Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are the cornerstone of the global Stop TB Strategy, but new and better diagnostics alone are not enough. New technologies need to be actively scaled-up in high TB burden countries, and in the right way, to achieve public health impact. Launched in 2015, The McGill Summer Institute in Infectious Diseases and Global Health (SI; www.mcgill-idgh.ca) offers courses that focus on highly applicable new knowledge taught by internationally known faculty and serve as an opportunity to network with fellow global health professionals from around the world. The format of short professional development courses attracts a diverse group of participants - from industry leaders to NGO's, academics, researchers, and advocacy group members - creating a unique platform where knowledge, experience and skills can be shared and built upon. Ensuring National TB Program (NTP) managers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high TB burden countries can come and participate in the courses is essential. They not only advance their learning on the specific course topic, but are also inspired to adopt and implement in their countries the innovative tools and approaches they learn about. These policy makers can then become champions for new tools and delivery models in TB control in their countries. Another key group of attendees, TB survivors and advocates, also have voices that need to be heard at SI. The patient perspective challenges attendees to keep patients at the center of their work to end infectious disease epidemics. Unfortunately, most NTP managers and TB survivors do not have the means to travel to Montreal to attend SI. Therefore, this proposal aims to secure funding to bring 3 NTP managers and TB survivors to the 2019 SI, so that they can share their knowledge and experience, network with colleagues from other countries, acquire new skills, and provide unique perspective and insight to the benefit of all attendees.