J&J - UCLA Management Development Institute

The Johnson & Johnson - UCLA Management Development Institute (MDI) was created in 2006 as an intensive one-week program designed to enhance the management skills of health care leaders of East and West African organizations devoted to the care, treatment and support of people and their families living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Ernest O. Nyamato, director of services at Liverpool Voluntary Counseling & Testing (LVCT) care & treatment centers in Kenya, attended the program in 2006. 'MDI changed the way I oversee operations at 15 voluntary counseling and testing sites across Kenya', he said. 'My involvement in the program has helped me to more effectively get our patients treated'. 'Attending the MDI training pointed me in the right direction', noted Dr. Nyamato. With a new mental picture of how his LVCT sites should operate, he began building better communication channels between the staff, creating new human resources and compensation policies, and focusing more on patients' perspectives, expectations and feedback. Assessing community needs, aligning operations with a mission and strategy, budgeting and human resources management were just a few areas discussed in the 2007 MDI training sessions, held in April and September. Participants in such sessions are encouraged to pass along the management and leadership skills they learn to all levels of their organization. By doing so, the knowledge to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS is spread throughout Africa's sub-Saharan region. More than 200 AIDS-service organizations leaders from 12 countries have graduated since 2006.