MRC International Statistics & Epidemiology Partnership (ISEP): Strengthening capacity in applied medical statisticians in sub-Saharan Africa

MRC国际统计

• 批准号: MR/X019888/1
• 负责人: Helen Weiss
• 金额: $ 336.87万
• 依托单位: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FX019888%2F1
• 关键词: MRC; International; Statistics; Epidemiology; Partnership

There is an increased demand for expertise in medical statistics and epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Demand currently exceeds supply due to both a long-standing shortage of trained and experienced statisticians and the ongoing explosion of data relevant and important to human health. This includes both traditional sources of data, such as observational epidemiological studies, intervention trials and surveillance data, and new large-scale data sources including social media, geospatial data, mobile phones, wearable technology, electronic medical records, bioimaging, and genomics. The proposed MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Partnership (ISEP) will seek to address the shortage in capacity by creating a partnership between applied statisticians ("ISEP statisticians") at several institutions in SSA: African Population Health Research Centre (APHRC), Kenya; The Health Research Unit, Zimbabwe (THRU-ZIM); Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU), Tanzania; MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit; MRC Unit The Gambia; Zambart, Zambia; the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, UK.The Partnership complements existing initiatives for strengthening capacity for medical statistics in SSA which focus either on formal training at MSc and PhD levels, or on bilateral partnerships between one Northern and one African institute. We specifically address the needs of early-to-mid career applied medical statisticians who lack career and skills development opportunities, and report isolation which can lead to poor job satisfaction and retention.The Partnership will improve i) The skill set of medical statisticians by focusing on a) peer-support through an online platform, monthly meetings and periodic theme-specific meetings, exchange visits of ISEP statisticians between partner institutions, sharing of resources used by working statisticians such as statistical analysis plans, and facilitating new joint grant applications; b) training in technical and transferrable skills including management training and skills training specific to the needs of working statisticians such as being on a Data Safety and Monitoring Board; and c) creation of a pilot mentorship scheme including training workshops for mentors and ISEP mentees using LSHTM materials, matching and evaluationii) Training in medical statistics and epidemiology, led by ISEP statisticians, for students and non-statisticians through a) a two-year MSc Medical Statistics Fellowship scheme, b) short course delivery by developing and implementing a package of training resources in statistics, c) training of trainers to deliver short courses, d) PhD supervision.iii) Stakeholder engagement with a) Directors of ISEP partner institutes to reinforce the benefits of statistical leadership at research institutes both for specific projects and to raise the quality of all quantitative research undertaken, and the need for adequate value and funding for statisticians; b) Directors of relevant BSc/MSc programmes at local Universities and African Institute of Mathematical Sciences to raise awareness of medical statistics as a career among young mathematicians and statisticians; c) policy makers to raise awareness of the role of data to guide public health policy and the importance of training and research support and d) youth to encourage consideration of careers in health research and data analysis by visiting schools and universitiesThrough these activities, we aim to create a sustainable network of trained, confident, experienced statisticians in SSA. This will contribute to a culture change in the perception of statisticians and their role in epidemiological research along with complementary initiatives, with an immediate and longer-term impact on the quality of research conducted.

撒哈拉以南非洲对医学统计和流行病学专门知识的需求日益增加。由于训练有素、经验丰富的统计人员长期短缺，以及与人类健康相关且重要的数据持续激增，目前需求超过了供应。这既包括传统的数据来源，如观察性流行病学研究、干预试验和监测数据，也包括新的大规模数据来源，包括社交媒体、地理空间数据、移动的手机、可穿戴技术、电子病历、生物成像和基因组学。拟议的MRC国际统计和流行病学伙伴关系将寻求通过在应用统计人员之间建立伙伴关系来解决能力短缺问题（“ISEP统计人员”）在撒南非洲的几个机构工作：肯尼亚非洲人口健康研究中心;津巴布韦健康研究股（THRU-ZIM）;坦桑尼亚姆万扎干预试验股; MRC/UVRI & LSHTM乌干达研究股; MRC冈比亚股;赞比亚赞巴特;该伙伴关系补充了加强撒哈拉以南非洲医疗统计能力的现有举措，这些举措侧重于硕士和博士水平的正规培训，或一个北方研究所和一个非洲研究所之间的双边伙伴关系。我们专门解决职业生涯早期到中期的应用医疗统计人员的需求，他们缺乏职业和技能发展机会，并报告孤立可能导致工作满意度和保留率低下。伙伴关系将通过以下方式改善i）医疗统计人员的技能：a）通过在线平台，每月会议和定期专题会议提供同行支持，伙伴机构之间的ISEP统计人员互访，共享统计分析计划等工作统计人员使用的资源，并为新的联合赠款申请提供便利; B）技术和可转移技能培训，包括管理培训和针对工作统计人员需求的技能培训，例如数据安全和监测委员会;和c）建立一个试点导师计划，包括为导师和ISEP学员举办培训讲习班，使用LSHTM材料，匹配和评价ii）由ISEP统计人员领导，通过a）为期两年的医学统计学硕士研究金计划，B）通过开发和实施一揽子统计培训资源，提供短期课程，㈢利益攸关方与（a）ISEP伙伴机构主任的接触，以加强研究机构在统计方面的领导作用，既有利于具体项目，也有利于提高所有定量研究的质量，并需要为统计人员提供足够的价值和资金; B）当地大学和非洲数学科学研究所相关理学士/硕士课程主任，以提高年轻数学家和统计员对医学统计作为一种职业的认识; c）决策者提高对数据在指导公共卫生政策方面的作用以及培训和研究支持的重要性的认识，通过这些活动，我们的目标是在撒哈拉以南非洲建立一个由训练有素、自信、经验丰富的统计人员组成的可持续网络。这将有助于改变对统计人员的看法及其在流行病学研究中的作用的文化，同时采取补充举措，沿着，对所开展研究的质量产生直接和长期影响。