A servant leader in We Are TB, the growing community of U.S.‐based TB survivors, Kate personifies the heart of an advocate with her tireless efforts to raise awareness, her unparalleled energy to confront the stigma associated with this disease, and her ability to nurture others as they insert their voices into advocacy efforts and peer‐to-peer support.

“It’s Time” to reduce stigma and listen to patients and survivors!  “It’s Time” to engage in TB advocacy efforts for a TB Free USA!

Kate O’Brien and her son Jimmy on the NYC Times Square Jumbotron. Space secured by NTCA.

In Congressman Donald Payne Jr.’s New Jersey office. From left to right: Arpita Jindani (GTBI); Dona Miller (Lattimore Clinic); Kate O’Brien (We are TB); Congressman Donald Payne Jr.; Judy Thomas (Lattimore Clinic); Patricia Woods (Lattimore Clinic); Mark Wolman (GTBI)

Kate O’Brien speaking at a TB event.

Laura Smock’s dedicated work to end TB is reflected in her poster, “Evaluation of Contact Examination in Massachusetts.”

Laura Smock and her team developed strategies to improve TB contact investigations by building relationships with three high-morbidity cities of focus, developing new materials for large contact investigations, and improving the surveillance database to easily identify the highest priority cases for contact investigation.

Community worker Joel Bujen and Nurse Adela Sibok-Nakamura prepare 3HP for community distribution in Majuro in June, 2018.

The Marshall Islands TB Program is challenged by the workload, but is proud to be completing an ambitious project focused on both latent TB infection and active TB disease.  The program has a new physician, new nurses and community workers, new TB protocols, and has reorganized to prioritize TB prevention for the future.  The program is on the voyage to TB elimination!

In addition to finding and treating more than 300 cases of TB, the Majuro TB program delivered over 40,000 doses of TB prevention for the mass prevention program this summer.  Program staff prepared and implemented TB mass screening for 22,000 residents, delivering prevention to more than 3,000 individuals.

It’s Time to end TB in Majuro, Marshall Islands!

Daria Szkwarko during a Latent TB Infection-ECHO session

Dr. Szkwarko is the Latent TB Infection-ECHO course director and facilitator, with participants from community health centers in Massachusetts and ‘hub’ experts. She champions building capacity for latent TB infection testing and treatment in primary care providers.  The curriculum guides core learning through the cascade of care, and multi-disciplinary teams join monthly sessions. Dr. Szkwarko is a great mentor, teacher, and advocate, and participants have opportunities to learn from peers.

It’s time to strengthen TB education and awareness among health care providers!

Front row: Patricia Manuse, Sophia Worrell-Brown, Cindy Collins; Back row: Abdirahman Yussuf, Renee Jenkins, Jennifer Ritter, Jazzlyn Ivery-Robinson, Archie Robinson, Leannah Grimsley, Shane Gurnee, Chittadaphone Phouthavong, Sandra Santana, Juireith Donko-Hanson, David Bovard

Monroe County, NY, welcomes refugees from areas where TB is endemic. Roughly 600-900 refugees from all over the world arrive in Rochester, NY annually (data through 2017). Refugees are screened at Monroe County, Department of Public Health TB Control (MCDPH) on arrival and treated for active TB disease or latent TB infection. By testing and treating incoming international students for TB, the program has prevented exposure to TB disease and the potential for a large contact investigation on college campuses in Monroe County.  Through use of technology, collaboration, and partnerships, the MCDPH is working hard to eliminate TB in the Upstate New York region. “It’s Time to End TB!”

From left to right: Mallory Schmitt, Neha Shah, Marti Brentnall, Tessa Mochizuki

Neha Shah is Project Director of TB Free California. Her visionary strategies, perseverance and unbridled optimism have led TB Free California to accomplish great strides.

The TB Free California project promotes TB awareness among providers and at-risk populations, and builds providers’ ability to recognize and treat latent TB infection. Collaboration with several sites in California has helped to increase latent TB infection testing and treatment, and to integrate testing and treatment steps into routine primary care.

It’s time to strengthen TB education and awareness among health care providers!

Dr. Greg Stern urges clinicians to “Think TB”.

Dr. Greg Stern believes that “It’s Time for Clinicians to Think TB.” Dr. Stern engages providers through humor and insight on TB ECHO and advocates for improvements in TB care with other Washington State Health Officers. Whatcom County health department staff add that he focuses on the highest standards of care and makes program improvements to prioritize patient outcomes, and maximize appropriate use of electronic directly observed therapy (eDOT).

Dr. Stern is quick to credit the team of nurses he works with for their shared success.  Together, they work towards eliminating TB by providing patient-centered care, engaging patients as partners in their care and in preventing transmission of TB to others, and coordinating with other medical care providers and state and county public health partners.

Over the past 3 years, We Are TB has collaborated with the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association to support TB survivors.

We Are TB is a growing TB survivor network that is working towards better TB diagnostics, treatment regimens, and support to U.S.-based public health programs. The network provides an informative and supportive community for patients and survivors where they can share common struggles, triumphs, and fears.  Survivors participate in advocacy work, and share personal stories to drive change at the local, state, and national level.

Some We Are TB members have participated in CDC’s TB Personal Stories to talk about their personal experiences with TB and help raise awareness about TB in the United States.

It’s time to end stigma. It’s time to end TB!