Building Informatics Capacity in Southern Africa

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Establishing independent research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa remains a challenge, one of which is profound lack of informatics capacity. This lack of informatics capacity manifests itself in all aspects of the research process. It starts with the design of data collection and data entry systems for research projects. Such systems are often developed in the north, and then simply exported for use in the south. They often make use of terminology that is inappropriate to local conditions. They may also assume technologic capabilities that are not available in developing country research sites, for instance high-speed Internet connections. System administration tasks - adding users, doing data backup, extracting datasets from large databases, setting system configuration, maintaining security, and troubleshooting problems - may be designed in a way that is workable in large university setting in the north, but not easily managed in the conditions where much of the research is carried out in poor countries. Simpte transplantation of systems from the north to the south can lead to failure and sub-optimal data collection. The proposed training program will expand the current ITMI sponsored part-time masters program in informatics to a full-time 18-month programme that will include at least 12 months of mentored work on a research project. It will continue to provide opportunities for advanced training in Boston, and will expand to offer training in bioinformatics. This training will support the rich array of funded research initiatives that are currently ongoing at the University of Natal and its two semi-autonomous research institutes, the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), a multi-institution collaboration based at the University of Natal.