UNC Wits AIDS Implementation Research and Cohort Analyses Training Grant

描述(由申请人提供)：在Fogarty和NIAID对我们两所大学十多年的联合研究和培训支持的基础上，北卡罗来纳大学-Wits艾滋病实施科学和队列分析培训补助金将培训Wits初级教员和高级实习生，并通过在Wits公共卫生学院创建一个新的实施科学中心来加强流行病学硕士学位。南非仍有艾滋病毒流行，每年有560万人感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病，是世界上感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病人数最多的国家，每年有27万人死亡。实施科学对于了解艾滋病毒项目如何发挥作用、制定提高有效性的战略、确定如何有效地扩大经过验证的干预措施、进行研究以及向南澳政府和国际机构提供知情的答案至关重要。目前将SA学员送到海外进行长期培训的方法成本高昂，不可持续，增加了学员的风险而不是 他们返回，危及他们在国内的工作和家庭，往往使他们接触到与他们的祖国没有直接关系的课程。撒哈拉以南非洲没有实施科学培训计划。来自威茨健康科学学院的实习生及其来自不同背景(护理、公共卫生、医学、药房、牙科)的校友将参加由北卡罗来纳大学和威茨学院教职员工共同教授的为期3年、12门课程的课程(长期课程)，最终获得流行病学公共卫生硕士或硕士学位，重点是实施科学。其他学生将至少选修一门课程(中短期课程)并获得证书。WITS SPH教员认为课程内容存在差距，内容包括数据库开发和管理、纵向分析和因果推理、卫生经济学、公共卫生中的空间分析和地理信息系统、移动卫生、系统分析、监测和评估、定性和形成性研究。为节省成本，所有课程将分两周集中授课。在第四和第五年，课程将重新开始，更多的责任由Wits的教员和以前由Fogarty资助的实习生(“培训培训者”)承担。那些获得硕士或博士学位的人将在现有的南非长期艾滋病毒队列中工作，包括Right to Care、IeDEA和HLabisa。高级学生将参加为期一年的助学金写作计划，以期提交助学金。通过将课程纳入WITS教员教授的WITS课程，将确保长期的可持续性。北卡罗来纳大学和惠茨基金会承诺在5年内提供额外资金和实物捐助，总额达350,000美元。到五年结束时，我们预计将资助20名硕士或公共卫生硕士学生，4名博士毕业生，6名教授具体课程方法的Wits教师，以及多达160名至少学习一个模块的学生。这项提议将增加这一研究培训的深度和广度，并培养一批进行协同研究的南非调查人员和智囊团教员。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Building on more than a decade of joint Fogarty and NIAID research and training support to our two universities, The UNC-Wits AIDS Implementation Science and Cohort Analyses Training Grant will train Wits junior faculty and advanced trainees and strengthen the MSc in Epidemiology by creating a new concentration of implementation science at the Wits School of Public Health. South Africa continues to have an HIV epidemic with 5.6 million living with HIV/ AIDS, the most of any country, and 270,000 deaths annually. Implementation science is crucial to understand how HIV programs are working and develop strategies for improved effectiveness, to determine how proven interventions can be scaled up effectively, to conduct research, and provide informed answers to SA government and international agencies. The current method of sending SA trainees overseas for long term training is costly, not sustainable, increases the risks of the trainees not returning, jeopardizes their jobs and families at home, and often exposes them to courses not directly relevant to their home countries. There are no implementation science training programs in Sub- Saharan Africa. Trainees from Wits Faculty of Health Science schools and its alumni from diverse backgrounds (nursing, public health, medicine, pharmacy, dental) will participate in a 3 year, 12 course curriculum (long- term) co-taught by UNC and Wits faculty leading to an MPH or MSc in Epidemiology with a concentration in Implementation Science. Additional students will take at least one course (medium and short-term) of the curriculum and receive a certificate. The content, identified by the Wits SPH faculty as gaps in their curriculum, include database development and management, longitudinal analysis and causal inference, health economics, spatial analysis and GIS in public health, m-health, systems analysis, monitoring and evaluation, qualitative and formative research. To save on costs, all courses will be taught on site in 2 week intensive blocks. During years 4 and 5, the courses would start over again, with more responsibility taken by the Wits faculty and previous Fogarty funded trainees ("train the trainers"). Those obtaining a Masters or a PhD would work on existing long term South African HIV cohorts including Right to Care, IeDEA, and Hlabisa. Advanced students would take a year-long grant writing program with the expectation of submitting a grant. Long term sustainability would be guaranteed by incorporating the courses into the Wits curriculum taught by Wits faculty. We have commitments of additional funding and in-kind contributions from UNC and Wits totaling $350,000 over 5 years. By the end of the 5 years we expect to have funded 20 MSc or MPH students, 4 PhD graduates, 6 Wits faculty in specific course methodologies, as well as up to 160 students taking at least one module. This proposal will increase the depth and breadth of this research training and develop a critical mass of South African investigators and Wits faculty who will conduct synergistic research.