PROF. CELESTINO OBUA DEPUTY PRINCIPAL MAKCHS MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 1 Sharing resources and building research infrastructure across a consortium of schools: The MESAU Approach MEDICAL EDUCATION FOR EQUITABLE SERVICES TO ALL UGANDANS (MESAU)

Presentation MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 2 The creation of a consortium Key MESAU mandate Capacity development focus/domains Level of support to date Outcomes of research support Some outstanding educational research proposals supported Summary of key elements for research support

The creation of a consortium MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 3 Shared goals  While it is possible to form a consortium amongst and within any groups of institutions, transformative and beneficial partnerships require some degree of commonality and shared vision and mission Equal opportunity  Open / same terms for members of the consortium Team work  Responsible inputs into consortium agenda - Each partner in the consortium working as part of a well oiled gear box

MESAU : Consortium Shared Goals MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 4 Provision of incentives and support to faculty and students across the consortium institutions Undertake locally driven trans-disciplinary research on topics relevant to Uganda Improve medical training and mentorship in the institutions Emphasis: trans-disciplinary research and mentorship

Research Capacity Development Domains MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 5 Trans-disciplinary undergraduate student research support:  Vertical (across different levels/years of study) i.e. lower year being mentored by upper year students  Horizontal (across disciplines) e.g. mix of MBChB, BDS, BSN, etc Masters fellowships for junior faculty: Emphasis on basic biomedical sciences (all institutions needed capacity building)

Research Capacity … Domains 2 MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 6 PhD fellowships- both programmatic and linked award Mentored Trans-disciplinary faculty research support  The real test of the consortium – faculty across and between the consortium working on joint research projects

IRIM supplement funding MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 7 IRIM -Dedicated funding to support research and innovations IRM goal:  Developing and strengthening Centralized Institutional Research and Innovation Management Office (CIRIMO). Aims:  To strengthen CIRIMO at each Ugandan MESAU institution with enhancement of infrastructure, policies and staff that will support faculty and students in applying for and managing research grants  To develop a Ugandan network of CIRIMOs that facilitates collaboration between them and among Research Administrators.

MESAU CIRIMO MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 8 MakCHS  Strengthening Research Support activities -Grants office, Innovations Office and IRBs  Training to support other MESAU institutions MUST  Establish office of Research Administration and Innovations office - FoM  Developed research strategic plan for MUST  Departmental strategic plan development - FoM  Research and innovations policy and Grants management mannual KIU  Development of IREC and Grants office Gulu  Establishment of a Grants Office and strengthening the IRB

CIRIMO Achievements to date MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 9 CIRIMO  Training in grants writing and submission  Responsible conduct of research  Scientific manuscript writing  Training for research administrators  Peer-to-peer mentorship amongst research administrators

MESAU Research support MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 10 YearUndergrads Masters fellowships PhD Fellowships Faculty Appls Awar ds Appls Awar ds Appls Awar ds Appls Awar ds Total

Levels of support breakdown 11 MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel

Additional support to undergraduate awardees MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 12 Proposal writing improvement seminars – provide support to undergraduate awardees for IRB applications Scientific writing workshops – for scholarly publications On-spot checks – provide real-time monitoring of projects

Research Support Outcomes MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 13 Undergraduate students – empowerment to generate research questions Critical inquiry among students Potential in students - hitherto untapped Masters fellowship – big opportunity for junior faculty especially in the biomedical sciences  Institutional capacity in biomedical sciences Generation of next academics Retention of junior faculty

Outstanding researches supported: Educational research – Student issues MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 14 Kayiza Allan, Undergraduate student, MakCHS – “Students Perception about Staying in Peoples’ Homes During COBES Placement” Najjuma N Josephine, Undergraduate student, MUST – “Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Pre Community Placement Leadership Course at Mbarara University”

More educational research…1 MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 15 DR. RONALD MISINDE - MSc Fellow, MakCHS Research topic - “Career preferences of medical students at the end of medical school and the factors that influence choice for Family Medicine as a career”. DR ERISA MWAKA – Faculty, Department of Anatomy, MakCHS Research topic -“Statistical Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes of Students and Faculty in Health Professional Training Institutions of Uganda”

More educational research…..2 MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 16 Ogah Adenike Oluwaemi, Faculty, KIU – “Developing OSCE Guidelines for Implementation in Kampala International University Teaching Hospital” Christine Acio, Faculty, KIU – “Strengthening the role of Village Health Teams in the training of health professional in COBERS; an intervention study”

More educational research..3 MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 17 Obol James Henry – faculty, Gulu – “Mapping Distances in Accessing Healthcare Services and Common health Problems Reported at COBERS Sites by Communities”

Key elements of consortium Research support MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 18 Transparency IRB support  Institutional capacity within consortium  Support to undergraduate applicants Financial management of research funds Monitoring research progress Regular feed back sessions within the institution and across the consortium Requirement of publication

Acknowledgements MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 19 NIH and HRSA MEPI-MESAU consortium – institutions and individuals MESAU Secretariat

MEPI Symposium 6-8 Aug 2013 Serena Hotel 20