Ethiopia-Emory TB Research Training Program

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Tuberculosis (TB) is now the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent globally. TB remains a public health emergency in Ethiopia, the country with the highest number of TB-related deaths in Africa. Ethiopia is one of only 14 countries worldwide on all three World Health Organization (WHO) “high burden countries” lists for TB, multidrug resistant (MDR)-TB, and TB/HIV. In order to meet the ambitious WHO End TB Strategy goals for 2035 and enhance TB control in Ethiopia and globally, new tools are urgently needed, including new drugs, improved diagnostics and an effective vaccine, as well as better implementation of existing tools. A major barrier to improved research, treatment and control of TB in Ethiopia is the scarcity of Ethiopian scientists and health professionals with the relevant research knowledge and expertise to carry out internationally recognized research. This renewal application for the “Ethiopia-Emory TB Research Training Program (EETB-RTP)” builds upon the successes and lessons learned during the first 5-year cycle of funding. During that time, we have provided long-term research training to 19 Ethiopian trainees and 2 medium-term trainees. Collectively, these trainees have had 62 TB-related peer review publications, and 8 trainees received competitive externally funded grants as PI (totaling $815,801); in addition, 10 trainees received 14 competitive travel awards ($50,320). In the next cycle of the EETB-RTP, we propose to train an additional 17 long-term trainees who will significantly grow the number of well-trained Ethiopian TB investigators and contribute to developing and implementing new tools necessary for TB control. Our application benefits from a successful partnership between Emory University in Atlanta and three Ethiopian institutions in Addis Ababa including the Armauer-Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), an internationally recognized research institute; Addis Ababa University, the oldest and largest university in Ethiopia; and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, part of the Ministry of Health (MOH). The EETB-RTP is led by dual PIs, Dr. Henry Blumberg (Emory) and Dr. Abraham Aseffa (AHRI) and includes outstanding collaborating faculty at the partner institutions. We propose an innovative didactic and mentored TB research training program focused on intensive in-country training, which will provide our Ethiopian trainees and their institutions with the skills, expertise, and additional capacity necessary to carry out internationally relevant TB-related research. The specific aims of our application include: 1) To continue to build human resource capacity and enhance the research infrastructure for robust TB-related research in Ethiopia; 2) To build relevant sustainable research capacity in Ethiopia by aligning EETB-RTP research training activities with the Ethiopian MOH priorities outlined in the “National Plan for Tuberculosis Research in Ethiopia (2017-2022)”; 3) To build research capacity by providing mentorship, leadership, and team science training; and 4) To enhance the diversity of Ethiopian investigators, with a concerted focus of increasing the number of women trained in TB research.