@article{cab8d569a85f4bf88b5d6ac331af8a5d,
title = "Developing independent investigators for clinical research relevant for Africa",
abstract = "Sustainable research capacity building requires training individuals at multiple levels within a supportive institutional infrastructure to develop a critical mass of independent researchers. At many African medical institutions, a PhD is important for academic promotion and is, therefore, an important focal area for capacity building programs. We examine the training at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) as a model for in-country training based on systems capacity building and attention to the academic environment. PhD training in Africa should provide a strong research foundation for individuals to perform independent, original research and to mentor others. Training the next generation of researchers within excellent indigenous academic centers of excellence with strong institutional infrastructure will empower trainees to ask regionally relevant research questions that will benefit Africans.",
author = "Manabe, {Yukari C.} and Elly Katabira and Brough, {Richard L.} and Coutinho, {Alex G.} and Nelson Sewankambo and Concepta Merry",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Pauline Nabunya Mujasi who has built and led the IDI Research Department{\textquoteright}s capacity building programs, and Dr. Bob Colebunders and Dr. David Thomas who had the vision to start PhD programs at the IDI. We would also like to thank the Academic Alliance for their vision in creating the IDI, the Gilead Foundation, the INTERACT program (funded by NACCAP and EU), EDCTP, and the Irish Health Research Board for funding successful research capacity building programs that support both individuals and the Institute, and the Accordia Global Health Foundation for their on-going support of IDI programs. Funding Information: Centers for Global Health have become more commonplace at major universities in developed countries, and more faculty and students from the “North” are interested in pursuing medical research in resource-limited settings. As part of academic social responsibility [6], Northern faculty could identify promising African trainee candidates and provide individual mentoring. International faculty could also contribute to the development of junior faculty to improve their mentorship, research, and grant writing skills. Developing the infrastructure at African universities to build sustainable research programs and finding ways to raise the bar to the international level should become the goal; individuals must be trained to the level where they are able to mentor others. Institutions need to be strengthened in tandem to allow the efficient conduct of research. Centers for Global Health in Africa should be formed to harmonize international partnerships, and to insist on support and advocacy for institutional capacity building, including the development of the next generation of African researchers focused on the research needs and priorities of Africa. Francis Collins, the Director of the NIH, articulated five priorities for the NIH which included Global Health [12]. Recently, as evidence of the NIH commitment, collaborative funding from several US governmental agencies under the Medical Education Partnership Initiative was awarded to twelve African medical schools to strengthen medical institutions in Africa through partnerships with American universities. This funding has the potential to significantly enhance institutional infrastructure for African institutions and the opportunity for these institutions to plan strategically for the future rather than opportunistically apply for funding http://www.fic.nih.gov/programs/training_grants/mepi/index.htm. Funding Information: Training at local, public universities or freestanding Institutes provides important in-country opportunities and can eliminate the need to travel overseas. The IDI is a non-governmental organization owned by Makerere University and housed within the College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda with a mission to improve health through research, training, and clinical care. At the IDI, a generous multi-year grant from Gilead has funded the Sewankambo Scholarship which currently supports 4 PhD candidates and one post-doctoral fellow. Other programs through the Dutch government and the European Union such as INTERACT (Infectious diseases Network for Treatment and Research in Africa), European Developing Country Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), Belgian government (VLIR), and the Health Research Board in Ireland, have also provided tools, skills training, and, in close collaboration with Makerere University College of Health Sciences and the IDI, strengthened research infrastructure. Since 2006, the Gilead program has provided stipends for protected time for research, research funds as well as funding for administrative structures for accountability and mentoring. In addition, this capacity building grant offers funding for 2-4 Master{\textquoteright}s students per year who receive structured training in research methods as well as mentoring support to “fill the pipeline.” This model has been successful in building capacity as evidenced by academic outputs from the research trainees (Figure 1). The number of local individuals able to mentor trainees has been limited due to brain drain in previous decades, clinical and teaching commitments, and a relatively small number of PhD holders compared to the number of students initiating training. At the IDI, mentoring support from a dedicated group of international faculty built from the founders of the institute [6,7] and the growing, diverse array of international partners with projects at the IDI has supplemented the outstanding, indigenous, affiliated faculty mentors.",
year = "2011",
month = dec,
day = "29",
doi = "10.1186/1478-4505-9-44",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "9",
journal = "Health Research Policy and Systems",
issn = "1478-4505",
publisher = "BioMed Central",
}