LSTM Home > LSTM Research > LSTM Online Archive

Supporting Capacity for Research on Malaria in Africa

Greenwood, Brian, Gaye, Oumar, Kamya, Moses, Gibson, Kibiki, Mwapasa, Victor, Phiri, Kamija S, Tagbor, Harry, Terlouw, Anja ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5327-8995, Bates, Imelda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0862-8199, Craig, Alister ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0914-6164, Magnussen, Pascal, Theander, Thor G, Bhasin, Amit, McCullough, Hazel and Schellenberg, David (2018) 'Supporting Capacity for Research on Malaria in Africa'. BMJ Global Health, Vol 3, e000723.

[img]
Preview
Text
BMJ_GloB_Heal_3_e000723_2018.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (212kB) | Preview

Abstract

Substantial progress has been made in the control of malaria in Africa but much remains to be done before malaria elimination on the continent can be achieved. Further progress can be made by enhancing uptake of existing control tools but, in high transmission areas, additional tools will be needed. Development and evaluation of these new tools will require a substantial cadre of African scientists well trained in many different disciplines. This paper describes the activities undertaken by the Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC) to support the careers of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows undertaking research on malaria at five African universities. A systematic assessment of constraints on PhD training and research support systems was undertaken at each partner African university at the beginning of the programme and many of these constraints were remedied. The success of the programme is shown by the fact that 18 of the 21 PhD students recruited to the programme completed their theses successfully within a four-year period and that all 27 scientists recruited to the post-doctoral programme were still working in Africa on its completion. The work of the consortium will be continued through Career Development Groups established at each partner university and at an affiliated institution at the University of Nairobi and through the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (DELTAS) award from the Wellcome Trust made to one of the African partners. Lessons learnt during the MCDC programme may help the planning and execution of other research capacity development programmes in Africa.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: WA Public Health > Preventive Medicine > WA 110 Prevention and control of communicable diseases. Transmission of infectious diseases
WA Public Health > WA 20.5 Research (General)
WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 750 Malaria
WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 755 Epidemiology
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Clinical Sciences & International Health > International Public Health Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000723
Depositing User: Helen Wong
Date Deposited: 27 Apr 2018 09:22
Last Modified: 22 Oct 2019 08:23
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/8390

Statistics

View details

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item