strengthening the capacity for health research in africa leke unesco merck presentati… · part...
TRANSCRIPT
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Strengthening the Capacity for
Health Research in Africa
Pr. Rose Leke
Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaounde I
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UNESCO-Merck Africa Research Summit
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Presentation Outline
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Part I: Personal experience with Health Research
Strengthening Initiatives in Africa.
Part II: Challenges in Strengthening the capacity for health
research in Africa.
Part III: New Health Research Strengthening initiatives
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The burden of Infectious diseases is greatest in
sub-Saharan Africa.
“Nothering on earth is more international than disease Paul Russel. Source:
http://www.slideshare.net/Sujatamohapatra/global-burden-of-disease-international-health-regulation 3
Burden of disease by broad cause group and region, 2004
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What is the best approach to train scientists and health
professionals in Africa to produce scientific knowledge and
tools to address diseases affecting the African population?
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Part I: My personal experiences
• Two main goals:
- Conduct research on malaria.
- Train and raise a critical mass of scientist to continue research on malaria at BTC in Cameroon.
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Case Study# 1
Where is the critical mass of scientist to continue research on
malaria at the Biotechnology Center?
Department of Tropical Medicine, University of Hawaii, USA
Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon
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Part I: My personal experiences
• Awarded grants to early and mid-career African scientist
working in research groups in Africa on malaria.
• Last round of MIM/TDR grants was awarded in 2009.
• Looking for funding to revive it
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Case Study# 2
Where are the research capacity building programs to support
early or mid-career African scientist in Africa?
MIM/TDR Research Capacity Building Program
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Part I: My personal experiences
• Invested in research infrastructure, equipped laboratories
and provided research awards.
• Program terminated = “We are closed till next grant”
• There is no pipeline of funding to sustain research activities
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Case Study# 3
How can research groups or laboratories in Africa sustain their
research activities when funding from a donor (s) phases out?
The EDCTP I program
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Part II: Challenges in Strengthening the capacity for health
research in Africa.
1) Little or no alignment between research strengthening
efforts and national development agendas
2) Very few research leaders and solutions to local health
problems
3) Extremely slow uptake of research results or findings into policy and practice.
4) Limited support for conducting and communicating
research findings locally.
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5) Too much focus on Knowledge generation
• We need to go beyond the culture of knowledge
generation and embrace a culture of innovation.
• We can not only be “Data collectors”, we need to be
“idea generators”
• Innovation in developing drugs and vaccines
• Innovation in designing strategies to finance, to engage
and to deliver health interventions
Part II: Challenges in Strengthening the capacity
for health research in Africa.
Innovation is not just about doing things new, but differently
and in a more sustainable and effective way.9
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Part II: Challenges in Strengthening the capacity for health
research in Africa.
6) Lack of research career opportunities
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Research job at a local Institution
Teaching jobs at local Universities
Move to a Northern Institution
Beyond PhD
?
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(Nwaka et al., 2010) PLoS Med 7(6): e1000293.
8) Uneven geographic coverage.
Why the focus in a few African Countries?
Collaboration bias towards the US and Europe for the HIV/AIDS R&D network.
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Part II: Challenges in Strengthening the capacity
for health research in Africa.
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Part III: New Initiatives for Strengthening health research capacity in Africa
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Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF)
An initiative to support early career African
Source: http://www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/for-researchers/funding-opportunities/funding-for-
african-researchers/
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Part III: New Initiatives for Strengthening health research capacity in Africa
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Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in
Africa (AESA)
An initiative created by the African Academy of Science and
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
Two great programs
1) The DELTAS African program
2) Grand Challenges Africa
Source: http://www.aasciences.org/index.php/news-a-events/433-aesa-launched
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Thank you
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