Maternal & Childhood TB Initiative

Research

Faculty at the UCSF Center for Tuberculosis and UC TRAC are leading a wide breadth of research to improve maternal and childhood TB diagnosis, treatment and care.

Interested in pursuing a research project in maternal and childhood TB?

• Expert consultation is available through UC TRAC and the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), learn more here.
• We encourage you to reach out to the faculty below to explore mentorship and research opportunities
• The UCSF Research Allocation Program (RAP) has TB-specific awards that could be utilized to support pilot studies in maternal and childhood TB.

If you are conducting research on maternal and childhood TB, please contact us so we can highlight your work.

Education & Mentorship

Bay Area Tuberculosis Meetings

The monthly Bay Area TB meetings highlight TB research being conducted at UCSF, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Stanford University. As part of the Maternal and Childhood TB initiative, we will also feature speakers in the region who are leading studies to advance the care of children and pregnant individuals.

Maternal and Childhood TB Clinical Conference Series

Co-led by the UCSF Center for TB (Dr. Devan Jaganath) and the California Department of Public Health TB Branch (Dr. Kristen Wendorf), this national forum welcomes colleagues to engage in discussions on childhood TB cases with insights from clinical and research experts. Our goal is to foster education on pediatric TB clinical care while cultivating a supportive peer network. We strive to maintain a small, respectful and trusted environment, ensuring sensitivity to patient information and confidentiality.

Meetings occur about every other month, if you are interested in joining, please complete this form here.

We welcome cases from across the country, and encourage trainee participation and provide guidance to prepare the presentation. If you have a case you would like to present, please email us.

Mentorship

There is a strong need to expand expertise and research in maternal and childhood TB. If you are interested in pursuing a project and/or career in maternal and childhood TB, we encourage you to reach out to the faculty listed above.

In addition, the TB Research and Mentorship Program (TB RAMP) provides mentorship and support to pursue careers in TB research, and can connect you to faculty and opportunities related to maternal and childhood TB. Current and past TB RAMP Scholars who have conducted research in maternal and childhood TB include:

• Devan Jaganath
• Ann Schraufnagel
• Nora West
• Ashley Wolf

Clinical Care

We seek to promote high quality clinical care for pregnant individuals, children and adolescents with latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease.

Clinical Consultation

• Telehealth clinical consultation with Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UCSF (Dr. Stephanie Gaw) is available for patients residing in California with concerns related to management of TB in pregnancy.
• The San Francisco Department of Public Health and Alameda County Public Health Department support the management of pregnant individuals, children and adolescents with TB
• The UCSF Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases provides clinical consultation and management of LTBI and TB in children and adolescents from the Bay Area and Northern California.
  • This includes the Pediatric Tuberculosis Program and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
• The Curry International TB Center Warmline Consultation Service provides guidance on TB cases for pregnant individuals, children and adolescents to private- and public-sector clinicians in the western region free of charge.
• Clinical consultation for suspected or known multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in children and pregnant individuals is available for California patients through the California Department of Public Health Tuberculosis MDR Service ([email protected]) or for those outside of California through the Curry International Tuberculosis Center.
• Clinical consultation for suspected or known multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in children and pregnant individuals is available for California patients through the California Department of Public Health Tuberculosis MDR Service ([email protected]) or for those outside of California through the Curry International Tuberculosis Center.

Training and Resources

The Curry International TB Center and TB Free California provide training and educational materials to support the clinical care of pregnant individuals, children and adolescents with TB infection and disease.

Trainings

• The TB Clinical Intensive and Focus on LTBI include discussion on management of pregnant individuals and children
• Pregnancy-related and pediatric TB-specific trainings are offered periodically.

Resources

• Curry Center
  • Drug-Resistant TB Survival Guide
  • Tuberculosis Contact Investigation in Schools Toolkit
  • Pediatric Tuberculosis Resource Page
• TB Free California
  • LTBI Education for Pregnant Individuals
  • LTBI Education for High School and College Students
  • Talking to pediatric patients about LTBI

Maternal and Childhood TB Initiative Leadership

 

Devan Jaganath, MD MPH

Initiative Lead, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Stephanie Gaw, MD PhD

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

 

Charlotte Hsieh, MD

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Co-Director at Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Kristen Wendorf, MD MS

Tuberculosis Control Branch, California Department of Public Health

List of current activities and opportunities (PDF)

We are organizing a committee to guide future maternal and childhood TB programs and activities, if interested in participating, please contact us.