Partnerships to Develop Injury Research Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Principal Investigator/Program Director (Last, First, Middle): Nwariaku, Fiemu E Project Summary/Abstract Injury is now a global epidemic and contributes about 10% mortality globally. Injuries are responsible for 2.6 million hospitalizations, and 37 million emergency room visits annually, however low and middle income countries are disproportionately affected. Specifically, LMICs suffer from lack of infrastructure, poor training and lack of good quality data about the burden, scope and spectrum of injury. These gaps limit strategic program development and resource deployment to reduce the burden of injury. We propose to narrow this gap by training and supporting researchers from LMICs in contemporary research methods to prepare them for conducting high quality research to improve injury control and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective is to build regional research capacity in injury control and prevention. We propose the following Specific Aims; (i) To train high-quality candidates in modern methods and principles of clinical and translational research, and (ii) To support trained candidates to develop productive and sustainable institutional research programs focused on injury in sub-Saharan Africa. We will train candidates from Ethiopia and Nigeria for up to 12 months in the U.S. and/or their home country. Training will consist of formal instruction in a variety of areas including population science, community- based injury prevention, patient-centered research, and data collection and management. In addition they will be exposed to a rich environment which strongly supports clinical and translational research, after which they will return to their home countries to begin research projects under the combined guidance of their mentors at UT Southwestern and in their respective countries. The combination of a didactic core curriculum, a robust concurrent Socratic curriculum and a mentored research experience give the program its uniqueness. Proactive mentorship is strongly incorporated in trainee development. Program administration will consist of internal and external advisory committees, a trainee advisory group, an Executive Steering Committee and experienced program Co-Directors. The program will leverage existing NIH-funded LMIC resources such as the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) within the two country sites. We anticipate that at the end of the funding period, there will be a critical mass of injury researchers in the region who form consortia to collaborate on developing strong injury research projects and programs. These groups are expected to meet regularly to share data, and produce high quality publications that lead to improvement in injury prevention and control policy. This is a highly needed program because of the potential public health impact. Nigeria and Ethiopia are the two most populous countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but have no injury research training programs. PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 09/04, Reissued 4/2006) Page Continuation Format Page