International Center for Child Health and Development

05/06/2026

We are pleased to share our latest Annual Report, highlighting a year of meaningful progress, impactful research, and continued growth at ICHAD. While 2025 brought significant changes to the global landscape in which we work, our team has continued to advance innovative, evidence-based interventions to support the health and wellbeing of children and families in low-resource settings, while strengthening global partnerships and training the next generation of scholars. This report reflects the dedication of our staff, collaborators, and communities, as well as the transformative work made possible through their commitment. We invite you to explore the report to learn more about our accomplishments and ongoing initiatives as we continue to expand our global impact. Read the full report here:https://bpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/e/5013/files/2026/04/2025-Annual-Report_FINAL-4.29-online.pdf

05/06/2026

We are delighted to share that Dr. Proscovia Nabunya, Associate Professor and Director of the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), will join the faculty at the WashU School of Public Health effective May 1, 2026. Since joining the WashU Brown School in 2018, Dr. Nabunya has advanced the school’s global research footprint and strengthened interventions for children and families in low-resource settings. With this transition, ICHAD will also move to the WashU School of Public Health. We look forward to this next phase as we continue expanding our impact and advancing globally engaged research at the School of Public Health.

04/16/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Anita Kabarambi, PhD student at WashU School of Public Health, Research Associate at ICHAD, ACHIEVE alum, and current RRT fellow, on being named a 2026–2027 grantee of the Margaret McNamara Education Grants (MMEG).
Dr. Anita’s doctoral dissertation focuses on improving HPV vaccination uptake among girls and young women living with HIV in Uganda — work that reflects a strong commitment to advancing women’s health and meaningful change through research.
We are proud to celebrate this important milestone and look forward to the continued impact of her scholarship and leadership.

04/15/2026

Join the McDonnell Academy for "Reimagining Mental Health: Back to the Future”, a lecture by Dr. Vikram Patel, the Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In this year's S.T. Lee Endowed Lecture, Dr. Patel will address one of the most puzzling challenges facing humanity: the growing burden of mental illness despite billions of dollars of investments in science and care. Reception directly following the lecture. The event is hosted by the McDonnell International Scholars Academy. Register here:

At WashU, we’re connecting learners, thinkers, leaders and doers who inspire each other to ask big questions and find real solutions — together.

03/30/2026

Join us on April 8, 2026 as Prof. Chenyang Lu presents on AI for Global Health: Leveraging Technology to Address HIV, Mental Health Challenges, and Structural Poverty. Chenyang Lu is the Fullgraf Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, with joint appointments in Anesthesiology, Medicine, Neurosurgery, and Public Health. As the founding director of the AI for Health Institute, he leads a multidisciplinary initiative uniting AI researchers and health professionals to address critical health challenges through innovative, data-driven approaches.

His current research focuses on developing machine learning models to predict health outcomes using multimodal data, advancing both precision medicine and public health. A Fellow of the ACM and IEEE, Dr. Lu received the 2022 Outstanding Technical Achievement and Leadership Award from the IEEE Technical Community on Real-Time Systems. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of 𝘈𝘊𝘔 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳-𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 journal.

Register here: tinyurl.com/SpeakerSeriesApril2026

03/23/2026

In our recent , we are pleased to share new study findings on the impact of economic empowerment interventions on adolescent girls’ mental health. We also highlight recent accomplishments of our field teams in Uganda and Ghana. In addition, we celebrate the achievements of our team members and fellows, including new appointments, awards, publications, and conference presentations. We hope you enjoy this issue. Read the full newsletter here: tinyurl.com/MonthlyMonitorMar2026

03/09/2026

Join us to hear from trainees of the D43 ACHIEVE Global Health Training Program as they discuss their impactful research projects and experiences in the program. ACHIEVE, funded by the Fogarty International Center, partners with Washington University in St. Louis to host these visiting scholars from Uganda and Ghana as they work with their WashU mentors.

The ACHIEVE trainees will present their pilot research studies on topics including childhood cancer nurse facilitated peer-support models and their impact on mental health, reducing diagnostic delays in childhood cancer, and exploring ART delivery strategies for adolescents. Join us to engage with the trainees as they present their work and participate in a discussion on emerging independent global health research.

We look forward to seeing you in Brown Lounge or via Zoom!

Registration link: tinyurl.com/ACHIEVE-Panel2026

02/05/2026

For researchers working in global settings: join this session hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research on navigating the IRB approval process for human subjects research conducted outside the U.S.

01/15/2026

Join us on Feb. 19, 2026 as Dr. Cindy Brantmeier presents on the Intersections of Public Health and Applied Linguistics: Advancing Research Through Integrated Methods. Cindy Brantmeier is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Global Studies, with a secondary appointment in Public Health. She serves as Senior Research Advisor for International Research with Human Subjects in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
She directs the Language Acquisition Research Lab, where her interdisciplinary work focuses on language use and health literacy in linguistically diverse clinical settings. She has extensive global experience conducting human‑subjects research across multiple countries.
Dr. Brantmeier has held leadership roles—including Co‑editor of Reading in a Foreign Language—and has delivered plenary talks at international venues such as UNESCO’s Literacy Conferences.
Register here: https://washu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bPXLhtWjwwnayH4

12/12/2025

ICHAD was thrilled to bring together our CHILD-GRF Training program alumni, mentors, and local policy makers and administrators for a program closeout and learning session at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, Uganda on Friday, December 5th. Our distinguished CHILD-GRF alumni shared updates on their projects and career progress since participating in the program, providing valuable feedback on the overall experience. We were honored to also hear from our program mentors and representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Vice Chancellor's Office of Makerere University. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this esteemed D43 global mental health and HIV research training program!