The Doherty Institute recently hosted Touakai Kambati, a researcher at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and senior laboratory scientist at the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Biomedicine from RMIT in 2014, Mr Kambati joined the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services in 2015 to continue pursuing his passion for science.
“I have always been interested in how the body works and how everything around us affects us. I became a scientist to better understand my interests and the impact of the environment on the human body,” he said.
In addition to serving as a Senior Laboratory Technician in the Laboratory Department, Mr. Kambati is also the Head of the Biochemistry Department, responsible for ensuring equipment is functioning properly and training staff on new tests and equipment. His department is responsible for the referral of samples, including viral hepatitis load testing, in collaboration with the Doherty Institute.
“Our team packaged and sent the samples to the Victorian Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Doherty Institute. The team there tested the samples and returned them to us in Kiribati where they were then distributed to doctors across the country,” Mr Kambati explained. road.
More than 290 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B (HBV). Kiribati has one of the highest rates of chronic hepatitis B in the world, a condition also seen in many Pacific island countries. A significant number of these cases were caused by mother-to-child and young child transmission before immunization programs were implemented. Healthcare became more complex as the ocean expanded massively, separating population centers on its constituent islands.
Mr Kambati’s training is one of the ways the Kiribati and Australian governments are working together to increase the number of skilled scientists in the country to improve the efficiency of screening practices and access to treatment.
Mr Kambati’s two-week fellowship involves a hands-on training program in laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis viruses, complementing the work of the Victoria Infectious Diseases Laboratory (VIDRL), the Kiribati Ministry of Health, the Australian not-for-profit Hepatitis B Free Organization and Kiribati in accordance with WHO guidelines A hepatitis B treatment plan was developed in 2018 in response to local needs. Mr Kambati concluded his training by attending the 39th National Reference Laboratory (NRL) Infectious Disease Testing Workshop in Adelaide.
“This experience exceeded my expectations. I was able to learn how the laboratory operates, from health and safety introductions, sample management and analysis, to result interpretation and, more importantly, how the hepatitis B virus works,” Kamba Mr Tee said.
“I learned how to perform HBV viral testing on the GeneXpert (real-time PCR system) using dried blood spots, the laboratory workflow of a PCR laboratory, and the steps required to prevent cross-contamination in various parts of the laboratory. Our laboratory is also currently working on Building our own PCR laboratory. So the skills I learned during the fellowship will benefit the larger team as I will be training my colleagues.”
I would describe my experience at the Doherty Institute as “informative and interesting.”
“The staff at VIDRL were very welcoming and helpful in explaining lab procedures and answering any questions I had. We hope to visit the Doherty Institute for additional scholarships to continue to improve our lab services in Kiribati.”
Dr Kathy Jackson, VIDRL Chief Scientist at the Doherty Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital, said the team was delighted to welcome Mr Kambati and the experience was an excellent opportunity for scientists to cross-train and upskill.
Dr Jackson said: “VIDRL is keen to continue supporting Kiribati and other Pacific Island countries in strengthening laboratories and capacity building to achieve sustainable diagnostic testing in the country.”
Doherty Institute Royal Melbourne Hospital VIDRL’s senior medical scientist and training and capability manager Navin Karan said Mr Kambati’s placement had been a huge success.
“Touakai was an excellent participant, able to absorb the training and now has the skills required to perform viral load testing on dried blood spots in his setting. He is now able to mentor his colleagues based on what he learned at VIDRL Implementing changes. I look forward to hosting more DFAT Fellows at VIDRL in the future,” said Mr. Karan.
Mr. Karan’s assessment of the placement resonated with Mr. Kambati’s short- and long-term goals.
“The laboratory sector in Kiribati has yet to gain accreditation. Being part of the team and assisting in this process is one of my main goals. On the research side, there are always new tests and methods to detect and control infectious diseases. So, having A lab that can conduct studies on its population is something I’m looking forward to achieving,” he said.
The DFAT Scholarship is part of Australia Awards, a government initiative that brings together prestigious international scholarships, fellowships and short courses administered by DFAT. More information about the awards can be found here.