Sustainable Research Training and Capacity Building in Liberia for Emerging Viral Epidemics

项目摘要/摘要 利比里亚是一个资源丰富但经济贫穷的国家，在下列情况下继续与增长和复苏作斗争 它14年的内战摧毁了它的基础设施。在最近的埃博拉病毒(EBOV)疫情期间，利比里亚 只有不到100名医生，需要国际社会的帮助来控制它。这个 援助利比里亚得到了大大改善的实物资源(例如实验室设备和围堵设施 设施)，但没有显著增加人力资源。今天，医疗保健劳动力只有~25% 护士、助产士和药剂师，以及国家需要的9%的医生。为了利比里亚的发展 早期识别和控制有潜力的新出现的病毒疾病的可持续研究能力 对于区域和全球流行病，利比里亚需要一种吸引学生兴趣的机制，以及持续不断的 提供受过大学教育的学生，掌握病毒、流行病学和如何 开展研究。利比里亚大学(UL)是利比里亚最大的政府支持机构， 它的科学和技术学院授予那些希望进入 健康职业。此外，UL医学院和塔布曼医学艺术学院培训医生和 分别是护士。2015年，UL进行了需求评估并制定了战略学术计划。在……里面 作为对这一计划的回应，热带医学、医学微生物学和药理学系的教员， 夏威夷大学(UH)和雅温得大学(UY)建议与UL的教职员工合作 建立以激发兴趣、提高教学质量和学生素质为目标的创造性培养计划 在UL学习生物医学科学的经验，并提供研究方面的培训 新出现的病毒流行。规划过程包括12个步骤：1)为教师制定职业发展计划； 2)确定如何加强病毒学、新出现的流行病和研究方面的课程；3) 评估UL和UH之间远程学习的可行性；4)评估引入 将以实验室为基础的题为“对新出现的流行病毒的研究”的课程纳入课程；5)确定 为学生提供参加国内指导性研究项目的机会；6)调查其他活动 列入培训补助金；7)探索在夏威夷培训利比里亚学生；8)建立南南 学术和研究合作；9)确定选择学员进行培训的方法；10)评估需求 针对利比里亚医疗保健劳动力中的特定技能人员；11)确定具有多学科知识的个人 在培训咨询小组任职的背景；以及12)写一份D43申请。十人计划 委员会由UL，UH和UY教师组成，他们是教师和学者，他们的D71规划工作是 由更多在病毒学、流行病学和全球卫生研究方面有经验的教员提供支持。 加强UL的研究能力是确保可持续健康干部的唯一途径 具有识别和控制利比里亚未来新出现的病毒流行的研究专长的专业人员。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Liberia, a resource rich but economically poor country, continues to struggle with growth and recovery following its 14-year civil war that destroyed its infrastructure. During the recent Ebola virus (EBOV) epidemic, Liberia had fewer than 100 physicians and needed help from the international community for its control. The assistance Liberia received largely improved physical resources (e.g., laboratory equipment and containment facilities), but did not significantly increase human resources. Today, the healthcare workforce has only ~25% of the nurses, midwives, and pharmacists, and 9% of the physicians the country needs. For Liberia to develop sustainable research capacity for early identification and control of emerging viral diseases with the potential for regional and global pandemics, Liberia needs a mechanism to garner students’ interest, and a continuous supply of university-educated students graduating with current knowledge on viruses, epidemiology and how to conduct research. The University of Liberia (UL) is the largest government supported institution in Liberia, and its College of Science and Technology awards Bachelor of Science degrees to students who wish to enter the health professions. Also, UL’s College of Medicine and Tubman Institute of Medicinal Arts train physicians and nurses, respectively. In 2015, UL conducted a needs assessment and developed a strategic academic plan. In response to this plan, faculty in the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, University of Hawai’i (UH), and the University of Yaoundé 1 (UY) propose to partner with faculty at UL to establish a creative training program with the goal of garnering interest and improving teaching and student learning experience in biomedical sciences at UL, and providing training in the conduct of research on emerging viral epidemics. The planning process has 12 steps: 1) devise a career development plan for faculty; 2) determine how to strengthen the curriculum in virology, emerging epidemic diseases, and research; 3) assess feasibility of long-distance learning between UL and UH; 4) evaluate the possibility of introducing a laboratory-based course entitled “Research on Emerging Epidemic Viruses,” into the curriculum; 5) identify opportunities for students to participate in in-country mentored research projects; 6) investigate other activities for inclusion in a training grant; 7) explore training of Liberian students in Hawai’i; 8) establish south-south academic and research collaboration; 9) identify a method for selecting students for training; 10) assess needs for specific skilled personnel in the Liberian healthcare workforce; 11) identify individuals with multi-disciplinary backgrounds to serve on a Training Advisory Group; and 12) write a D43 application. The ten-person planning committee consists of UL, UH and UY faculty who are teacher-scholars, and their D71 planning efforts are supported by a larger group of faculty with experience in virology, epidemiology and global health research. Strengthening the research capacity at the UL is the only way to guarantee a sustainable cadre of health professionals with research expertise to identify and control future emerging viral epidemics in Liberia.