News & updates
December 1 Issue 34
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Welcome to this edition of the CARTA monthly, where you find our latest news.
As we approach the end of the CARTA @ 10 celebrations, we invite you to participate in our biggest event yet, the CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference. Find the details in the program news below. Also, read about what our fellows have been up to this past month, including the work they published. Besides, discover opportunities that you may be eligible for and finish off with our great selection of 'reads of the month.'
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CARTA @ 10:Webinar on Funding Postdoctoral Training & Research Capacity Strengthening in Africa
The last webinar in the CARTA @ 10 series was held in November, where the panelists sought to enlighten existing and potential grantees on the funding landscape in Africa. They included Andrea Johnson- Carnegie Corporation, Maria Teresa Bejarano- Sida and Alphonsus Neba-African Academy of Sciences.
Read the article published by the University World News about the webinar here and find the recordings here.
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CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference |
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Don't miss the CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference, to be held virtually via zoom on December 3-4, 2020, from 16:00 to 18:00 hrs, EAT.
You are invited to listen and participate as CARTA fellows and graduates' present their research in health systems and non-communicable diseases, ageing, sexual and reproductive health and rights, infectious diseases, and immunization among others. Additionally, the conference will offer an 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.
To register, click here, and to get more information about the conference, visit our website here.
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We did it! The First Virtual Joint Advanced Seminar 2 |
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The first virtual Joint Advanced Seminar 2 (JAS 2) began on November 2, 2020. One Cohort Nine fellow and 25 Cohort Ten fellows from Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda participated in the online sessions. They also had two weeks of residential stay within their regions to minimize exposure during international travel but maximize protected time to advance in their PhD protocols. The JAS 2 will continue in March 2021 and it is designed to enhance the fellows’ skills and knowledge while providing a foundation for them to build networks of researchers, peers, and mentors. |
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Joint Advanced Seminar 3 - December 2020 |
Preparations for the JAS 3 are underway, with an online diagnostics session scheduled on Wednesday December 9, 2020 from 10.00 hrs (GMT+1), followed by teaching, data analysis, and writing sessions. JAS 3 aims to help the fellows interpret their data and present research findings. Specifically, it is meant to help improve fellows’ data analysis and academic writing skills. The seminar supports fellows’ capacity to write up their qualitative and/ or quantitative results concisely. Further, it enhances fellows’ skills in using existing literature in interpreting their results and improving fellows’ understanding of peer review and publication processes. |
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CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference: Insights from our Presenters
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As the CARTA @ 10 Scientific Conference draws near, we caught up with two of the presenters, Catherine Musyoka (Cohort Seven Fellow, University of Nairobi) and Alamukii Nanfizat (Cohort Nine Fellow, University of Ibadan). Here, they share their thoughts on Scientific Conferences and what a participant should look forward to.
"Collaboration and connection between researchers are the backbone of the future and growth of scientific research. In the partnerships, new frontiers of multidisciplinary research are born; more so, these help to build the researchers’ career."~ Catherine Musyoka.
"At the end of a conference, participants should endeavor to follow up on their connections. For instance, sending a warm message through email and reminding your network of the discussion you had. Follow up on the ideas, create a sharing platform for learning, and research grant opportunities within your network."~ Alamukii Nanfizat.
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Oladapo set to Graduate from Wits! |
Oladapo Oluwaseun Akinyemi (Cohort Four Fellow, University of Ibadan) will be graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand on December 14, 2020 after completing all the requirements for the PhD degree. Watch out for more from his graduation in our next update.
We look forward to his graduation!
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Viva! Chisati Defends his PhD Thesis |
Enock Chisati (Cohort Seven Fellow, University of Malawi) defended his PhD thesis titled ‘Reduced bone mineral density among people living with HIV and receiving anti-retroviral therapy in Blantyre, Malawi: Pharmacological challenges, prevalence and the role of exercise,’ at the University of Malawi.
Faculty members, postgraduate students and members of the public were invited to attend the defense.
“When I began my PhD journey in 2017, it looked impossible. It was like going into an unknown world without any glimpse of hope. There were times when I felt the task ahead of me was insurmountable and contemplated dropping out. However, struggles and failures along the way helped me to realize my strengths. Gradually I learned to love what I was doing, and this was my motivation to keep going. When I finally defended my thesis, I realized that what seemed impossible is possible. Through the journey, I have learned that you need not focus on how huge the task ahead is or how much of the task is left, but on the fact that you can get to your finish line,” Enock said.
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Chimwemwe Featured on African Academy of Sciences Blog for World Diabetes Day |
Chimwemwe Banda’s case study ‘Assessing healthcare system support for diabetes in Malawi’ was published by the African Academy of Sciences ahead of the World Diabetes day marked on November 14. Chimwemwe is a Cohort Six Fellow from the University of Malawi. Her study demonstrated the need to strengthen the capacity of primary care facilities to provide diabetes care services and implement the WHO package of essential non-communicable(PEN) disease interventions for primary health care. This would also ensure that services meet the needs and expectations of the intended recipients.
Read the case study here.
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SciDev.Net & CARTA Partner to host Online Networking Event for OAU Researchers |
In September 2020, CARTA, in collaboration with SciDev.Net, and Sida, organized a series of Media Skills Training for researchers from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and the University of the Witwatersrand. The aim was to equip them with the skills necessary to explain their research so that the public and policymakers can engage better with them.
As a follow-up, an online media networking event for the Obafemi Awolowo University researchers and CARTA fellows was held in November 2020. 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 Nigerian science journalists, i.e., Onche Odeh, Alex Abutu, Akin Jimoh, Mike Simere, and Jennifer Igwe.
“It is one thing to know how to communicate your research. It is another to have a network of journalists that can potentially report on your findings. As a researcher, know how to identify research issues that are of public interest, then seek the right journalist/s to disseminate your work,” said Dr. Charles Wendo, a renowned science journalist and media trainer who hosted and facilitated the event.
The next online networking event has been organized for researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand on December 2, 2020.
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Paul Feted! Exceptional Service Award and Invitation to Faculty Honours Celebration |
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Paul Bohloko, the CARTA administrator at University of the Witwatersrand, has been nominated as one of the recipients of the Faculty of Health Sciences Exceptional Service Award for 2020. He celebrated this via a special teams presentation with the dean.
CARTA congratulates Paul for a well-deserved award.
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Adeniyi Francis Fagbamigbe (Cohort Two Graduate, University of Ibadan) published Mind the gap: What explains the poor-non-poor inequalities in severe wasting among under-five children in low- and middle-income countries? Compositional and structural characteristics, in PLOS ONE. The study aimed to quantify the contributions of demographic, contextual and proximate factors in explaining the poor-non-poor gap in severe wasting in low- and middle-income countries.
Kudus Adebayo (Cohort Six Graduate, University of Ibadan) published “I have a divine call to heal my people”: Motivations and strategies of Nigerian medicine traders in Guangzhou, China, in Transnational Press, London. The study explored the motivations and strategies of Nigerian medicine traders in responding to the health-care demands of co-migrants in China using observations and interview data from two Nigerian medicine traders in Guangzhou.
Mpho Molete (Cohort Six Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand ) published Implementation fidelity of school oral health programs at a District in South Africa in PLOS ONE. The study sought to assess the level of fidelity achieved by school oral health programs in their study district and to determine elements of fidelity that predict the risk of dental decay.
Funke Fayehun (CARTA Board of Management Chairperson & co-focal person at University of Ibadan) published Abnormal birth weight in urban Nigeria: An examination of related factors, in PLOS ONE. The study examined abnormal birth weight categories-Low birth weight (LBW) and High birth weight (HBW)- in urban settings in Nigeria.
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HRP Alliance has Launched a Mentorship Program for Young Female Researchers |
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Antoinette Oglethorpe Ltd, will facilitate a mentorship programme that will encourage and support career development in young female researchers. They will launch this with a webinar: Is mentoring for me? The programme is open to female researchers in the HRP Alliance and its wider collaborations and regional institutions.
The webinar will be held via Zoom on Thursday, December 3 at 11.30am UK time.
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Grant Opportunities from the Gates Foundation |
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is still accepting applications through the Grand Challenges and Grand Challenges Explorations initiatives for the following three requests for proposals. Please check the website at the links below for the different application deadlines.
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Call for Abstracts: ICML+AHILA 2021, 21-25 June, South Africa |
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The International Congress of Medical Librarians (ICML) will be coming to the African continent for the first time in 2021 in partnership with the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA), an active regional network.
Their call for papers, posters and lightning talks is open.
Find further information about submitting an abstract and key dates here.
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AAS Open Research Photography Competition: Share your Photos |
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AAS is inviting members of the African research community to bring their research to life via a single visual image. From life sciences and medicine to physical and social sciences, the competition aims to showcase and celebrate the breadth and depth of research taking place across Africa, as well as the people who make it happen.
Read more about the competition here.
Deadline: December 31, 2020.
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Call for Applications: STIAS Iso Lomso Fellowships |
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STIAS, the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in South Africa, has opened the fifth annual call of its prestigious Iso Lomso Fellowship Programme.
Application deadline: February 15, 2021
Find more details and the application form 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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Nominations for the Olusegun Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery and/or Technological Innovation |
Nominations must be submitted here by December 22, 2020.
Find more information here.
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Applications are now open for the IMMANA Fellowships for emerging leaders in agriculture, nutrition, and health research.
Deadline for concept note: December 31, 2020
Deadline for full proposal: February 01, 2021
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Call for Applications: Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 |
Call for applications for the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowships in Science or Engineering is seeking candidates from LMICs. This three year Research Fellowships will be awarded to the very brightest and the best early career postdocs. See Video introduction.
Application deadline: January 20, 2021
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MRC Funding Opportunity for Trial Development Grants |
The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) have 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
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Funders predict changes to international postgraduate study (University World News)
Read about the CARTA @ 10 'Funding Postdoctoral Training & Research Capacity Strengthening in Africa' webinar, as covered by The University World News.
Assessing healthcare system support for diabetes in Malawi
Chimwemwe Banda (Cohort Six Fellow, University of Malawi) writes in the African Academy of Sciences blog about understanding strengths and weaknesses of the healthcare system in diabetes services and why it is important for improvement of care.
Coronavirus and gender: More chores for women set back gains in equality (BBC News)
The coronavirus pandemic could wipe out 25 years of increasing gender equality, new global data from UN Women suggests. Women are doing significantly more domestic chores and family care, because of the impact of the pandemic.
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PLOS Writing Center
The Plos writing center is your source for scientific writing & publishing essentials. Access a collection of free, practical guides and hands-on resources for authors looking to improve their scientific publishing skillset.
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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 December 10, 2020 to be included in the next CARTA news & updates, by sending an email to cartaenquiries@aphrc.org.
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