Walter H. Curioso, MD, MPH Homepage!

Research interests

My publications

      - Journal articles
      - Letters
      - Book chapters
      - Abstracts
      - Web pages
      - Press notes

Research projects

- Current projects
- Research interests

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Current Projects

- Cell-POS: Evaluation of a Computer-Based System using Cell Phones for HIV people in Peru
- Principal Investigator: Walter H. Curioso, MD, MPH
- Type: United States National Institutes of Health. 1R01TW007896-01
- We propose to develop and evaluate a computer-based intervention using cell phones to enhance adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and support of HIV transmission risk-reduction among adult HIV- positive patients in Peru. Innovative approaches using information technologies such as cell phones are needed to increase adherence to ART for people with HIV/AIDS. The specific aims of the study are to: 1) Conduct formative research to assess culturally-specific behavioral messages to be included in the computer-based system; 2) Develop and test an interactive computer-based system using cell phones to enhance adherence to ART and to deliver HIV transmission risk reduction messages; 3) Evaluate the impact of the system on antiretroviral adherence and sexual risk behaviors.
- For more info, please read the summary at the CRISP database and you might want to visit: http://www.cellpos.org

- QUIPU: The Andean Global Health Informatics Research and Training Center
- Principal Investigator: Patricia Garcia (PI), Walter H. Curioso (Co-Investigator)
- Type: United States National Institutes of Health. Grant Number: 1D43TW008438-0109.
- The overarching goal of this proposal is to establish the “QUIPU: Andean Global Health Informatics
Research and Training Center,” a center of excellence for training and research in global health informatics
(GHI) to serve as a hub for addressing the national and regional needs for high-quality training in the Andean
Region (AR). The specific aims of the proposal are:
1. To develop and implement short-term and long-term training opportunities in GHI within the AR;
2. To engage emerging investigators in regionally pertinent research in health informatics and bioinformatics; and
3. To expand and consolidate a research network to link researchers in the AR, promoting south-south
collaborations, as well as with colleagues from partner universities in the U.S. and other institutions. The
Center will expand from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) and the U.S. Naval Medical
Research Center Detachment (NMRCD) in Lima, Peru, two universities from the AR, the Universidad del
Cauca (UCA) in Colombia and the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (UASB) in Ecuador, and the University
of Washington (UW); who will work together as a Consortium to collaboratively implement QUIPU.
- For more info, please refer to the CRISP database and you might want to visit: http://www.andeanquipu.org/

- C@reNet
- Principal Investigator: Ernesto Gozzer (PI), Walter H. Curioso (Co-Investigator)
- This is a project funded by "Fondo para la Innovación, la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FINCyT) - Consejo Nacional de
Ciencia y Tecnología (CONCYTEC) - Ministerio de la Presidencia del Perú," project: PITEA 02-045, to develop a solution for monitoring chronic diseases while increasing treatment compliance. C@reNet is using cell phones for patients with diabetes to report on compliance and self monitoring and to send reminders, alerts, and useful information to them and to health care workers.

-   Colecta-PALM: Using Personal Digital Assistants to Assess Sexual Risk and Antiretroviral Medication Adherence among an HIV-positive Peruvian Population
     - Principal Investigator: Ann Kurth, PhD; Walter H. Curioso, MD, MPH (Co-Principal Investigator).
     - Grant funded by The University of Washington.
     - Type: UW School of Nursing RIFP Award.
     - This study is evaluating the usability and acceptability of PDAs in clinics to collect data and to deliver disease self-management messages among an HIV-positive population in Lima, Peru.

     - We developed a Web-based Emulator for PDAs (Demo), available here. This Emulator has been featured in the following article: Simoni JM, Kurth AE, Pearson CR, Pantalone DW, Merrill JO, Frick PA. Self-Report Measures of Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence: A Review with Recommendations for HIV Research and Clinical Management. AIDS Behav. 2006 Jun 3
     -   For more info, please visit the Colecta Palm project at: http://www.colectapalm.org/

- Pambasuko-PALM: Supporting Antiretroviral Adherence and HIV-1 Transmission Risk Reduction: Using Personal Digital Assistants to Standardize Counseling and Assess Patient Behaviors
    - Principal Investigator: Ann Kurth, PhD; Walter H. Curioso, MD, MPH (Co- Investigator).
     - Grant funded by The University of Washington.
     - Type: University of Washington Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) International Pilot Award
     - This study will evaluate the usability and acceptability of PDAs to deliver HIV clinician training and to collect patient data. Aim 1 – Adapt a secure Web-based platform PDA application that our team has successfully developed and tested for use in Peru to deliver a standardized HIV nurse counseling protocol and a HIV patient behavioral survey, in two HIV clinics in Mombasa Kenya. Using an intervention and data from a previous CFAR-funded study, we will incorporate appropriate content in Kiswahili to be delivered on the PDA tool. Aim 2 – Conduct usability testing of the PDA tool among n =15 nurses and n=15 HIV-positive patients on ART to assess the beta Kiswahili-language application’s acceptability and user satisfaction.

Past Projects

- Cell-PREVEN: Developing, implementation and evaluation of a real-time surveillance system for adverse events using cell phones in Peru.
The overall goal of this study was to develop an interactive-computer system using cell phones to collect and transmit reports of adverse events resulting from the presumptive treatment of bacterial vaginosis with metronidazole in three communities of Peru. For more information, please visit: http://www.prevenperu.org For publications related with Cell-PREVEN, please refer to: "My publications".

- PDA-PREVEN: The use of handheld computers for self-administered sexual behavior data collection in Peru
    PDA-PREVEN is a PDA-based application for data collection that was developed using an open-source model. In a cross-sectional study, we compared data collected with paper forms to data collected with PDA-based forms in a field study in Ancon (Lima) concerning sexual behavior.

-   Developing a Web-based system to collect and transmit STI data in Peru.
    The objective of this project was to develop an individualized Web-based reporting system to collect sexually transmitted infections (STI) data by a mobile team in communities of Peru as part of the PREVEN project, with the ultimate idea to improve the activities of the personnel efficiently and on-time.

- Developing a Health Information Portal: A Gateway to Peruvian Health Information
     The web site targeted for the general public and anyone who is interested in visiting, working or doing research in Peru. It has been sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Taiwan, the Forgarty/National Institute of Health (through the Global Frameworks Program), with the collaboration of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia.
     For more information, please visit http://portal.globalhealthperu.org.

- Baseline Assessment to implement Tele-education and Tele-medicine Systems in the Andeans and the Jungle of Peru. “Estudio de base para la implementación de sistemas de teleeducación y teleconsultas médicas (Telemedicina) en la Sierra y Selva del Perú”. See note in Spanish.

- Internet use among people living with HIV/AIDS in Peru
As part of the project "Consejeria Positiva" (Positive Counseling), we are training people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) on how to use the Internet efficiently to search for health information websites as well as teaching PLWHA some useful skills to evaluate health information websites.

Research Interests

-   Mobile devices for Global Health (mHealth)
-   Global Health Informatics. Public Health Informatics, Informatics for Global Health, Population Health Technology
-   Information and Communication Technologies for people living with HIV/AIDS
-   Handheld computers as a method of data collection in health care.
-   Telemedicine and continuing medical education.
-   Access to medical information by health care workers in developing countries.
-    Global Health Training in Peru. English version: http://www.globalhealthperu.org and Spanish version: http://www.saludglobalperu.org.

Teaching Interests and Mentoring Experience:

Graduates:
-   Training health care workers in medical/health informatics:
    - at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru):
        * First International Course. Informatics for Global Health: Advances in Public Health and Genomics (In Spanish)
        * Health Information Systems (2007) for Master's in Public Health students.
        * Graduate Diploma Program in Biomedical Informatics (UPCH) http://www.upch.edu.pe/facien/pginfo08/
    - at Mahidol University (Thailand):
       Visit: http://www.biophics.org/training_workshop_public_health_informatics.php

- Mentoring University of Washington (UW) graduates students through the AMAUTA program.
    2006 Jacqueline Hansen (UW MPH student)
    2007 Deanna Kepka (UW PhD student)
    2008 Alex Quistberg (UW MPH student)
    2009 Kristen Heitzinger (UW MPH student)

Undergraduates:
-   Teaching biomedical and health informatics to UPCH students.
     Courses: Basic Concepts in Global Health - School of Public Health (July 2006, 2007, 2009).
                      Introduction to Research - School of Medicine (2007, 2008)
                      Health Situation Analysis - School of Public Health (2008, 2009)

-    Mentoring UPCH medical students in medical informatics and medical writing
     - Javier Villafuerte-Galvez (2007)
     - Mauricio La Rosa (2007)
     - Víctor Puelles (2007)
     - Humberto Sasieta (2007)
     - Isaias Arriola-Quiroz (2008-2009)
     - Maria Cruz-Encarnacion (2008-2009)
     - Andrea Rivas (2009)
     - Miguel A. Ceccarelli (2009)

-    Mentoring Harvard medical students in medical informatics
     2007 Jennifer Manne

Other Interests (my hobbies and passions...)

- Music, playing piano and keyboards, traveling, reading, movies and salsa dancing (still learning). My Peruvian MIDI Website will be available here and the list of my keyboards are here.