JHU-AAU Research Ethics Training Program (Ethiopia)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Johns Hopkins University-Addis Ababa University Research Ethics Training Program in Ethiopia (JHU-AAU RETP) will create a new track in research ethics within AAU’s Masters of Public Health program, basic and advanced ethics workshops, and online courses and webinars from JHU faculty and Africa-based ethics experts covering important and emerging ethical issues. This partnership will focus on investing in the future of Ethiopian ethicists and supporting their original scholarly work. Three key themes to support and grow Ethiopian ethicists will include the ethics of infectious disease research relevant to the major disease burden in Ethiopia; the ethics of testing and evaluating genetic approaches to improve health services; and exploration of the ethical issues in studying the new burden of non-communicable conditions across the lifespan. The JHU-AAU partnership will also establish a national forum to discuss research ethics in Ethiopia. AAU’s strong national reputation will be used to promote dialogue on research ethics among policy makers and various professionals in Ethiopia. The partnership will also establish a Research Ethics Unit within an existing center for ethics at AAU by the end of 5 years that will house and continue to grow Ethiopia’s ethics capacity by strengthening research ethics teaching capacity; enhancing research ethics coordination capacity in collaboration with other research especially NIH-funded projects; enhancing international networking and collaboration; enabling stronger dissemination and communication; and supporting the IRB at AAU. This transformative approach means that we will implement a capacity development model for Ethiopians by Ethiopians with technical assistance from U.S.- and Africa- based experts; address a major gap in health research by focusing on research ethics; and establish mechanisms to ensure long term sustainability for a strong research ethics enterprise. Building on an existing Master’s program at AAU with experience teaching health research and building on JHU’s 18 years of experience in training professionals from Africa in research ethics, this program will formalize research ethics training in one of the premier institutions in Africa. Trainees at AAU will conduct scholarship on the ethics issues emerging in research studying nationally relevant issues, while the two institutions collaborate to promote such research. We will work to create a sustainable national platform to highlight and discuss research ethics aimed at promoting an exploration of social, ethical and cultural issues in health research.