Seminar #27
Mentor4TB: The Toolkit
American Society for Microbiology
No invitations necessary; open to all conference registrants
Tuesday 6 December
7:00 – 8:30
CTICC room location: 2.6
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Laboratory Managers, Scientists and staff of a TB laboratory
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION:
This seminar will provide information on the contents of the “Mentor4TB: The Toolkit”, as well as how to use the toolkit in a variety of laboratory settings. It includes use of the cover pages to identify the activities to be covered in each of the 12 quality system essentials as well as all technical areas in a TB laboratory. The seminar will also show participants how to navigate the various reference and resource materials available in the toolkit.
The toolkit features a compilation of standardized open source international strategic tools, guidelines, and references and is easily customizable to suit a variety of health systems contexts and settings. The main purpose of this toolkit is to facilitate standardization of the mentoring approach and allow clear tracking of laboratory progress from a baseline laboratory assessment utilizing the WHO/AFRO SLIPTA checklist, leading TB laboratories along a well-defined pathway to quality service delivery in compliance with international standards. The toolkit is conveniently available in standalone, easy to install Software and is highly intuitive to navigate.
SESSION LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the seminar, participants will be able to use the “Mentor4TB: The Toolkit” materials for establishment of a quality management system in their laboratory.
SESSION SPEAKERS:
Dr. Shirematee Baboolal, American Society for Microbiology, Consultant
Dr. Shirematee Baboolal holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology and MPhil in Pathology and Microbiology from the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. She has served as a Consultant with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) since 2009, delivering targeted technical assistance to TB and public health laboratories across Africa. Dr. Baboolal’s commitment to technical excellence, ability to assimilate with local cultures, and desire to ensure laboratories own their new skills, has played a key role in helping laboratories reach quality assured diagnostics and accurate care and treatment of patients living with HIV/AIDS, TB, and other related opportunistic infections (OIs). Dr. Baboolal has published several papers in national and international Journals on Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.