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The Doherty Institute recently hosted Touakai Kambati, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Fellow and Senior Laboratory Scientist at Kiribati's Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from RMIT in 2014, Mr Kambati pursued his passion for science by joining the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Kiribati in 2015.

“I have long been interested in how the body works and how everything around us affects us. I became a scientist to understand this interest of mine better and the effects of the environment on the human body,” he said.

In addition to being the Senior Laboratory Technologist in the Laboratory Department, Mr Kambati is also Head of the Biochemistry Department, where he is in charge of making sure the equipment works and he trains staff on new tests and equipment. His department is responsible for the referral of samples, including testing for hepatitis viral loads which is conducted in collaboration with the Doherty Institute.

“Our team packs and sends samples to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory. The team there tests the samples and returns them to us in Kiribati, where they are distributed to doctors around the country,” explained Mr Kambati.

Over 290 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B (HBV). Kiribati has one of the highest prevalence rates of chronic hepatitis B in the world, a pattern replicated in many Pacific Island countries. A substantial number of these cases result from mother-to-child and early childhood transmission prior to the implementation of the immunisation program. Medical care is complicated by vast expanses of ocean separating population centres in its constituent islands.

Mr Kambati’s training is one of the ways in which the Kiribati and Australian Governments are working together to increase the number of skilled scientists in-land, in order to improve efficiencies in screening practices and access to treatment.

Mr Kambati’s two-week fellowship involved a hands-on training program in laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis viruses, complementing the ongoing collaboration between the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), the Kiribati Ministry of Health, the Australia non-profit Hepatitis B Free and the hepatitis B treatment program established in Kiribati in 2018, based on WHO guidelines and local needs. Mr Kambati concluded his training by attending the 39th National Reference Laboratories (NRL) workshop on infectious diseases testing in Adelaide.

“The experience was more than I expected. I was able to learn how the laboratories are run, from health and safety induction, sample management and analysis to result interpretation and, more importantly, how the hepatitis B virus works,” said Mr Kambati.

“I learned how to run HBV viral testing on GeneXpert [a real-time PCR system] using dry blood spots, laboratory workflow in a PCR laboratory and the steps required to prevent cross-contamination within the various parts of the laboratory. Our laboratory is also currently in the process of completing our very own PCR laboratory. So, the skills I learned during the fellowship will benefit a bigger team as I will train my colleagues.”

He recounted the experience at the Doherty Institute as ‘informative and fun.’

“The staff at VIDRL were very welcoming and helpful in explaining laboratory procedures and answering any questions I had. We hope to visit the Doherty Institute for further fellowships to continuously improve our laboratory services in Kiribati.”

The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Dr Kathy Jackson, Principal Scientist at VIDRL at the Doherty Institute, said the team was pleased to welcome Mr Kambati and the experience was an excellent opportunity to cross-train and upskill scientists.

“VIDRL is keen to continue supporting Kiribati and other Pacific Island countries with laboratory strengthening and capacity building to achieve sustainable diagnostic testing in country,” said Dr Jackson.

Navin Karan, Senior Medical Scientist and Training and Capacity Manager at the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s VIDRL at the Doherty Institute, described Mr Kambati’s placement as a roaring success.

“Touakai was an excellent participant, able to absorb the training, and now has the required skills to implement viral load testing from dried blood spots in his setting. He can now mentor his colleagues to implement changes from what he learned at VIDRL. I look forward to hosting additional DFAT fellows at VIDRL in the future,” said Mr Karan.

Mr Karan’s appraisal of the placement resonates with Mr Kambati’s short and long-term goals.

“The Laboratory Department in Kiribati is not yet accredited. Being part of the team assisting in this process is one of my main goals. Research-wise, there will always be new tests and methods being done to detect and control infectious diseases. So, having a laboratory that can conduct its research for its population is something I am looking forward to achieving,” he said.

The DFAT Fellowship is part of the Australia Awards, a government initiative bringing together prestigious international scholarships, fellowships and short courses administered by DFAT. More about the awards here.