Research Training in Infection and Neurodevelopment in Uganda

描述（由申请人提供）：在资源有限的国家，传染病是造成儿童健康不良的主要原因。在感染性疾病中幸存下来的儿童和成人中，有很大一部分患有严重的长期神经发育疾病。与感染相关的神经认知发病非常重要，因为损害影响个人生活的各个方面，包括长期就业能力和社交互动。然而，撒哈拉以南非洲地区感染相关神经认知障碍的流行病学和发病机制仍知之甚少。我们提出了乌干达传染病培训的创新方法，该方法将重点关注这一至关重要但研究不足的领域。该提案的创新之处包括：强调与感染相关的长期发病率、来自多个学科和各个级别的学员的多样化组合、所有学位学生都需要的综合核心培训以及作为培训计划的一部分发展乌干达教师的指导能力。项目主任及其合作者的研究涉及对患有脑型疟疾的儿童和患有隐球菌性脑膜炎的艾滋病毒感染成人出现神经认知障碍的免疫学、流行病学和遗传风险因素进行仔细评估。这些研究为感染相关神经认知障碍发病机制的培训提供了理想的基础。该应用程序的目标是建立乌干达研究人员的核心，以显着促进对与传染病相关的长期神经认知障碍的理解、预防和治疗。我们建议通过长期和短期培训以及教师指导能力的发展来实现这一目标。长期培训将包括培训一名神经心理学博士后、神经心理学博士生（两名）、微生物学、免疫学、流行病学和生物统计学，以及培训两名住院医师进行医学硕士研究。短期培训将包括为项目和大学医疗、实验室和数据人员提供研讨会和短期课程培训。将通过确定和实施麦克雷雷大学教师指导的最佳实践来发展指导能力。拟议的新颖培训将培养新一代跨学科研究人员，他们可以共同努力了解、治疗和预防乌干达与感染相关的神经认知疾病。 公共卫生相关性：在低收入和中等收入国家，许多幸存于传染病的儿童和成人的大脑遭受严重的长期损伤，影响智力、语言、言语和运动等许多过程。对医生和科学家进行培训，以发现这种情况发生的原因并防止其发生，可以改善低收入和中等收入国家数百万患有影响大脑感染的儿童和成人的生活。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Infectious diseases account for the majority of ill health in children in resource-limited countries. A substantial proportion of children and adults who survive infectious diseases suffer significant long-term neurodevelopmental morbidity. Infection-related neurocognitive morbidity is of great importance as impairments affect every aspect of an individual's life, including long-term employability and social interactions. However, the epidemiology and pathogenesis of infection-related neurocognitive impairment in sub-Saharan Africa remain poorly understood. We propose an innovative approach to infectious disease training in Uganda that will focus on this critically important but understudied area. Innovative aspects of this proposal include: emphasis on infection-related long-term morbidity, a diverse mix of trainees from multiple disciplines and at all levels, integrated core training that is required of all degree students, and development of mentorship capacity for Ugandan faculty as part of the training program. Studies by the Program Director and his collaborators involve careful assessment of immunologic, epidemiologic and genetic risk factors for the development of neurocognitive impairment in children with cerebral malaria and in HIV-infected adults with cryptococcal meningitis. These studies provide an ideal basis for training in the pathogenesis of infection-related neurocognitive impairment. The goal of this application is to establish a core of Ugandan researchers who significantly advance the understanding, prevention and treatment of long-term neurocognitive disability associated with infectious diseases. We propose to accomplish this goal through long and short-term training, and through development of capacity for faculty mentorship. Long-term training will include training of a post-doctoral fellow in neuropsychology, doctoral students in neuropsychology (two), and microbiology, immunology, epidemiology and biostatistics, and training of two medical residents in their Masters of Medicine research. Short-term training will involve providing workshop and short-course training for project and university medical, laboratory and data personnel. Mentorship capacity will be developed through identification and implementation of best practices for faculty mentorship at Makerere University. The novel training proposed will create a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers who can work together to understand, treat and prevent infection-related neurocognitive morbidity in Uganda. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: In low and middle-income countries, many children and adults who survive infectious diseases suffer significant long-term injury to their brain that affects many processes like intelligence, language, speech and movement. Training doctors and scientists to discover why this is happening and to prevent it from happening could improve the lives of the millions of children and adults in low and middle-income countries who have infections that affect the brain.