[pronut-hiv] Interested in working/volunteering in nutrition and HIV/AIDS in Geneva

["Omobola Ogundahunsi" <ogundahunsibola@yahoo.com>]

Reply to Omobola Ogundahunsi:ogundahunsibola@yahoo.com
 
Dear colleques,
I have been part of this discussion group for some time and I need assistance from any member of the group that can help me get a job in Switzerland.(payed or voluteer Job) I have been working with HIV / AIDS patient in Nigeria for the 5 years now. My family is however moving to Geneva, Switzerland and I do not want to stay at home with all the knowlegde I have acquired over the years. I do not want to stay away from my children and husband because of my career. Please find below a description of my educational career. I know this is one of the situations that career women face.
I started my career as a scientist at the University of Ibadan  where I obtained  my first degree in Biochemisty. My interest in Nutrition took me back to the university to Specialize and acquire additional skill in the science of nutrition in the same university. As part of the studies leading to my doctoral thesis, I studied the interaction between breastfeeding and lactational amenorhoea. This was part of a WHO funded multicenter study. In Nigeria, 500 mother/infant pairs were followed up till the return of menstrual cycle of mother. I was responsible for preparing reports and day to day running and supervision of the study. I also acquired some managerial skills in financial and  man power management. A parallel study was also funded by WHO during this period to determine the effects of dietary supplementation on prolactin concentration, ovulation pattern and duration of lactational amenorrhea in marginally malnourished women. Marginally malnourished women were giving 40gms of
 Australian high energy, high protein and fortified with vitamins biscuits. I monitored Compliant with dietary supplement intake by visiting the clients at least 3times a week. The major goal of this study was to investigate the role of nutritional status on hormonal secretions  and the effect on duration of lactational amenorrhoea. A cohort of 186 mothers and their infants were followed postpartum for  a total of 48 months. The studies provided new information on the effect of maternal nutritional status on the growth of suckling infants, and the duration of lactational amenorrhoea.

 On completion of my doctoral degree I was employed at the Medical school affiliated to Olabisi Onabanjo University (formerly known as Ogun State University) At the medical school I teach 3rd year medical students and postgraduate students the biochemistry of nutritional disorders and how to assess nutritional status.

 My research activities presently are within the context of multidisciplinary research collaboration between the University in Nigeria and the Cornel and Columbia Universities. My research focus on effect of chronic HAART on lipid and glucose metabolism in resource poor setting. I developed a nutrition support program for patients living with HIV/AIDs( PLWHAs) The program was tailored to patients receiving HAART and those who do not.  I was responsible for the use and supervision of nurses and other health care givers who use this programme for support of the PLWHAs at the State University Teaching Hospital Sagamu, Nigeria.The Dept of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care in the hospital in collaboration with Centre for special studies of cornell and Columbia universities, New York joint HIV/AIDs programme. Two groups of patients are enrolled under the programme. One group comprise of PLWHAs receiving donated or self purchased Antiretroviral Therapy and a second group not
 receiving any antiretroviral treatment. With the relatively recent introduction of HAART in many countries in Sub- Saharan Africa, there is little information available on the interaction of the drug with relatively poor nutrition available in these countries and effects of chronic drug administration(e.g fat redistribution) observed in the more affluent countries where the drugs have been available and accessible for over 20 years. I visited the Centre for Special Studies, University of Cornell and Columbia Presbyterian Hospitals of New York in April 2004 to acquire more skills in Clinical Nutritional management of the HIV/AIDs patients.

Omobola Ogundahunsi