CARTA Fellows’ Scientific Contribution to the African Public and Population Health Research Agenda (2011 to 2018)

Abstract Background: Since its inception in 2009, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) program has focused on strengthening the capacity of nine African universities and four research centres to produce skilled researchers and scholars able to improve public and population health on the continent. This study describes the alignment between CARTA-supported doctoral topics and publications with the priorities articulated by the African public and population health research agenda. Methods: We reviewed the output from CARTA PhD fellows between 2011 and 2018 to establish the volume and scope of the publications, and the degree to which the research focus coincided with the SDGs, World Bank, and African Development Bank research priority areas. We identified nine key priority areas into which the topics were classified.Results: In total, 140 CARTA fellows published 806 articles in peer-reviewed journals over the 8 years up to 2018. All the publications considered in this paper had authors affiliated with African universities, 90% of the publications had an African university first author and 41% of the papers have CARTA fellows as the first author. The publications are available in over 6300 online versions and have been cited in over 5500 other publications. About 69% of the published papers addressed the nine African public and population health research agenda and SDG priority areas. Infectious diseases topped the list of publications (26.8%), followed by the health system and policy research (17.6%), maternal and child health (14.7%), sexual and reproductive health (14.3%). Conclusions and recommendations: Investments by CARTA in supporting doctoral studies provides fellows with sufficient training and skills to publish their research in fields of public and population health. The number of publications is understandably uneven across Africa’s public and population priority areas. Even while low in number, fellows are publishing in areas such as non-communicable disease, health financing, neglected tropical diseases and environmental health. Violence and injury is perhaps underrepresented. There is need to keep developing research capacity in partner institutions with low research output by training more PhDs in such institutions and by facilitating enabling environments for research.

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CARTA Fellows’ Scientific Contribution to the African Public and Population Health Research Agenda (2011 to 2018)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-15557/v4 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jude Igumbor ◽

Edna N Bosire ◽

Tariro Basera ◽

Uwizeye Dieudonn ◽

Funke Fayehun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

Research Output ◽

Research Training ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

Policy Research ◽

Health Financing ◽

Priority Areas

Abstract Background: Since its inception in 2009, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) program has focused on strengthening the capacity of nine African universities and four research centres to produce skilled researchers and scholars able to improve public and population health on the continent. This study describes the alignment between CARTA-supported doctoral topics and publications with the priorities articulated by the African public and population health research agenda. Methods: We reviewed the output from CARTA PhD fellows between 2011 and 2018 to establish the volume and scope of the publications, and the degree to which the research focus coincided with the SDGs, World Bank, and African Development Bank research priority areas. We identified nine key priority areas into which the topics were classified.Results: In total, 140 CARTA fellows published 806 articles in peer-reviewed journals over the 8 years up to 2018. All the publications considered in this paper had authors affiliated with African universities, 90% of the publications had an African university first author and 41% of the papers have CARTA fellows as the first author. The publications are available in over 6300 online versions and have been cited in over 5500 other publications. About 69% of the published papers addressed the nine African public and population health research agenda and SDG priority areas. Infectious diseases topped the list of publications (26.8%), followed by the health system and policy research (17.6%), maternal and child health (14.7%), sexual and reproductive health (14.3%). Conclusions: Investments by CARTA in supporting doctoral studies provides fellows with sufficient training and skills to publish their research in fields of public and population health. The number of publications is understandably uneven across Africa’s public and population priority areas. Even while low in number, fellows are publishing in areas such as non-communicable disease, health financing, neglected tropical diseases and environmental health. Violence and injury is perhaps underrepresented. There is need to keep developing research capacity in partner institutions with low research output by training more PhDs in such institutions and by facilitating enabling environments for research.

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CARTA Fellows’ Scientific Contribution to the African Public and Population Health Research Agenda (2011 to 2018)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-15557/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jude Igumbor ◽

Edna N Bosire ◽

Tariro Basera ◽

Uwizeye Dieudonn ◽

Funke Fayehun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

Research Output ◽

Research Training ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

Policy Research ◽

Health Financing ◽

Priority Areas

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CARTA Fellows’ Scientific Contribution to the African Public and Population Health Research Agenda (2011 to 2018)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-15557/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jude Igumbor ◽

Edna N Bosire ◽

Tariro Basera ◽

Uwizeye Dieudonn ◽

Funke Fayehun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

Research Output ◽

Research Training ◽

Communicable Disease ◽

Policy Research ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Priority Areas

Abstract Background: Strengthening research capacity in African academic institutions is crucial to address the ever-increasing health challenges across the continent. Since its inception in 2009, the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) program has focused on strengthening the capacity of nine African universities to produce skilled researchers and scholars able to improve public and population health on the continent. This study describes the alignment between CARTA-supported doctoral topics and publications with the priorities articulated by the African public and population health research agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). Methods: We reviewed the output from CARTA PhD fellows between 2011 and 2018 to establish the volume and scope of the publications, and the degree to which the research focus coincided with the SDGs, World Bank, and African Development Bank research priority areas. We identified nine key priority areas into which the topics were classified.Results: In total, 140 CARTA fellows published 806 articles in peer-reviewed journals over the 8 years up to 2018. The publications are available in over 6300 online versions and have been cited in over 5500 other publications. About 69% of the published papers addressed the nine African public and population health research agenda and SDG priority areas. Infectious diseases topped the list of publications (26.8%), followed by the health system and policy research (17.6%), maternal and child health (14.7%), sexual and reproductive health (14.3%). About 70% of the articles were published by fellows from or affiliated to universities in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Conclusions and recommendations: Investments by CARTA in supporting doctoral studies provides fellows with sufficient training and skills to publish their research in fields of public and population health. The number of publications is understandably uneven across Africa’s public and population priority areas. However, even while low in number, fellows are nonetheless publishing in areas such as non-communicable disease, health financing, neglected tropical diseases, and environmental health. Violence and injury is perhaps underrepresented. There is need to keep developing research capacity in partner institutions with low research output by training more PhDs in such institutions and by facilitating enabling environments for research.

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CARTA fellows’ scientific contribution to the African public and population Health Research agenda (2011 to 2018)

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-020-09147-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jude O. Igumbor ◽

Edna N. Bosire ◽

Tariro J. Basera ◽

Dieudonne Uwizeye ◽

Olufunke Fayehun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Scientific Contribution

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Supporting Multidisciplinary Analytic Skills: An Innovative Training Platform for Capacity Building

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v1i1.329 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ann Greenwood ◽

Maxine Reitsma

Keyword(s):

Capacity Building ◽

Population Health ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Training ◽

Skill Development ◽

Skills Training ◽

Development Environment ◽

Analytic Skills ◽

Public Health Epidemiology

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo serve the emerging multidisciplinary skills and capacity building needs of Population Health Researchers within a rapidly diversifying field. Population Health Research is inherently interdisciplinary, multifaceted and firmly rooted in the evolving connections between place, time and related socioeconomic processes. To excel in this rapidly diversifying field, individuals require a broad range of multidisciplinary skills. Supporting the development of these skills through innovative training platforms is one key way to build capacity for emerging 21 Century researchers and health professionals. ApproachEstablishment of an innovative research training platform that supports skill development in a timely, collaborative and practiced based environment. The growing importance of data analytics and spatial thinking as it pertains to the worlds growing health concerns, be they social, physical or environmental – demands approaches that serve real time and remotely accessed, exploratory and highly collaborative research environments. A case example will be provided concerning a tri-party training platform that is serving the multidisciplinary skill requirements of new and mid-career population health professionals. Designed in collaboration with a tri-university research platform, the innovative, practice-based training environment both mirrors and supports many of the day to day skill development needs of health and social science researchers. ResultsThe multidisciplinary focus of this specialized training platform is successfully addressing the skill development needs of a diverse cross section of health research professionals. Trainees are bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with their online colleagues, supporting a rich, practice based education and skills development environment. Those enrolled in the program possess backgrounds ranging from Population and Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics and Sociology to Medicine to Psychology, Geography, Biostatistics and International Health. ConclusionProviding timely, practical, hands-on analytic skills training is critical to building the capacity of new and mid-career researchers and health professionals. Direct application of these new skills is an essential outcome and best measure of success. We are listening to our trainees and learning as we grow.Read what trainees are saying about our certificate courses.https://www.popdata.bc.ca/etu/testimonials/PHDA

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The impact of the Population Health Research Network on linked data research capacity in Australia

International Journal for Population Data Science ◽

10.23889/ijpds.v1i1.220 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Felicity Flack ◽

Natalie Wray ◽

Merran Smith

Keyword(s):

Population Health ◽

Health Research ◽

Linked Data ◽

Data Linkage ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Research Infrastructure ◽

Research Network ◽

Training And Education ◽

Priority Areas ◽

System A

ABSTRACTObjectivesIn 2009 Australian governments and academic institutions made a substantial investment to establish the Population Health Research Network (PHRN), a distributed research infrastructure network which provides Australian researchers with state-of-the-art data linkage facilities and services. The infrastructure operates on a collaborative, national, non-exclusive basis and enables Australian researchers to address key national and global challenges. We have conducted a review of the PHRN’s progress over the last 6 years in achieving its objectives of:1. increasing the data linkage research capacity in Australia2. enabling research in national priority areas. ApproachProgress with achieving the first objective was measured by comparing the data linkage facilities and services available in Australia in 2008-09 with those available in 2014-15. The following categories of services and facilities were used in the analysis: Linkage facilities Application, access and storage facilities Information, training and education Changes in usage of the data linkage infrastructure over the period 2008-09 to 2014-15 were measured. The second objective was achieved by using bibliometrics to assess academic impact, in the form of citations, of peer-reviewed publications which arose from use of the PHRN infrastructure. The topics of all of the publications were compared to health priority areas to determine the extent to which the infrastructure has been used to inform national priorities. ResultsThere has been a significant expansion of the data linkage facilities from a small number of jurisdictional data linkage units to a distributed network of data linkage units servicing researchers in every state and territory. A cross-jurisdictional data linkage capability has also been established as well as a national online data application system, a secure remote access laboratory and a secure file transfer system. A variety of information, training and education has been provided to stakeholders. The expansion of the facilities and services has seen usage of data linkage units triple since 2011-12. The number of peer-reviewed publications resulting from the use of the PHRN infrastructure has increased every year since 2011-12. There were 111 publications in 2014-15. Areas of high burden of disease in Australia, cancer, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases are highly represented in the publications. ConclusionThere has been a significant increase in data linkage research infrastructure in Australia from 2008-09 to 2014-15. This has resulted in an increase in both the number of research projects conducted using linked data and the number of related peer-reviewed publications.

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Research agenda to support sodium reduction in Canada

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2013-0370 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 396-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Philip M. Sherman ◽

Mary-Jo Makarchuk ◽

Paul Belanger

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Health Research ◽

Research Agenda ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Future Research ◽

Sodium Reduction ◽

Reduction Strategy ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Working Together

The Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada includes an identification of priority areas for future research, based on a workshop convened by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and partners. A strong portfolio of research is essential to addressing current developments and controversies raised in relation to the health outcomes associated with dietary sodium. CIHR aims to provide leadership in working together with other funders and partners to catalyze a broad range of sodium research.

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