (Physician) -- HIV care and treatment
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Length of position: One year, with possibility of extension
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) works with partner governments in more than thirty countries to help bring effective, high-quality HIV treatment and care to people infected with HIV. All CHAI programs are initiated at the request of government. National programs scaling up adult and pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment need knowledgeable, skilled clinicians to mentor and train local staff in comprehensive HIV diagnosis, care and treatment.
In Vietnam, CHAI works with the Vietnam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) to help build the health system’s capacity to address the HIV epidemic. We are looking for a physician with HIV experience (preferably with children) to rotate through various CHAI-supported HIV treatment sites throughout the country and assist to strengthen clinic capacity and help integrate Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) programs into maternal and child health systems. The Advisor will also help design implementation plans to scale up the identification and follow-up care of HIV exposed/infected pediatric patients, including by helping to expand pediatric Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling (PITC) and Isoniazid Preventative Therapy (IPT) programs. The goal of the clinical mentoring program is to assist our partner governments with the creation of more self-sufficient, sustainable HIV identification and treatment centers. While CHAI clinicians do provide patient-based clinical training and consultation, CHAI is not a healthcare organization and does not provide direct clinical services.
The Advisor will also be in a position to significantly influence national policy discussions and direction.
Responsibilities:
- Train and mentor clinicians in the didactic and practical matters of HIV care and treatment
- Improve systems for identification of HIV exposed infants and children
- Train and mentor in PMTCT
- Assist in maximizing the efficiency of clinic systems as they relate to HIV care and treatment
- Produce clinical training and reference materials for ART sites
- Travel frequently to ART sites throughout Vietnam to provide HIV/AIDS clinical mentoring. Activities include the following:
a. Building clinical capacity of local doctors
b. Assisting doctors and other health workers to improve the operation of the clinic and the patient referral network
c. Improve adherence to national guidelines, procedures, and SOPs
d. Assess and formally report the progress of the mentoring visits
Skills Required:
- Strong knowledge and experience with HIV/AIDS care and treatment, preferably with pediatric experience
- Understanding of healthcare systems in resource-limited settings
- Excellent oral and written English communication skills
- Good oral and written Vietnamese communication skills
- Respect for the political process and protocols involved in government programs
Education/Experience:
- Physician with strong HIV/AIDS experience
- Experience in providing direct care and ARV treatment, including the use of second and third line agents
- Mastery of managing complex opportunistic infections and ARV toxicities
- Knowledge of other issues of medical concern in the Southeast Asian region, such as dengue, malaria, malnutrition, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, maternal and child health
- Teaching and/or training experience
- Experience in developing countries is a plus
- Public health training, program management, and monitoring and evaluation experience would be valuable although not required
Other Attributes:
- Strong leadership skills
- Self-motivated – able to work well with minimal supervision
- Creative thinker
- Strong team player
- Comfortable working in diverse cultural, social, and political environments
To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter to: [email protected] [1] and [email protected] [2]. Please write “Clinical Advisor application” in the subject line. Application deadline is 31 January, 2012 but apply early.