Issue link: http://uwashington.uberflip.com/i/97397
Connecting people UW global health researchers feel a little closer to home, thanks to UW-IT support PhD candidate Katie Curran relies on technology to stay connected while conducting AIDS research in Kenya. Staying Connected W hen UW Department of Epidemiology doctoral researcher Katie Curran sits down at her laptop, she has full, secure access to her desktop in Seattle— even though she's conducting her AIDS research in Kenya, nine thousand miles away. And despite challenges with sub-Saharan Africa's sometimes spotty power and limited Internet bandwidth, Curran makes daily use of email—supplemented by video chat, planning and scheduling software, Internet "soft phones" and texting—to collaborate with colleagues and keep in touch with friends and family. Curran depends on technology to carry out her research. Since many Kenyans have mobile phones, she is planning to send short surveys via phone to her research participants—surveys that aim to track, in near real time, sexual activity, fertility intentions, condom use and more. Curran is one of about 30 UW International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) workers based in Africa—all of whom depend on technology supported by UW-IT. It's important that Curran, who is studying strategies to prevent HIV transmission between heterosexual infected and non-infected partners, conducts her research in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 67 percent of all people infected with HIV worldwide live in the region, with nearly two million new infections each year. "Technology is critical for my work," Curran said. "The majority of my work is done on my laptop. The Internet is crucial for 6 UW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY communication with my colleagues in the U.S., and we will be piloting the use of basic mobile phones to collect daily data from our research participants." UW-IT supports researchers around the globe, working closely with them to set up IT best practices, source local supplies and hire local IT support staff, according to Sandra McGowan, UW-IT's assistant director of Customer Services and Operations. "We help researchers figure out which tools will work well with minimum bandwidth and spotty power, and which tools they will find most useful," McGowan said. "We don't want to re-invent the wheel. Sometimes an open-source or cloudbased solution provides the most value. Researchers today want to have tools that provide safe and secure access to digital information at any time. It's our job to help identify these tools and make them accessible." Supporting field research is just one way UW-IT is connecting people across campus and around the world. Other key initiatives include wireless and telephone system upgrades and cell phone discounts. "Even though the 10-hour time difference can be a challenge when seeking live support, my experience with UW-IT has been great. Any problems I've had have been resolved quickly. This helps me focus on what's most important—my research," Curran said. "I definitely feel connected to the UW community."