Training on ImplemenTAtioN and team Science for NCD Control (TITANS) program

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

ABSTRACT Chronic cardiometabolic and renal disorders are rapidly growing public health problems in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) such as Ethiopia. Responses to chronic conditions in LMICs are limited by a lack of adequate research capacity and translation of established evidence into practice and policy. Although a great deal of attention has been given to implementation science, there remains very few funded initiatives to strengthen the capacity of team science as it relates to implementation and research, and none have examined chronic conditions. In addition, there are very few mid-to-senior level career mentors in LMICs who can support individuals and teams to work effectively towards practice and policy changes. We propose to address these limitations through sustainable multidisciplinary research using implementation and team science in Ethiopia. Teams from Emory University, Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Bahir Dar University co-designed the Training on ImplemenTAtioN and team Science for NCD Control (TITANS) program in Ethiopia. This program will provide a unique opportunity to strengthen capacity within and between higher education institutions in an urban setting (Addis Ababa University) and a rural setting (Bahir Dar University) in Ethiopia. Within each institution in Ethiopia, we will bring together a team of researchers from nursing, medicine, and public health backgrounds to address pressing NCD prevention and control implementation issues across the lifespan using a team science approach. We will recruit 24 trainees (two per discipline per year, 24 total for four years). The postdoctoral trainees will spend 4-months on the Emory campus taking selected courses and will develop an interdisciplinary team science project to be implemented over the following 8-months in Ethiopia with guidance from in-country and Emory mentors. We will leverage graduates from our other successful D43 training programs in Ethiopia to provide sustainable in-country mentorship. To strengthen our partner LMIC institutions from within, we will deliver our successful annual short course on implementation science and team science that can cultivate organizational management skills. TITANS will better ensure high in-country retention of trainees by providing stipends, local mentorship, embedding trainee projects in existing platforms, and motivating a culture of scholarly productivity. This program aspires to facilitate locally driven research that will shape chronic disease initiatives and policies in Ethiopia.