Strengthening Injury Control Research in Ghana and West Africa

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ABSTRACT The broad goal of this competing renewal proposal is to strengthen the capacity for injury control research in academic institutions in Ghana, building a cadre of qualified researchers, with growing collaborations among West African countries. The project will increase capacity to generate evidence that will be translated into effective activities and implementable policy across the spectrum of injury control. The specific aims are: 1. Develop and implement high-quality short, intermediate, and long-term training opportunities in injury control within Ghana and West Africa, to train future academic leaders in the field. We will provide 4 MPH degrees, 5 PhD degrees, and 3 post-doctoral fellowships (oriented for junior faculty) comprising 3 months of structured training and 2 years of mentored research. We will conduct 15 short (1-2 day) courses reaching over 500 participants and 20 distance learning sessions (1-2 hours) reaching over 1,000 West Africa-wide participants. 2. Engage junior researchers in innovative, mentored research to generate evidence to strengthen the policy and practice of injury control in Ghana, West Africa, and low- and middle-income countries widely. 3. Increase the capacity for injury control research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and in other academic institutions, government agencies, and non-government organizations in Ghana. The number of KNUST departments that have at least one faculty member with MPH/PhD training with a focus on injury, with related publications, who are involved with international injury research networks, and who head experienced, accomplished research teams will increase from 4 currently to 6. The number of such departments at University of Cape Coast and University of Development Studies will increase from 1 department currently to 2 each. Training and research will address the spectrum of injury control (surveillance, prevention, care). This program builds on a 30-year collaboration for injury research among KNUST, other institutions in Ghana, and the University of Washington. The past 15 years have been under the auspices of the Fogarty TRAUMA program, for which KNUST has been the prime recipient for the past 5 years. New plans for the coming cycle include: 1) address injury problems that we have not yet addressed sufficiently, including drowning, violence, and injuries to vulnerable populations (children, elderly); 2) increase emphasis on PhDs and junior faculty; 3) introduce training and options for clinical trial research; and 4) found a multi-disciplinary Kumasi Injury Prevention Center that will increase synergies among different KNUST departments and government agencies working in injury. At the end of the project, scholars will have competed successfully for funding, contributed to a growing base of policy-relevant research, and taken up faculty positions at institutions throughout Ghana and West Africa.