VCU Current Fellows - 2011-2012

Dr. Tin Moe Aung, from Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), received her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the Institute of Medicine 2, Yangon/Rangoon, Myanmar in 1998. After graduation, she served as a medical officer for the Ministry of Health in areas near the Myanmar-China border for over 7 years. From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Aung was a team leader for an international NGO working to control communicable diseases in remote rural areas of Myanmar. In 2008, she served as a team leader in the emergency response for prevention and treatment of communicable disease after cyclone Nargis.  Recently, Dr. Aung has worked as township coordinator for HIV/AIDS-related projects for the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime, and was responsible for managing HIV/AIDS harm reduction activities among injecting drug users. Her major focus is on relapse prevention and promotion of comprehensive health care among injecting drug users. She hopes to use her Fellowship year to enhance her knowledge and practical skills in the prevention of substance abuse in order to improve prevention programming and aftercare in Myanmar.

 

Ms. Natalia Estoyanoff, from Montevideo Uruguay, has more than 10 years of experience as a sociologist working in both the public and private sectors as a policy maker, researcher and consultant. She received her Bachelor's degree in Applied Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Uruguay in 1998 and a postgraduate certification in Social Research at the University of Uruguay in 2001.  She also earned a postgraduate diploma in Drug Prevention Policies from the Latin American Center for Human Economy in 2008.  Since 2007, Ms. Estoyanoff has served as regional coordinator for networks of local community-based drug abuse prevention providers for the government of Canelones in Uruguay. She oversees the planning and implementation of training programs for community leaders, and supervises and evaluates prevention programs, local projects and education workshops in primary and middle schools. During her Fellowship year at VCU, Ms. Estoyanoff would like to improve her knowledge and practical skills related to the design and implementation of effective community-based prevention programs, particularly those designed to target young drug users in high social vulnerability contexts.

 

Mr. Rogers Kasirye from Kampala, Uganda, received his BA in Social Work and Social Administration in 1991 and an MA in Human Rights in 2001 from Makerere University, Kampala. He has consulted with both local non-governmental organizations and international agencies, including WHO, UNODC ILO/IPECICF-Macro, and UNICEF, where he has been involved in the planning, implementation, advocacy and evaluation of programs related to child labor, street and slum children in Uganda and East Africa.  Mr. Kasirye's past research has focused on juvenile drug abuse and sexual risk behaviors and AIDS awareness among street girls in Kampala. He has participated in NIDA-supported collaborative research designed to adapt materials on substance abuse and run away youth to Uganda. He is currently Executive Director of the Uganda Youth Development Link, and serves as scientific advisor to the Mentor Foundation and as Chairperson of the East Africa Policy Alliance, an NGO consortium.  During his Fellowship year, Mr. Kasirye wants to learn more about substance prevention and policy work in the US and explore ways of improving the policy environment in Uganda.

 

Dr. Laith R. Khalil from Balad City, Salahudin Province, Iraq, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery at The College of Medicine, Tikrit University in 1996.  In 2005 he became a Fellow of the Iraqi Board for Medical Specializations in the Department of General Surgery, the highest degree achieved by surgeons in Iraq, and equivalent to a Ph.D. Dr. Khaleel worked as a specialist surgeon in the Balad City Hospital Department of Emergencies and Accidents, where he treated many casualties resulting from drug and alcohol abuse. The population of the Balad City area, a frequent target for terrorism, has very high rates of drug and alcohol abuse due to repeated traumatic exposure. Dr. Khaleel’s work with this traumatized population has shaped his goals for his Fellowship year, which are to gain the required knowledge and skills to help addiction sufferers in Iraq by learning about the most effective and proven treatment and prevention practices.

 

Mr. Lionel Kulathilake, from Colombo, Sri Lanka, obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1993 and his Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Counseling and Career Guidance from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2004.  In 2010, he earned his Attorney-at-Law as a qualified lawyer from Sri Lanka Law College, Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Mr. Kulathilake was trained in Western Australia in 1999 as a community corrections officer and in 2003 was trained at the Institute of Management in Western Australia as a "Train the Trainer" and assessor. He started his public service as a prison officer in Sri Lanka in1984. He is currently working as a community corrections officer in the Department of Community Based Corrections under the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms. During his Fellowship year, Mr. Kulathilake plans to enhance his knowledge of substance abuse treatment and prevention, as well as program development and evaluation.

 

Mr. Pansak Pramokchon, from Bangkok, Thailand, received his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Chiang Mai University, Thailand in 1987.   He was awarded the Technical Co–operative Scholarship Award from the British Council in 1995 and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health Management from the University of Birmingham, UK in 1996.  Mr. Pramokchon has worked as a pharmacist with the Thai Ministry of Public Health for 24 years, and has been involved in many major health and safety initiatives.  He led the effort of the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand (Thai FDA) to establish the ASEAN agreement, creating a harmonized cosmetics regulatory scheme.  Currently, he is lead overseer for the Thai FDA’s information technology project on inter–governmental agency information exchange.  This project is designed to create a "Single Window" for access to information necessary to meet the requirements of the ASEAN Agreement.  His Fellowship goal is to expand his professional experience in institutional management and policy formation in order to better prepare the Thai FDA for the challenges of global change.

 

Mr. Pedro Augusto de Andrade Rodrigues from Rio de Janiero, Brazil, earned his Bachelor’s of Science and Professional Qualification in Psychology from the Psychology Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IP/UFRJ) in 2003. He completed internships at the Center for Recovery and Social Integration and at the Psychiatric Hospital Doctor Eiras while serving as a volunteer psychologist in the General Hospital of the Holy House of Mercy of Rio de Janeiro. Following graduation, Mr. Rodrigues began working as a clinical psychologist in the Drug Prevention Department for the City of Rio de Janeiro. Currently, he is the Alcohol and Other Drugs Program Coordinator for the entire western region of the City of Rio de Janeiro. His Fellowship goals include developing greater knowledge of crack cocaine addiction and treatment and gaining a better understanding of the causes of recent increases in drug abuse and dependence in Brazil. Mr. Rodrigues aims to enhance his knowledge of successful treatment and prevention programs in order to adapt them to the specific needs of the Brazilian population.

 

Dr. Aizhan Zhumasheva, from Aktobe, Kazakhstan, obtained her medical degree in 1991 from Almaty State Medical Institute in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and received her specialization in clinical psychiatry from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow in 1993.  Dr. Zhumasheva has been working in the field of drug abuse treatment and prevention for more than 12 years, and is director and founder of the Center for Psychotherapy "Imaton" in Aktobe, Kazakhstan.  In her role as center director, Dr. Zhumasheva has worked to develop and implement harm reduction programs, such as a clean needle exchange program, while providing community education, lecture programs and therapy consultation.  During her Fellowship year, she seeks to acquire knowledge and practical experience related to drug abuse treatment and prevention services in the U.S., and to establish new professional contacts, particularly with U.S. anti-drug coalition members.  Her goal is to utilize this knowledge so that problems of drug abuse in Kazakhstan can be more effectively addressed.