The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries

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dc.contributor.authorPillai, Goonaseelan
dc.contributor.authorChibale, Kelly
dc.contributor.authorConstable, Edwin C
dc.contributor.authorKeller, Akiko N
dc.contributor.authorGutierrez, Marcelo M
dc.contributor.authorMirza, Fareed
dc.contributor.authorSengstag, Christian
dc.contributor.authorMasimirembwa, Collen
dc.contributor.authorDenti, Paolo
dc.contributor.authorMaartens, Gary
dc.contributor.authorRamsay, Michèle
dc.contributor.authorOgutu, Bernhards
dc.contributor.authorMakonnen, Eyasu
dc.contributor.authorGordon, Richard
dc.contributor.authorFerreira, Carlos G
dc.contributor.authorGoldbaum, Fernando A
dc.contributor.authorDegrave, Wim M S
dc.contributor.authorSpector, Jonathan
dc.contributor.authorTadmor, Brigitta
dc.contributor.authorKaiser, Hedwig J
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-15T14:11:37Z
dc.date.available2018-10-15T14:11:37Z
dc.date.issued2018-10-10
dc.date.updated2018-10-14T03:22:00Z
dc.description.abstractBackground Scientific and professional development opportunities for early career scientists in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) are limited and not consistent. There is a disproportionately low number of biomedical and clinical researchers in LMIC’s relative to their high burden of disease, a disparity that is aggravated by emigration of up to 70% of scientists from their countries of birth for education and employment elsewhere. To help address this need, a novel University-accredited, immersive fellowship program was established by a large public-academic-private network. We sought to describe the program and summarize progress and lessons learned over its first 7-years. Methods Hallmarks of the program are a structured learning curriculum and bespoke research activities tailored to the needs of each fellow. Research projects expose the scientists to state-of-the-art methodologies and leading experts in their fields while also ensuring that learnings are implementable within their home infrastructure. Fellows run seminars on drug discovery and development that reinforce themes of scientific leadership and teamwork together with practical modules on addressing healthcare challenges within their local systems. Industry mentors achieve mutual learning to better understand healthcare needs in traditionally underserved settings. We evaluated the impact of the program through an online survey of participants and by assessing research output. Results More than 140 scientists and clinicians from 25 countries participated over the 7-year period. Evaluation revealed strong evidence of knowledge and skills transfer, and beneficial self-reported impact on fellow’s research output and career trajectories. Examples of program impact included completion of post-graduate qualifications; establishment and implementation of good laboratory- and clinical- practice mechanisms; and becoming lead investigators in local programs. There was a high retention of fellows in their home countries (> 75%) and an enduring professional network among the fellows and their mentors. Conclusions Our experience demonstrates an example for how multi-sectoral partners can contribute to scientific and professional development of researchers in LMICs and supports the idea that capacity-building efforts should be tailored to the specific needs of beneficiaries to be maximally effective. Lessons learned may be applied to the design and conduct of other programs to strengthen science ecosystems in LMICs.
dc.identifier.apacitationPillai, G., Chibale, K., Constable, E. C., Keller, A. N., Gutierrez, M. M., Mirza, F., ... Kaiser, H. J. (2018). The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries. <i>BMC Medical Education</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28926en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationPillai, Goonaseelan, Kelly Chibale, Edwin C Constable, Akiko N Keller, Marcelo M Gutierrez, Fareed Mirza, Christian Sengstag, et al "The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries." <i>BMC Medical Education</i> (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28926en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBMC Medical Education. 2018 Oct 10;18(1):233
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Pillai, Goonaseelan AU - Chibale, Kelly AU - Constable, Edwin C AU - Keller, Akiko N AU - Gutierrez, Marcelo M AU - Mirza, Fareed AU - Sengstag, Christian AU - Masimirembwa, Collen AU - Denti, Paolo AU - Maartens, Gary AU - Ramsay, Michèle AU - Ogutu, Bernhards AU - Makonnen, Eyasu AU - Gordon, Richard AU - Ferreira, Carlos G AU - Goldbaum, Fernando A AU - Degrave, Wim M S AU - Spector, Jonathan AU - Tadmor, Brigitta AU - Kaiser, Hedwig J AB - Background Scientific and professional development opportunities for early career scientists in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) are limited and not consistent. There is a disproportionately low number of biomedical and clinical researchers in LMIC’s relative to their high burden of disease, a disparity that is aggravated by emigration of up to 70% of scientists from their countries of birth for education and employment elsewhere. To help address this need, a novel University-accredited, immersive fellowship program was established by a large public-academic-private network. We sought to describe the program and summarize progress and lessons learned over its first 7-years. Methods Hallmarks of the program are a structured learning curriculum and bespoke research activities tailored to the needs of each fellow. Research projects expose the scientists to state-of-the-art methodologies and leading experts in their fields while also ensuring that learnings are implementable within their home infrastructure. Fellows run seminars on drug discovery and development that reinforce themes of scientific leadership and teamwork together with practical modules on addressing healthcare challenges within their local systems. Industry mentors achieve mutual learning to better understand healthcare needs in traditionally underserved settings. We evaluated the impact of the program through an online survey of participants and by assessing research output. Results More than 140 scientists and clinicians from 25 countries participated over the 7-year period. Evaluation revealed strong evidence of knowledge and skills transfer, and beneficial self-reported impact on fellow’s research output and career trajectories. Examples of program impact included completion of post-graduate qualifications; establishment and implementation of good laboratory- and clinical- practice mechanisms; and becoming lead investigators in local programs. There was a high retention of fellows in their home countries (> 75%) and an enduring professional network among the fellows and their mentors. Conclusions Our experience demonstrates an example for how multi-sectoral partners can contribute to scientific and professional development of researchers in LMICs and supports the idea that capacity-building efforts should be tailored to the specific needs of beneficiaries to be maximally effective. Lessons learned may be applied to the design and conduct of other programs to strengthen science ecosystems in LMICs. DA - 2018-10-10 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - BMC Medical Education LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries TI - The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28926 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1331-y
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/28926
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationPillai G, Chibale K, Constable EC, Keller AN, Gutierrez MM, Mirza F, et al. The Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries. BMC Medical Education. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28926.en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Medicineen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rights.holderThe Author(s).
dc.sourceBMC Medical Education
dc.source.urihttps://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/
dc.subject.otherCapacity development
dc.subject.otherCapability development
dc.subject.otherResearch and Development
dc.subject.otherPublic health
dc.subject.otherEducation
dc.subject.otherFellowship
dc.subject.otherPostgraduate research
dc.subject.otherEarly career researcher development
dc.titleThe Next Generation Scientist program: capacity-building for future scientific leaders in low- and middle-income countries
dc.typeJournal Article
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
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