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Grants awarded in 2006
Dr Stephen Gordon, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; research training in methods for epidemiologic, clinical and operations research.
Although the African continent is the most afflicted by respiratory disease, there is very little published data describing the burden of disease or how to manage it. The proposal aims to establish an African network of trained clinical investigators in respiratory medicine. The Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS) was started in 2003 and its members are prioritizing the need for more trained African researchers to carry out work identified from within the region. The project builds on a training model initially developed for Latin America. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine will provide some teaching staff and will administer the funds. The College of Medicine of the University of Malawi will provide training facilities and some teaching staff and the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme of Clinical Tropical Research will provide logistical and computer support.
The project aims to both train African respiratory health professionals in research methods and to create mentor partnerships that will sustain this process. Each year PATS will organize research training courses taught by experienced research staff from Africa, UK and US. These events, as well as providing immediate training for African respiratory health professionals, will provide the forum for the establishment of mentor relationships between the teaching staff and the respiratory health professionals. The courses and partnerships will allow health professionals to learn research methodology both in the classroom and by doing project work, both during the course and afterwards. In time a network of research proficient investigators will be created within Africa that will provide support, collaborative research, peer review and advocacy for change within PATS.
Dr David Bowers, School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor; Developing marine sciences in Mozambique.
The proposal aims to develop Mozambique’s capacity to undertake an expansion of its coastal aquaculture sector by strengthening its base in marine science. The University of Wales, Bangor (UWB) has been collaborating with IIP - the Mozambican research centre - for over ten years. The University Eduardo Mondland (EUM) and the Ministry of Fisheries are also partners in the proposal. The project will help establish a national centre for aquaculture and marine research training in Quelimane to train government personnel responsible for resource management as well as people wanting to work within the aquaculture industry. The project has a strong focus on environmental protection. The government has passed many decrees to protect its coastline but, so far, there are not the trained personnel to see that they are adhered to. Those working in the aquaculture industry, whether for multinationals or in small businesses also need to be responsible for the environmental impact of their work.
Specifically the proposal plans to train three Mozambican staff to M.Sc. level so that they can teach others; to develop and initiate specialist short course training in selected research skills; provide equipment for a national aquaculture research training centre; support and develop research training projects.
Mr Graham Blois, Mildmay International; Paediatric HIV and use of ARVs for multidisciplinary health workers in Zimbabwe
This project aims to improve the health of and reduce mortality for children living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe through training multi-disciplinary health care workers to develop multi-disciplinary paediatric HIV/AIDS services. It focuses on the Southern and Midlands regions of the country – areas often neglected by donors. The proposal builds on an earlier grant from the Foundation to develop a pilot programme to train health workers in Zimbabwe to initiate nurse-led paediatric HIV care and management and ARV treatment services. One of the Zimbabwean partners was the Zimbabwean Association of Church-related Hospitals (ZACH); ZACH is the ecumenical medical arm of the Churches in Zimbabwe, its hospitals accounting for 45% of all hospital beds and 68% of all rural hospital beds.
Healthcare professionals have little paediatric HIV/AIDS training – but it is the government’s policy to allocate 40% of ARVs to children. The project aims to create a critical mass of multidisciplinary healthcare workers with in depth knowledge, skills and attitudes to the care and treatment of children living with HIV/AIDS. Over a three year period, Mildmay International will train 96 workers in 12 hospitals and 24 of these participants will be given skills to train others. To bring management on board, 24 hospital managers will be invited to mobilisation and sensitisation workshops. An estimated 1,000 children in each of the 12 hospitals will be given appropriate treatment for opportunistic infections and it is hoped that 20% of these will start on ARV treatment.
Professor Andrew Green, Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development, University of Leeds; Building educational capacity for the training and professional development of health professionals in East Africa
The proposal aims to develop the training facilities at the Centre for Educational Development and Health in Tanzania to meet the professional development and training needs of health professionals such as health policy-makers, health facility managers, administrators and finance officers. The Centre for Educational Development and Health in Tanzania (CEDHA) is a professional institute under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with the aim of strengthening and supporting the health care system through the improvement of relevance and efficiency in the training of health professionals. NCHID and CEDHA have worked together for over ten years in training and research activities.
The project will begin with an assessment of the professional development and training needs of health professionals in Tanzania, followed by the development of relevant curricula to meet those needs and the training of CEDHA staff to manage and teach those curricula. 3 senior staff members will study on postgraduate courses at Leeds and 10 trainer/managers will attend a series of workshops on effective learning techniques, assessing students’ work, evaluating teaching practice and updating technical health knowledge of relevant health topics. CEDHA’s courses attract health personnel from across the region and it is hoped that the project will have an impact beyond Tanzania.
Last Updated Tue, 5 June 2007