News & Updates

April 2023 Edition, Issue 64

Welcome to another edition of the CARTA monthly updates. Read on to keep abreast with what is new.

The 15^th CARTA Partners' Forum and 27^th Board of Management

Quality Doctoral Research Can Bolster Africa’s Health System

To commemorate this year’s World Health Day, held annually on April 7, the CARTA Evidence team published an insightful article on the role African doctoral students and graduates can play in addressing existing and emerging public health problems in the continent. The article provides examples of how evidence generated by doctoral researchers can inform action, decision-making, and strategies to enhance health systems in specific contexts, leading to improved public health outcomes across the continent. These examples show how CARTA through its unique interventions and training is contributing to the creation of a conducive environment for African scholars to enable them to effectively play this role. Read on

Olivia Osiro (cohort 6, University of Nairobi) has been promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer of Biomaterials Science in the Department of Dental Sciences, effective April 2023. Until her promotion, she had been serving as a Lecturer in the same department. Olivia was also appointed to be a member of the Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi Ethics and Research Committee in January 2022.

Remarking on the milestones, she says, “My PhD and re-entry grant, funded by CARTA, were key considerations in these appointments. Moreover, I was able to obtain additional research grants, attend conferences, and publish in reputable journals because of the skills gained during the CARTA PhD fellowship.”

Olindah Silaule (cohort 9 fellow, University of the Witwatersrand) has been promoted to the position of Senior Lecture at the University of Cape Town in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Science, Division of Occupational Therapy where she is teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in occupational therapy: mental health and rehabilitation. Prior, she had been serving as a Lecturer at the Wit’s School of Therapeutic Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy.

Rose Opiyo (cohort 1 graduate, University of Nairobi) has been promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer of Public Health Nutrition in the Department of Public and Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences. She has also been appointed the Chair (HOD) of the Department of Public and Global Health. Both roles are effective April 26, 2023. 

Yolanda Malele-Kolisa (cohort 5 graduate, University of the Witwatersrand) has been appointed to the PLOS ONE Editorial Board as an Academic Editor. She will be reviewing manuscripts in Dentistry, specifically Dental Public Health. Her role in this position will include overseeing the peer review process from beginning to end, taking responsibility for conducting an initial assessment based on the PLOS ONE criteria for publication, finding and inviting reviewers, evaluating their feedback, making editorial decisions, and communicating to authors.

Enock Chisati (cohort 7 graduate, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences) was last month promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the institution, and our communications team caught up with him to share his academic and professional journey. Enock says that CARTA has made substantial contributions towards his achievement of various milestones including the promotion. Read on

Sara Jewett Nieuwoudt (cohort 4 graduate, University of the Witwatersrand) attended the inaugural African Social Marketing Association Conference held at the University of the Witwatersrand between April 24 -26, 2023. She attended in her capacity as the scientific co-chair of the conference committee and had been responsible for leading the review of Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) submissions. At the event, she led the opening of the second day of the conference. The conference is notable for its efforts to highlight African leadership and excellence in research and conceptual thinking on both SBC and Social Marketing. 

Folusho Balogun (cohort 5 graduate, University of Ibadan) and James Kang'ethe (cohort 10 fellow, University of Nairobi) attended the African Advanced Vaccinology Course (Afro-ADVAC) for senior-level scientists between April 17 - 26, 2023. The course aims to develop vaccinology expertise on the African continent, foster research collaboration, and inform decision-making by key professional bodies on immunization practices and policies in Africa. It was delivered by the African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise (ALIVE) based at the University of Witwatersrand and was held at Glenburn Lodge, Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa.

Photo Caption: Folusho and James during the Afro-Advac training in South Africa

Jepchirchir Kiplagat (cohort 5 graduate, Moi University) attended the annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) 2023 conference held in Washington DC, USA between April 13-16, 2023. She delivered a poster presentation on her research work on 'Aging with HIV and the need to screen for hypertension in aging people with HIV'. The conference provided a great opportunity to network with others working in global health and met colleagues in her Fogarty Fellowship (had not been able to meet earlier due to COVID-19 restrictions) and seasoned researchers willing to help review her K43 global leader career development grant application before resubmission.

Photo Caption: Jepchirchir with Dr. Rodger Glass, former Director of Fogarty International Center during the CUGH Conference in the USA

Lilian Njagi (cohort 9 fellow, University of Nairobi) has had an abstract titled ‘Towards pharmacogenomics-guided tuberculosis (TB) therapy: N-acetyltransferase-2 genotypes among TB-infected Kenyans of mixed ethnicity’ accepted as an oral presentation for the seventh International Conference of the Global Genomic Medicine Consortium (G2MC) to be held from October 2 to 4, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. The abstract is based on her current PhD work.

Catherine Musyoka (cohort 7 graduate, University of Nairobi) is currently (since April 1, 2023) in a post-doctoral mentorship program at Boston College, Massachusetts as part of the ACHIEVE Fogarty Global Health Research Fellowship. Her research project is on ‘User-centred mHealth app for on-demand mental health literacy for the prevention and management of substance abuse among adolescents in resource-limited settings’. She will present her research on May 24, 2023, at the Boston School of Social Work.

Godwin Anywar (cohort 6, Makerere University) has been selected to join the official mentorship program for PhD and master's students on the Young East African Research Scientists’ Forum (YEARS’). YEARS' is under the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC). Between April 2 - 4, 2023 he delivered a session on ‘Proposal writing’ to mentees of YEARS’ during a national workshop on ‘Research ecosystem skills in East African Community (EAC) partner states’ that was held in Kampala, Uganda.

On April 26, 2023, he was invited to speak at the IDEAS Research Colloquium that was held at the University of Leipzig, Germany. He presented on ‘Finding a research design that matches your research hypotheses’ and also examined work presented by master’s student, Léocade AZONHOUMON, titled ‘Morphogenetic characterization and seed storability of jute mallow C. olitorius’. Godwin also presented on ‘Scientific writing; writing articles and/or book chapters’ at the Early Career Research Workshop held at the Makerere University Writing Centre and facilitated by Michigan State University, Makerere University, and the US Mission to Uganda.

St Paul's University Benchmarking Exercise at APHRC Campus

Led by its Research and Related Capacity Strengthening (RRCS) Division, the African and Population Health Research Center (APHRC) hosted a team from St Paul's University (SPU), Kenya, on April 18, 2023 for a benchmarking exercise on research capacity-strengthening initiatives. The SPU team comprised a delegate of five led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academics Affairs, Prof. Peter Ngure (former CARTA program manager). Presentations and highlights of APHRC's work were provided by Catherine Kyobutungi, Joseph Gichuru, Evelyn Gitau, Florah Karimi, Hesborne Wao, Marta Vicente-Crespo, and Patrick Owili. The two teams exchanged ideas and experiences in the areas of research and related capacity and funding, and the role of universities in the research and development ecosystem. They also discussed possible areas of collaboration with a commitment to take the discussion further. Others in attendance were Cavens Kithinji, Winnie Kepkemboi, Ann Waithaka, and Benard Ondiek from RRCS.

KUHeS hosts University of Bergen for the iCARTA project meeting

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Malawi hosted a visiting team from the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, joined by CARTA Program Coordinator, Cavens Kithinji to discuss the progress of the Institutionalization of Advanced Research Training in Africa - iCARTA project. The teams engaged in a general review of the project implementation plan for the year and reporting. iCARTA aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of CARTA's interventions by institutionalizing some of its activities into the routine functioning of its African partner universities. It is funded through Norad's Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED) II program. The project commenced in 2021 and is implemented by CARTA's partners - KUHeS, University of Rwanda and Makerere University.

Book Chapters

Funding: Applied Global Health (pre-announcement)

This year, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has split the global health funding call into two: research and partnership to address global health challenges and inequities. Proposals of all sizes, including large research projects and small to medium-scale applications, will be accepted. Interested applicants should note the applied global health funding opportunity is now split into separate ‘research’ and ‘partnership’ outline application processes. Applicants are advised to read both the ‘applied global health research’ funding opportunity and this applied global health partnership’ funding opportunity, before deciding which 1 is the best fit for their application. Details: Research call/partnership call

Status: Opens on May 24 and closes on July 27, 2023

Funding: Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action on Climate, Environment, and Health

The purpose of this call is to address an unmet need to promote, mobilize, and establish an inclusive, transdisciplinary funding scheme, through the preservation and celebration of diverse communities, research topics, ecosystems, and creative transformative solutions. One ambitious goal for this CRA will hopefully create a comprehensive culture shift through education, research, service, and advocacy to inspire a world where all animals and humans can thrive — through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science — and by adapting and protecting Earth’s natural systems for generations to come. Details

Status: Opens on April 15 and pre-proposals are due on July 15, 2023

Funding: Exploratory Grants for Climate Change and Health Research Center Development (P20 Clinical Trial Optional)

This program will support the development of a transdisciplinary research environment to sustain a program of fundamental and applied research to examine the impacts of climate change on health and to develop action-oriented solutions to protect the health of individuals, communities, and nations from the hazards posed by climate change. This opportunity will allow development of new research teams collaborating with communities and other partners to develop projects that generate data that will build or expand research capacity across a range of thematic scientific areas in support of the four core elements of the NIH’s Initiative in climate health research: health effects research, health equity, intervention research, and training and capacity building. Details

Deadline: May 1, 2023; November 7, 2023

Fellowship: Cameron Schrier Equality Program

The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) at the University of the Witwatersrand is proud to announce the continuation of the Cameron Schrier Inequality Fellowship. The fellowship program is for activists from civil society, senior government officials, academics, and business leaders from across the global South. The goal of the fellowship is to develop and advance links between academia, activism, and policymakers across the global South, deepening new areas of research and writing on inequality. Two fellowships are offered concurrently for six months each, and fellows will be based at the SCIS, in Johannesburg, South Africa. SCIS will provide fellows with resources, space, and time to reflect on their work, engage with the SCIS academic community, and produce a publication relating to their area of focus. For queries contact: david.francis@wits.ac.za. Apply here

Deadline: April 30, 2023

Fellowship: Afrique One-REACH

Afrique One-REACH (Research Excellence for African Challenges in Health) is part of the funding initiative Developing Excellence in Leadership Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa II). DELTAS Africa is a long-term program of the SFA Foundation supported with funding from Wellcome, and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the UK. Its vision is to support the African-led development of world-class research and research leaders in Africa. Afrique One-REACH aims to fill up to 50 fellowship positions: 5 Postdocs (24 months), 24 PhDs (36-48 months), 12 MSc (12-24 months), 9 trainees (MD, DVM, IING, BSc, 12 months) with a gender ratio 1:1 (50% female and 50% male fellows). The research topics cover three main disease complexes in Thematic Training Programmes (TTPs): (i) Endemic and Emerging Zoonoses (EEZs); (ii) Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), (iii) Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Details

Deadline: May 31, 2023

Fellowship: International Bioethics Research Training Program

The overall goal of this initiative is to support the mentored training of a sustainable critical mass of bioethics scholars in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) research-intensive institutions with the capabilities to conduct original empirical or conceptual ethics research that addresses challenging issues in health research and research policy in these countries as well as provide research ethics leadership to their institutions, governments, and international research organizations. FIC will support LMIC-U.S. collaborative institutional bioethics doctoral and postdoctoral research training programs that incorporate mentored research, advanced theoretical didactic courses, and ethics career skills training components to prepare multiple individuals for positions of ethics scholarship and leadership in health research institutions in LMICs. Details

Deadline: June 6, 2023

Call for Abstracts: 19^th International Conference on Urban Health

The International Society for Urban Health welcomes proposals that advance the field of urban health from across all sectors; public, private, academia, NGOs, and civil society; philanthropy; and relevant disciplines including public health, medicine, health sciences, health systems, health policy and management, urban planning, energy, transportation, sustainability, social services, real estate, economic development, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, public policy, finance, international development, education, engineering, and more. Special preference will be given to presentations that bring new insights to this year’s theme: 'Turning Evidence into Impact: Urban Health as a Global Driver of Equity and Social Justice'. Details

Deadline: May 15, 2023

Call for Abstracts: Continuity of Chronic Health Care Among Forcibly Displaced Persons

On 14 September 2023, the University of Copenhagen’s School of Global Health is launching the UCPH Global Health Day - the first in a series of annual symposia about global health challenges. The topic for 2023 is ‘Continuity of chronic health care among forcibly displaced persons’. Abstract submissions are invited from people working on the topic. Ten (10) abstracts will be selected for presentation at the symposium, and additional selections are offered as poster presentations. The 10 selected abstracts will be part of a special issue on the topic, which is expected to be published by the end of the year. Details

Deadline: May 15, 2023

Call for Papers: Ageing and Health in sub-Saharan Africa

The International Journal of Public Health (IJPH) – an independent non-profit society journal of the Swiss School of Public Health, open access, Impact Factor (2021) 5.1 – has launched a special issue/call centered around the three priority areas of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing: older persons and development, advancing health and well-being into old age and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. Original and review articles relevant to the priority areas and the key topics are invited. Details

Deadline: August 31, 2023

Call for Papers: Science to Foster WHO Air Quality Guidelines Values

The International Journal of Public Health (IJPH) – an independent non-profit society journal of the Swiss School of Public Health, open access, Impact Factor (2021) 5.1 welcomes original research, reviews or commentaries on the health effects of air pollution that foster the translation of research to policy and action. Particularly encouraged are submissions of research from low- and middle-income countries that are most heavily affected by air pollution, and typically understudied. Investigations in marginalized communities in high-income countries for evidence-based clean air policy and action will be of major interest too. Details

Deadline: November 2023

Training: Research4Life Publishing and Research Communication Short Course

As a follow-up to the 2022 Research4Life Publishing and Research Communications (PRC) webinar series, Research4Life will host two short courses in 2023 to focus on the topics noted by the series’ participants as their top concerns. Taking place over 6 weeks between late May to the end of June, the first PRC short course: “From idea to article: manuscript writing, journal selection, and publishing in high impact journals” will consist of three webinars, supplementary study materials, and a discussion forum to maximize the interaction among participants and presenters/facilitators. The course is freely available to researchers and users from Research4Life eligible countries who wish to improve their skills on how to create, evaluate and disseminate their research output effectively. Register for the course here and for more information, see the course announcement.

Course Registration Deadline: May 10, 2023

Access more opportunities related to global health research here: https://www.fic.nih.gov/Funding/News/Pages/global-health-funding-news-2023-04-17.aspx

New Online Course: From Lab to Clinic, Translational Research for Rare Diseases

Learn the fascinating journey of translating research into treatments for Rare Diseases and with expert guidance, explore drug discovery, clinical trials, regulatory approval, and challenges in this unique field. Launched on April 17, 2023, this course provides an overview of the issues, challenges, and opportunities in translating research into treatments for rare disease patients and insights from patients and experts, and understanding trial planning, design, and data sharing. Join now

Research4Life YouTube Resources: Researcher Skills Training 

Research4Life grants free or low-cost online access to more than 30,000 journals, 129,000 books, and tons of other information resources. Search through multiple databases with just one click. In multiple languages, view one of the world’s largest collections on health, agriculture, environment, scientific and technical information, law, and social sciences. As one of the information resources, Research4Life provides dedicated video playlists of webinars, and training hosted on YouTube. You are urged to explore the research skill training playlist and in particular ‘Improving discoverability and recognition for your research activities with ORCID'.

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upcoming events, meetings, story ideas, new collaborations, new trials/updates, upcoming and published papers, policy briefs, community engagement activities, scholarships, what you are reading, if you won a grant, attending or about an upcoming conference, a call for applications/funding/papers, etc.

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