News & updates
January 5 Issue 35
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CARTA @ 10 Celebrations
Thank you for joining us to celebrate CARTA @ 10!
Though the year 2020 was riddled with challenges, we emerged stronger from it. Our virtual anniversary celebrations were a success because of you! We’re focused on a bright future, and we owe our 10-year success to our fellows, graduates, funders, partners, and staff. Thank you all for your confidence in us. We look forward to the next ten years!
The recordings of the events can be found on our YouTube page here.
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CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference |
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CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference, the last event in the anniversary celebrations, was held on December 3-4, 2020. The event attracted participants from different spheres of academia and offered a great opportunity for researchers and presenters from different institutions around the world to interact and learn about new research presented, including the tools and techniques used.
Thank you for your participation and Support!
In case you missed the event you can watch the presentations here.
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What it Takes to Plan a Joint Advanced Seminar (JAS) 2: A Fellow’s Perspective |
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Justin Kumala, a CARTA fellow from Malawi registered at the University of the Witwatersrand was involved in organizing the recent Joint Advanced Seminar (JAS) 2. He talks to us about the planning process, what is expected by and of the fellows, and what it took to organize it virtually.
"As organizers, we wanted to see that every fellow got the support they needed to refine their PhD research idea. Having participated in JAS 2, I can relate and have witnessed firsthand what it sometimes means to feel lost, confused, or lack of direction. JAS 2 was designed to deal with that. We hoped that fellows would emerge with a clear and more coherent summary of their planned research by the end. I think we achieved that."
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Joint Advanced Seminar 3 Begins |
The JAS 3 began on December 9, 2020, with an online diagnostics session aimed to support fellows in identifying their needs, understanding how to proceed with their analysis and write-up, and accessing one-on-one support from facilitators.
The seminar enhances fellows’ skills in using existing literature in interpreting their results and improving fellows’ understanding of peer review and publication processes.
JAS 3 continues in January 2021 with a town hall scheduled for January 6, and virtual teaching and data analysis support sessions from January 11, 2021.
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CARTA has contributed to the development of a vibrant African academy capable of leading world-class multidisciplinary research that positively impacts on public and population health. Its work has been highlighted on various media platforms over the years.
This past year, CARTA fellows, graduates, and focal persons have contributed to and published several articles about their work and that of CARTA in various news outlets, including The conversation, Standard Media Group (Kenya), Medical Express, US News, and World Report, Modern Ghana, Africa Eye Report.
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Kudus Wins Best PhD Thesis Award! |
Kudus Adebayo (Cohort Six Graduate, University of Ibadan) won the "IADS-Rahamon Bello Award for Best PhD Thesis in African and Diaspora Studies-2020". The award ceremony was held at the University of Lagos on December 8, 2020. The selection committee included scholars at Unilag, University of Edinburgh, and Centre for African Studies, Leiden. You can see the call for nomination here.
CARTA is proud of his achievement!
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Felicitations! Four CARTA Fellows Graduate in December |
Join us in congratulating Getrude Shepelo (Cohort Eight Fellow, University of Nairobi), Jeanette Dawa, and Hellen Jepngetich (both Cohort Five Fellows, University of Nairobi and Moi University, respectively), and Oluwaseun Akinyemi (Cohort Four, University of the Witwatersrand) who graduated in December 2020. Getrude, who graduated with a PhD in Veterinary Clinical Studies, conducted research on detecting zoonotic Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species infecting dairy cattle in Kenya. On her part, Jeanette graduated with a PhD in Infectious Disease, and her thesis focused on modeling the health and economic impact of the Influenza vaccine in Kenya. Hellen's research was on Graduate and employer perspectives focusing on Environmental Health Graduates' academic competencies and public health work expectations in Kenya. Akinyemi's thesis was on scaling up of community-based injectable contraceptives in Gombe State, Nigeria.
We are proud of their achievement and congratulate them on this great milestone!
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Tumaini Malenga (Cohort Four Fellow, University of Malawi) successfully defended her PhD thesis and is in line to graduate from the University of Malawi! This brings the total number of CARTA graduates to 97. |
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CARTA’s Retreat Initiative Critical to Academic Writing for Researchers |
Alexander Kagaha (Cohort Seven Fellow from Makerere, registered at the University of the Witwatersrand) recently completed a writing retreat at a resort and retreat center in Uganda where he had been for one and a half months. The academic writing retreat offers time for fellows to finalize their PhD dissertations, write manuscripts for publication, and prepare proposals for postdoctoral engagement.
For Kagaha, his time in the retreat bore three manuscripts revised and accepted for publication by the Health policy and planning journal, the Women and Health journal, and the Anthropology and Medicine journal. Besides, he has now submitted his PhD dissertation and awaits the examiners' reports. He also drafted his postdoctoral concept, which he plans to use to secure research funding opportunities.
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Second SciDev.Net & CARTA Online Networking Event for Wits Researchers
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As a follow-up to the Media Skills Training in September, CARTA and SciDev.Net in collaboration with Sida hosted an online media networking event for the Wits University researchers following one for the Obafemi Awolowo University researchers in December. The main goal was to enable the researchers to practice how to communicate their work and explain the story behind their research to the journalists present. The researchers also had an opportunity to pitch to five experienced science journalists, i.e., Pontsho Pilane, Ina Skosana, Munya Makoni, and Laura Owings.
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Mapule bags Prize at the Wits VC’s Service Excellence Awards |
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CARTA celebrates Mapule Dorcas Nlapho from the University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, who won the Professional and Administrative Staff award at the Wits Vice Chancellor’s Service Excellence Awards. She was recognized for her role as a Biomedical Informatics Officer. She provides critical technical support to over 5000 researchers and field workers using the electronic platform REDCap in the Faculty. The CARTA community across Africa has no doubt hugely benefited from Mapule, who has run several CARTA RedCap trainings.
About the Awards: Known as the VC’s Service Excellence Awards, or PAS Awards, these long-standing awards reward staff members at the University of the Witwatersrand across various grades who have rendered services to the University community with excellence. They are judged according to innovativeness, accountability, reliability, dependability, and quality of their services.
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Beatrice Maina (Cohort Six Fellow, APHRC) published Conceptualisations of masculinity and sexual development among boys and young men in Korogocho slum in Kenya in Culture, Health and Sexuality. The study explored how boys aged 10–14 years living in Korogocho slum in Nairobi, Kenya conceptualised masculinity, their perceptions of how masculinities are performed, and the linkage between conceptualisations of masculinity and sexual development.
Alexander Kagaha (Cohort Seven Fellow from Makerere registered, at Wits University), published Power, policy and abortion care in Uganda in Health, Policy and Planning. This study explored the operations of power in setting maternal healthcare priorities, as evident at the 2018 Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescents Health Conference.
Sulaimon Adedokun (Cohort One Graduate, OAU) published the following articles:
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Childhood morbidity and its determinants: Evidence from 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa in the BMJ Global Health. This study examined the factors associated with childhood morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Correlates of antenatal care utilization among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from multinomial analysis of demographic and health surveys (2010–2018) from 31 countries in the Archives of Public Health. This study examined the factors influencing antenatal care utilization in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Factors influencing mothers’ healthcare-seeking behaviour for their children: evidence from 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa in the BMC Health Services Research. This study examined factors influencing mothers’ health-seeking behaviour for their children in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Applications Open: L’Oréal USA for Women in Science Fellowship |
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Applications for the 2021 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science program are now open. The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program honors female scientists at a critical stage in their careers with grants of $60,000 each. Since 2003, they’ve awarded 85 postdoctoral women scientists over $4 million in grants. They are seeking five exceptional female scientists looking to advance their research and serve as role models for the next generation of girls in STEM.
Candidates are selected from a variety of fields including the life and physical/material sciences, technology (including computer science), engineering, and mathematics. Candidates must have completed their PhD and have started in their postdoctoral position by the application deadline.
Application deadline: January 29, 2021.
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Letten Price: Call for Applications |
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The Letten Prize call for new applications is now open. It is aimed at deserving young researchers who have conducted research aimed at solving global challenges within the fields of health, environment, and equality in all aspects of human life.
The winner is awarded 2 million NOK (ca. 181 000 EUR/211 000 USD) of which ¼ is for personal usage and ¾ is to be used for research activities.
Deadline: February 2, 2021.
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Applied Global Health Research: Improve Health in LMICs
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Apply for funding for research that will benefit the health of people living in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for. You can apply if you are: an LMIC-based principal investigator, a UK-based principal investigator working in partnership with LMIC investigators.
Application deadline: April 8, 2021
Find more information here.
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Joint Global Health Trials
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The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has announced a funding opportunity for Trial Development Grants. This scheme seeks to support research that addresses health problems affecting low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by funding definitive trials that are likely to produce implementable and generalisable results to change policy and practice.
Application deadline: February 4, 2021
Find more information here.
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If you are a clinically-active healthcare professional with a track record of leading your own independent research, this fellowship is for you.
This fellowship scheme is open to clinically-active healthcare professionals with a track record of effectively leading their own independent research. It provides support to help you progress to research leadership and become an internationally-recognised leader in your field.
The scheme funds a challenging research programme and an ambitious programme of research training, offering accelerated personal and career development.
Application Deadline: April 2021
Find more information here.
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Wellcome Trust: Collaborative Awards in Science |
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Collaborative Awards promote the development of new ideas and speed the pace of discovery. They fund teams of researchers, consisting of independent research groups, to work together on the most important scientific problems that can only be solved through collaborative efforts.
Application deadline: March 16, 2021
Find more information here.
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Why Uganda must recognise nurses for more than a decade of HIV care
Henry Zakumumpa (Cohort Four Graduate) writes in the Conversation about task-shifting to nurses and the mounting calls for nurses to be sufficiently recognised for their prominent role in making HIV treatment more widely available over the past decade.
When will COVID-19 vaccinations start in African countries? (AlJazeera)
With wealthy countries having already secured large numbers of doses, calls are growing for equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines.
Read more in this article featuring Dr. Catherine Kyotubungi, Executive Director at APHRC and CARTA co-director.
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Top 30 Ways to Use Social Media for Your Graduate Education
Having gained ground around the world, social media has also found its way into colleges and universities around the world. Learn how you can make use of your social media profiles to get into grad school, thrive while you’re there, and enhance your future after graduation. Read more here.
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WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU |
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Share with us news and updates such as upcoming events, meetings, story ideas, new collaborations, new trials/updates, upcoming and published papers, policy briefs, community engagement activities, scholarships, what you are reading, if you won a grant, attending or about an upcoming conference, a call for applications/funding/papers, etc.
Share these before January 20, 2021, to be included in the next CARTA news & updates, by sending an email to cartaenquiries@aphrc.org.
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