AAS Open Research最新文献

{"title":"Research priorities in maternal and neonatal health in Africa: results using the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method involving over 900 experts across the continent.","authors":"Moses Alobo,&nbsp;Charles Mgone,&nbsp;Joy Lawn,&nbsp;Colette Adhiambo,&nbsp;Kerri Wazny,&nbsp;Chinyere Ezeaka,&nbsp;Elizabeth Molyneux,&nbsp;Marleen Temmerman,&nbsp;Pius Okong,&nbsp;Address Malata,&nbsp;Thomas Kariuki","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13189.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/aasopenres.13189.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Africa will miss the maternal and neonatal health (MNH) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets if the current trajectory is followed. The African Academy of Sciences has formed an expert maternal and newborn health group to discuss actions to improve MNH SDG targets. The team, among other recommendations, chose to implement an MNH research prioritization exercise for Africa covering four grand challenge areas. <b>Methods: </b>The team used the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) research prioritization method to identify research priorities in maternal and newborn health in Africa. From 609 research options, a ranking of the top 46 research questions was achieved. Research priority scores and agreement statistics were calculated, with sub-analysis possible for the regions of East Africa, West Africa and those living out of the continent.  <b>Results:</b> The top research priorities generally fell into (i) improving identification of high-risk mothers and newborns, or diagnosis of high-risk conditions in mothers and newborns to improve health outcomes; (ii) improving access to treatment through improving incentives to attract and retain skilled health workers in remote, rural areas, improving emergency transport, and assessing health systems' readiness; and (iii) improving uptake of proven existing interventions such as Kangaroo Mother Care. <b>Conclusions:</b> The research priorities emphasized building interventions that improved access to quality healthcare in the lowest possible units of the provision of MNH interventions. The lists prioritized participation of communities in delivering MNH interventions. The current burden of disease from MNCH in Africa aligns well with the list of priorities listed from this exercise but provides extra insights into current needs by African practitioners. The MNCH Africa expert group believes that the recommendations from this work should be implemented by multisectoral teams as soon as possible to provide adequate lead time for results of the succeeding programmes to be seen before 2030.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":" ","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8204196/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39251310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Institutionalizing research capacity strengthening in LMICs: A systematic review and meta-synthesis.","authors":"Marta Vicente-Crespo, Ojo Agunbiade, John Eyers, Margaret Thorogood, Sharon Fonn","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13116.3","DOIUrl":"10.12688/aasopenres.13116.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: Evidence on effective strategies to ensure sustainability of research capacity strengthening interventions in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institutions is lacking. This systematic review identified publications describing research capacity building programs and noted their effect, their contexts, and the mechanisms, processes and social actors employed in them. <b>Methods</b>: We searched online databases for the period 2011-2018. Inclusion criteria were that the publications 1) described the intervention; 2) were implemented in LMICs; 3) were based in, or relevant to, university staff or post docs; 4) aimed to improve research capacity; 5) aimed to effect change at the institutional level. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full text in consecutive rounds, a third resolved disagreements. Two people extracted the data of each full text using a data extraction tool covering data relevant to our question. <b>Results</b>: In total 4052 citations were identified and 19 papers were included, which referred to 14 interventions. Only three interventions mentioned using a conceptual framework to develop their approach and none described using a theory of change to assess outcomes. The most frequent inputs described were some method of formal training, promotion of a research-conducive environment and establishment of research support systems. A range of outcomes were reported, most frequently an increased number of publications and proportion of staff with PhDs. When factors of success were discussed, this was attributed to a rigorous approach to implementation, adequate funding, and local buy-in. Those who mentioned sustainability linked it to availability of funds and local buy-in. The lack of a common lexicon and a framework against which to report outcomes made comparison between initiatives difficult. <b>Conclusions</b>: The reduced number of interventions that met the inclusion criteria suggests that programs should be well-described, evaluated systematically, and findings published so that the research capacity strengthening community can extract important lessons.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":"3 ","pages":"43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7653640.3/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10295964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and application of cationised cellulose for removal of Cr(VI) from acid mine-drainage contaminated water.","authors":"Anita Etale, Dineo S Nhlane, Alseno K Mosai, Jessica Mhlongo, Aaliyah Khan, Karl Rumbold, Yannick B Nuapia","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13182.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/aasopenres.13182.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Acid mine drainage (AMD) leads to contamination of surface and ground water by high levels of toxic metals including chromium. In many cases, these waters are sources of drinking water for communities, and treatment is therefore required before consumption to prevent negative health effects. <b>Methods:</b> Cationised hemp cellulose was prepared by etherification with two quaternary ammonium salts: 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) and examined for (i) the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal under acid mine-drainage (AMD) conditions, and (ii) antibacterial activity. Adsorbents were characterised by electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), CP-MAS ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, elemental composition and surface charge. <b>Results:</b> FTIR and solid state ¹³C NMR confirmed the introduction of quaternary ammonium moieties on cellulose. ¹³C NMR also showed that cationisation decreased the degree of crystallisation and lateral dimensions of cellulose fibrils. Nevertheless, 47 %  - 72 % of Cr(VI) ions were removed from solutions at pH 4, by 0.1 g of CHPTAC and GTMAC-cationised cellulose, respectively. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model and isotherms were best described by the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. When GTMAC-modified cellulose was applied to AMD contaminated water (pH 2.7); however, Cr(VI) removal decreased to 22% likely due to competition from Al and Fe ions. Cationised materials displayed considerable antibacterial effects, reducing the viability of <i>Escherichia coli</i> by up to 45 % after just 3 hours of exposure. <b>Conclusions:</b> Together, these results suggest that cationised cellulose can be applied in the treatment of Cr(VI)-contaminated mine water particularly if pre-treatments to reduce Fe and Al concentrations are applied.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":" ","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7871422/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"25399267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High infectious disease burden as a basis for the observed high frequency of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"K. Kusi, Augustina Frimpong, F. D. Partey, Helena Lamptey, L. Amoah, M. Ofori","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13196.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13196.3","url":null,"abstract":"Following the coronavirus outbreaks described as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, the world has again been challenged by yet another corona virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 infections were first detected in a Chinese Province in December 2019 and then declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. An infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 may result in asymptomatic, uncomplicated or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fatal disease has been linked with the uncontrolled “cytokine storm” manifesting with complications mostly in people with underlying cardiovascular and pulmonary disease conditions. The severity of COVID-19 disease and the associated mortality has been disproportionately lower in terms of number of cases and deaths in Africa and also Asia in comparison to Europe and North America. Also, persons of colour residing in Europe and North America have been identified as a highly susceptible population due to a combination of several socioeconomic factors and poor access to quality healthcare. Interestingly, this has not been the case in sub-Saharan Africa where majority of the population are even more deprived of the aforementioned factors. On the contrary, sub-Saharan Africa has recorded the lowest levels of mortality and morbidity associated with the disease, and an overwhelming proportion of infections are asymptomatic. Whilst it can be argued that these lower number of cases in Africa may be due to challenges associated with the diagnosis of the disease such as lack of trained personnel and infrastructure, the number of persons who get infected and develop symptoms is proportionally lower than those who are asymptomatic, including asymptomatic cases that are never diagnosed. This review discusses the most probable reasons for the significantly fewer cases of severe COVID-19 disease and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66398269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High infectious disease burden as a basis for the observed high frequency of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections in sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi,&nbsp;Augustina Frimpong,&nbsp;Frederica Dedo Partey,&nbsp;Helena Lamptey,&nbsp;Linda Eva Amoah,&nbsp;Michael Fokuo Ofori","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13196.1","DOIUrl":"10.12688/aasopenres.13196.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Following the coronavirus outbreaks described as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, the world has again been challenged by yet another corona virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 infections were first detected in a Chinese Province in December 2019 and then declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. An infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 may result in asymptomatic, uncomplicated or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fatal disease has been linked with the uncontrolled \"cytokine storm\" manifesting with complications mostly in people with underlying cardiovascular and pulmonary disease conditions. The severity of COVID-19 disease and the associated mortality has been disproportionately lower in Africa and Asia in comparison to Europe and North America in terms of number of cases and deaths. While persons of colour who live in Europe and North America have been identified as a highly susceptible population due to a combination of several socioeconomic factors and poor access to quality healthcare, this has not been the case in sub-Saharan Africa where inhabitants are even more deprived concerning the said factors. On the contrary, sub-Saharan Africa has recorded the lowest levels of mortality and morbidity associated with the disease, and an overwhelming proportion of infections are asymptomatic. This review discusses the most probable reasons for the significantly fewer cases of severe COVID-19 disease and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":" ","pages":"2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8524298.2/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39693693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of livestock interventions on maternal and child nutrition outcomes in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.","authors":"Josphat Muema,&nbsp;Julius Oyugi,&nbsp;Zipporah Bukania,&nbsp;Mutono Nyamai,&nbsp;Christine Jost,&nbsp;Tewoldeberhan Daniel,&nbsp;Joseph Njuguna,&nbsp;Samuel Mwangi Thumbi","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13150.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13150.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The challenge of undernutrition (stunting and wasting) still remains a major health concern in children below 5 years of age in Africa, with the continent accounting for more than one third of all stunted children and more than one quarter of all wasted children globally. Despite the growing evidence on the role of agriculture interventions in improving nutrition, empirical evidence on the impact of livestock intervention on nutrition in Africa is scant. This review is aimed at determining whether livestock interventions are effective in reducing undernutrition in children below five years of age and in pregnant and lactating women in Africa. The review will be conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Major electronic databases will be searched and complemented with grey and non-indexed literature from google and google scholar, and expert consultation for additional articles and reports. PICO criteria will be used while employing search strategies including MeSH, Boolean search operators and truncation/wildcard symbol to narrow or broaden the search. Articles on effect of livestock interventions on maternal and child nutrition conducted in Africa that meet the set inclusion criteria will be included in the review after critical appraisal by two independent reviewers. A standardized form will be used to extract data from included studies. The extracted data will be summarized and synthesized both qualitatively and quantitatively and key outcomes presented. Evidence generated from the systematic review and meta-analysis will be important for guiding nutrition sensitive livestock interventions and policies on nutrition programming, specifically on how to leverage on livestock interventions to reduce the burden of undernutrition.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8552048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39863301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kenya's response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a balance between minimising morbidity and adverse economic impact.","authors":"Edwin N Wangari, P. Gichuki, Angelyne A. Abuor, Jacqueline Wambui, S. Okeyo, H. T. Oyatsi, Shadrack Odikara, Benard W. Kulohoma","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13156.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13156.1","url":null,"abstract":"Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has ravaged the world's socioeconomic systems forcing many governments across the globe to implement unprecedented stringent mitigation measures to restrain its rapid spread and adverse effects. A disproportionate number of COVID-19 related morbidities and mortalities were predicted to occur in Africa. However, Africa still has a lower than predicted number of cases, 4% of the global pandemic burden. In this open letter, we highlight some of the early stringent countermeasures implemented in Kenya, a sub-Saharan African country, to avert the severe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These mitigation measures strike a balance between minimising COVID-19 associated morbidity and fatalities and its adverse economic impact, and taken together have significantly dampened the pandemic's impact on Kenya's populace.","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":"4 1","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66397377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Candidate gene family-based and case-control studies of susceptibility to high <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> worm burden in African children: a protocol.","authors":"Oscar A Nyangiri,&nbsp;Sokouri A Edwige,&nbsp;Mathurin Koffi,&nbsp;Estelle Mewamba,&nbsp;Gustave Simo,&nbsp;Joyce Namulondo,&nbsp;Julius Mulindwa,&nbsp;Jacent Nassuuna,&nbsp;Alison Elliott,&nbsp;Kévin Karume,&nbsp;Dieudonne Mumba,&nbsp;P L A M Corstjens,&nbsp;M Casacuberta-Partal,&nbsp;G J van Dam,&nbsp;Bruno Bucheton,&nbsp;Harry Noyes,&nbsp;Enock Matovu","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13203.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13203.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Approximately 25% of the risk of <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> is associated with host genetic variation. We will test 24 candidate genes, mainly in the T _h2 and T _h17 pathways, for association with <i>S. mansoni</i> infection intensity in four African countries, using family based and case-control approaches. <b>Methods:</b> Children aged 5-15 years will be recruited in <i>S. mansoni</i> endemic areas of Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We will use family based (study 1) and case-control (study 2) designs. Study 1 will take place in Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda and the DRC. We aim to recruit 100 high worm burden families from each country except Uganda, where a previous study recruited at least 40 families. For phenotyping, cases will be defined as the 20% of children in each community with heaviest worm burdens as measured by the circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) assay. Study 2 will take place in Uganda. We will recruit 500 children in a highly endemic community. For phenotyping, cases will be defined as the 20% of children with heaviest worm burdens as measured by the CAA assay, while controls will be the 20% of infected children with the lightest worm burdens. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) will be genotyped on the Illumina H3Africa SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) chip and genotypes will be converted to sets of haplotypes that span the gene region for analysis. We have selected 24 genes for genotyping that are mainly in the Th2 and Th17 pathways and that have variants that have been demonstrated to be or could be associated with <i>Schistosoma</i> infection intensity.   <b>Analysis:</b> In the family-based design, we will identify SNP haplotypes disproportionately transmitted to children with high worm burden. Case-control analysis will detect overrepresentation of haplotypes in extreme phenotypes with correction for relatedness by using whole genome principal components.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":"4 ","pages":"36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8861467/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9149946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foodscapes in urban spaces of Africa: implications for food and nutrition security among the urban poor","authors":"Fidelia A. A. Dake","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13283.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13283.1","url":null,"abstract":"Food security has been a global development agenda for several decades, and rightly so: nearly 945 million people were food insecure in 2005 and a decade later, this number declined to 784 million in 2014, only to rise to 821 million three years later in 2017. These global figures, however, mask variations in the extent of progress in different regions of the world. Progress towards achieving food security has been much slower in sub-Saharan Africa, and the region continues to be the worst hit by food insecurity. Furthermore, it is increasingly being recognised that food insecurity is prevalent in urban, and not just rural areas, and that the urban poor rather than the rural poor are particularly vulnerable, and at increased risk of being food insecure. Additionally, nutrition insecurity, a closely related component of food insecurity, is common among the urban poor and contributes to malnutrition. While several factors have been explored in trying to address the issue of food security, the potential role of foodscapes in urban spaces of Africa has been less researched. Recent evidence, however, indicates that foodscapes in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa potentially contribute to food and nutrition insecurity, particularly among the urban poor. Addressing food and nutrition insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa will thus first require reframing the discourse about these issues from solely a rural to also an urban problem, and secondly improving access, especially availability of healthy and nutritious options that are also economically accessible, for vulnerable and at-risk groups; in particularly, the urban poor.","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66400127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing excellence in biostatistics leadership, training and science in Africa: How the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) training unites expertise to deliver excellence.","authors":"Tobias F Chirwa,&nbsp;Zvifadzo Matsena Zingoni,&nbsp;Pascalia Munyewende,&nbsp;Samuel O Manda,&nbsp;Henry Mwambi,&nbsp;Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala,&nbsp;Samson Kinyanjui,&nbsp;Taryn Young,&nbsp;Eustasius Musenge,&nbsp;Jupiter Simbeye,&nbsp;Patrick Musonda,&nbsp;Michael Johnson Mahande,&nbsp;Patrick Weke,&nbsp;Nelson Owuor Onyango,&nbsp;Lawrence Kazembe,&nbsp;Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye,&nbsp;Khangelani Zuma,&nbsp;Nonhlanhla Yende-Zuma,&nbsp;Marie-Claire Omanyondo Ohambe,&nbsp;Emmanuel Nakua Kweku,&nbsp;Innocent Maposa,&nbsp;Birhanu Ayele,&nbsp;Thomas Achia,&nbsp;Rhoderick Machekano,&nbsp;Lehana Thabane,&nbsp;Jonathan Levin,&nbsp;Marinus J C Eijkemans,&nbsp;James Carpenter,&nbsp;Charles Chasela,&nbsp;Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch,&nbsp;Jim Todd","doi":"10.12688/aasopenres.13144.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.13144.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increase in health research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has led to a high demand for biostatisticians to develop study designs, contribute and apply statistical methods in data analyses. Initiatives exist to address the dearth in statistical capacity and lack of local biostatisticians in SSA health projects. The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) led by African institutions was initiated to improve biostatistical capacity according to the needs identified by African institutions, through collaborative masters and doctoral training in biostatistics. SACCAB has created a critical mass of biostatisticians and a network of institutions over the last five years and has strengthened biostatistics resources and capacity for health research studies in SSA.  SSACAB comprises 11 universities and four research institutions which are supported by four European universities.  In 2015, only four universities had established Masters programmes in biostatistics and SSACAB supported the remaining seven to develop Masters programmes. In 2019 the University of the Witwatersrand became the first African institution to gain Royal Statistical Society accreditation for a Biostatistics Masters programme. A total of 150 fellows have been awarded scholarships to date of which 123 are Masters fellowships (41 female) of whom 58 have already graduated. Graduates have been employed in African academic (19) and research (15) institutions and 10 have enrolled for PhD studies. A total of 27 (10 female) PhD fellowships have been awarded; 4 of them are due to graduate by 2020. To date, SSACAB Masters and PhD students have published 17 and 31 peer-reviewed articles, respectively. SSACAB has also facilitated well-attended conferences, face-to-face and online short courses. Pooling of limited biostatistics resources in SSA combined with co-funding from external partners has shown to be an effective strategy for the development and teaching of advanced biostatistics methods, supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates.</p>","PeriodicalId":34179,"journal":{"name":"AAS Open Research","volume":" ","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7802118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38874685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}