Sharing perspectives and experiences of doctoral fellows in the first cohort of Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa: 2011-2014

Babatunde Adedokun; Peter Nyasulu; Fresier Maseko; Sunday Adedini; Joshua Akinyemi; Sulaimon Afolabi; Nicole de Wet; Adedokun Sulaimon; Caroline Sambai; Wells Utembe; Rose Opiyo; Taofeek Awotidebe; Esnat Chirwa; Esther Nabakwe; François Niragire; Dieudonné Uwizeye; Celine Niwemahoro; Mphatso Kamndaya; Victoria Mwakalinga; Kennedy Otwombe

doi:10.3402/gha.v7.25127

Sharing perspectives and experiences of doctoral fellows in the first cohort of Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa: 2011-2014

Glob Health Action. 2014 Sep 29:7:25127. doi: 10.3402/gha.v7.25127. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Babatunde Adedokun¹, Peter Nyasulu², Fresier Maseko³, Sunday Adedini⁴, Joshua Akinyemi⁵, Sulaimon Afolabi⁶, Nicole de Wet⁷, Adedokun Sulaimon⁸, Caroline Sambai⁹, Wells Utembe¹⁰, Rose Opiyo¹¹, Taofeek Awotidebe¹², Esnat Chirwa¹³, Esther Nabakwe¹⁴, François Niragire¹⁵, Dieudonné Uwizeye¹⁶, Celine Niwemahoro¹⁷, Mphatso Kamndaya¹⁸, Victoria Mwakalinga¹⁹, Kennedy Otwombe²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; badedokun@cartafrica.org.
² School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Health Sciences, Monash University, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ College of Medicine, Faculty of Community Health, University of Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁴ Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Demography and Population Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
⁶ Demography and Population Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁷ Demography and Population Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁸ Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Literature, Theatre and Film Studies, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
¹⁰ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences, Malawi Polytechnic, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
¹¹ School of Public Health, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹² Department of Medical Rehabilitation, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
¹³ Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi; MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
¹⁴ Department of Child Health and Pediatrics, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya; Department of Anthropology and Human Ecology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
¹⁵ Department of Applied Statistics, University of Rwanda, Huye, Rwanda.
¹⁶ Department of Sustainable Development, University of Rwanda, Huye, Rwanda; Centre for Population Studies and Research, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
¹⁷ Department of Applied Statistics, University of Rwanda, Huye, Rwanda; Centre for Population Studies and Research, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
¹⁸ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
¹⁹ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
²⁰ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Background: Resolution of public health problems in Africa remains a challenge because of insufficient skilled human resource capacity. The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) was established to enhance capacity in multi-disciplinary health research that will make a positive impact on population health in Africa.

Objective: The first cohort of the CARTA program describes their perspectives and experiences during the 4 years of fellowship and puts forward suggestions for future progress and direction of research in Africa.

Conclusions: The model of training as shown by the CARTA program is an effective model of research capacity building in African academic institutions. An expansion of the program is therefore warranted to reach out to more African academics in search of advanced research training.

Keywords: CARTA; JAS; advanced research training; doctoral fellow; first cohort.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Africa
Cooperative Behavior
Education, Graduate / organization & administration*
Education, Public Health Professional / organization & administration*
Fellowships and Scholarships / organization & administration*
Humans
Interinstitutional Relations
Research / organization & administration*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding