Former NIDA Humphrey Fellow Receives Alumni Professional Development Grant

The Institute of International Education awarded a Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH) Alumni Professional Development Grant that enabled former NIDA Humphrey Fellow Dr. Peter Kenneth Ndege, Kenya, to attend the International Harm Reduction Association’s 21st conference, Harm Reduction 2010, held April 25–29, 2010, in Liverpool, England. Currently a lecturer at Kenya Methodist University, Dr. Ndege was a 2006–2007 HHH Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University. He used the skills and experience gained during his fellowship to form the nongovernment organization Center for Addiction Studies in Africa, which trained 70 primary healthcare clinicians in the diagnosis and management of drug use disorders. He also established Eastern Medical Consultants Limited, which is committed to providing specialized medical services to rural areas in Kenya at minimal charge. Dr. Ndege currently is working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on the best way to introduce opiate substitution therapy and other harm reduction measures in Kenya, particularly among vulnerable populations such as injection drug users, prisoners, and commercial sex workers. He expects to use the information gained from Harm Reduction 2010 not only to update his knowledge in this field but also to acquire skill and contacts in the area of policymaking, so that he can help draft a policy paper on harm reduction in Kenya.