Tuberculosis & HIV Co-Infection Training Program in Kenya

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Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in people living with HIV infection (PLHIV). Despite the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) over 100 years ago and the availability of effective drugs for over 60 years, there remain formidable hurdles for controlling TB including the lack of a highly efficacious vaccine, long drug treatment regimens, prevention of infection, and killing dormant bacilli within macrophages. To address these problems, novel research and public health strategies need to be developed and coupled with enhanced training and local capacity building in high TB endemic countries. Kenya is one of 30 TB high burden countries which together constitute over 80% of global TB cases. The University of Nairobi (UoN), the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the University of Washington (UW) propose a new TB-HIV Training Program (TBHTP) to address these needs. The TBHTP includes close partnerships in Kenya with the Ministry of Health National Tuberculosis Leprosy and Lung Disease Program (MoH NTLP), and the Kenya Pediatric Research Consortium (KEPRECON) – the research organization affiliated with the Kenya Pediatric Association (KPA). The primary goal of our program is to collaboratively develop training opportunities to address local needs in training and research capacity building. This partnership builds on a 35- year history of collaboration and training in HIV research between UW, KEMRI, and UoN. Although this partnership has been highly successful, TB has not been a high priority or focused goal of previous efforts. To build the capacity of KEMRI and the University of Nairobi (UoN) to conduct TB and TB-HIV co-infection research, we propose to implement a long-term training degree-earning track, a medium-term training non- degree track, and a short-term training track. During the 5-year period, we will train 5 UW MPH, 5 UoN Fellowship in Epidemiology, and 5 UoN PhD students working at KEMRI, UoN, or the MoH. We will also train 10 medium term non-degree scientists who have interest and potential in TB research will attend UW and take coursework in epidemiology and biostatistics or work in a laboratory for one to three months before returning to Kenya and engaging in a mentored research project. Finally, we will conduct short term workshops and provide on-line courses to build a critical mass of trained researchers who will create a supportive environment for research in TB. Together, these training opportunities will enhance local capacity and train the next generation of leaders who will discover novel research and public health strategies to combat the TB epidemic in Kenya.