Kate O'Brien
We Are TB

Hi, my name is Kate O'Brien.

I had tuberculosis myself in 2015 when I was pregnant with my son. It was a really difficult experience for me and I feel like it really didn't have to be. So now I do advocacy with other TB survivors and affected family with a group in the United States called We Are TB. I'm also a member of the Stop TB Community Delegation.

TB elimination is possible. And I'm so glad that you're here to take this course and join me.

To get any job done right you need the right tools. When it comes to ending TB our most important tools are diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines.

While we can make some progress, the fact is we cannot end the TB epidemic with the tools we have today. We urgently need new diagnostics, treatment regimens, and vaccines, along with more investment in other areas of research.

This means that we need more people who are equipped to advocate for the funding and research and development of new TB tools.

If you are here, that means that you want to strengthen your knowledge and build more skills that you can use to be a powerful advocate for new TB tools.

So what can you expect from this course?

No matter if you're new to advocacy for TB tools or if you have years of experience, you can expect four things from this course.

First, you'll strengthen your base of fundamental knowledge needed to advocate successfully for new TB tools. This involves issues related to TB research plus issues related to access for new TB tools.

You'll also gain a deeper understanding of the key resources out there that will help you stay up to date with new developments in TB research and help you stay involved in advocacy, including reports, websites, stakeholders, and other resources.

You'll also develop your communication skills, which will help you educate others about the need for new TB tools and deliver clear calls to action.

And finally, as you make your way through the course, you're going to be gathering the information and resources you need to develop your own advocacy plan.

How is the course structured?

This course is self-guided. That means there's no instructor. You are going to take the course at your own pace. Whenever it's convenient for you. The course includes video instruction, and it includes supporting materials that will give you all of the help you'll need to go through the course.

The course has four modules, and each module is broken down into short lessons.

Module one introduces you to key concepts and trends that will give you a solid foundation before you go deeper into your learning about new TB diagnostics, vaccines, and medicine in the other three modules.

Once you have completed the modules, the course ends with a culminating activity where you will develop your own advocacy plan. When you complete the course, you will have a stronger foundation of knowledge and skills and a detailed plan you can use to be a more powerful advocate for the end of TB.

One final thing before you get started, while you do not need prior knowledge of new TB tools to take this course, you do need to have some basic knowledge about TB.

If you want to strengthen your knowledge in TB more generally before starting this course, we recommend that you dive into some of the other courses available on the TeachMeTB learning platform.