News & Updates

March 2023 Edition, Issue 63

THE CARTA MONTHLY

Welcome to another edition of the CARTA monthly updates. Read on to keep abreast with what is new.

  • Program News
  • Fellows News
  • Partner News
  • Publications
  • Opportunities
  • Resources
  • Our Reads

*Click on 'view entire email' should all highlights not be displayed in a single email

PROGRAM NEWS

Launch of DELTAS Africa II grant

Following a successful first five-year program, the Developing Excellence in Leadership Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS AFRICA) launched a second phase on March 14, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. As one of the 14 grantees of DELTAS Africa II, CARTA joined funding partners, government representatives, the diplomatic community, and international development organizations to celebrate the key milestone. The prestigious and high-level launch event was convened by the Science for Africa (SFA) Foundation and also featured a three-day inception meeting (March 15-17). The DELTAS Africa II grant will be instrumental in the implementation of CARTA's current strategic phase, CARTA2025. Read on


Watch highlights of what CARTA2025 entails in this video feature by the SFA Foundation.

CARTA Board convened for a development program

The CARTA Secretariat hosted the program's Board of Management (BoM) at the APHRC campus in Nairobi for a two-day development program (March 23-24) for the outgoing and incoming members. During the workshop, Prof. Adamson Muula from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences was elected as the new Board chair. The development program follows the selection of BoM for the 2023-2025 period held last year (September) during the CARTA Partners Annual Forum. The selection saw three partners rotate out (University of Ibadan, University of Nairobi, and Ifakara Health Institute), two members re-elected (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and the Canadian Association for Global Health), and three partner representatives newly elected - Xavier Gomez-Olivet (Agincourt), John Bosco Isunju (Makerere University), and Christopher Odhiambo (Moi University).


Learn more about the new BOM composition here.

Systematizing outcome harvesting in CARTA’s M&E processes

Part of the CARTA Secretariat participated in a face-to-face training between March 28 - 30, 2023 that sought to enhance the team's capacity to conduct outcome harvesting, develop tools, and establish routine processes to track program outcomes, as well as systematize outcome harvesting within the monitoring processes. The workshop was an opportunity for the team to reflect on its M&E framework and linkages between its activities, outputs, outcomes, and contribution to the overall program objective. The three-day engagement was facilitated by Dena Lomofsky from Southern Hemisphere, a leading socio-economic development consultancy based in South Africa.

JAS3 town hall for cohort 10

On March 20, a second group of cohort 10 fellows attended a virtual town hall to plan and deliberate on the upcoming Joint Advanced Seminar three (JAS 3) which is slated to take place in May at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The first group attended the seminar in November 2022 and the second JAS3 is a mitigation measure to ensure no one is left behind as some cohort 10 fellows could not attend last year due to varying challenges. JAS3 focuses on data presentation, the doctoral dissertation, and scientific writing and communication skills to facilitate results dissemination and policy engagement. In addition to logistics such as visa applications, the fellows discussed submission of research manuscripts which is a prerequisite for attending the seminar given its focus.

FELLOWS NEWS

Appointments and Promotions

Four graduates have been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in our respective African partner universities. Congratulations!

Linda Alinane Nyondo-Mipando

Cohort 2 graduate

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Department of Health Systems and Policy

Enock Chisati

Cohort 7 graduate

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Melvin ‪Ojo Agunbiade

Cohort 3 graduate

Obafemi Awolowo University

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Felix Khuluza

Cohort 5 graduate

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Department of Pharmacy

Godwin Anywar (cohort 6, Makerere University) was appointed to the PLOS ONE Editorial Board. As an academic editor, his role will include overseeing the peer review process from beginning to end, taking responsibility for conducting initial assessments based on the PLOS ONE publication criteria, finding and securing reviewers, evaluating their feedback, making editorial decisions, and communicating decisions to authors. Godwin was also selected as a fellow of the Global Young Academy (GYA) for a period of five years beginning June 2023. GYA develops, connects, and mobilizes young talent from six continents, and empowers young researchers to lead international, interdisciplinary and intergenerational dialogue.

Grand Awards

Godwin Anywar (pictured above) was selected as one of four recipients of this year’s Uganda Textbook Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association (UTANA) Grant Scheme Award to complete and publish his book titled ‘A handbook on medicinal plants and HIV/AIDS’. Read on

Enock Chisati (pictured above) won a research grant worth $322,000 from the Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGF) to conduct research on ‘physical activity trends, fitness levels, health and nutritional status of Malawian primary school children’. The project will run from May 2023 to April 2026. Noting CARTA’s contribution to this milestone, he says, “I am very grateful to CARTA for the Graduate Workshop that I attended in Nairobi, Kenya between November 28 and December 2, 2022. The grant writing skills I obtained from the workshop have enabled me to win this particular grant.”

Presentations and Conferences

Aurore Nishimwe (cohort 7 graduate, University of Rwanda) moderated a session on March 22 on ‘health and life sciences research: past, present, and future perspectives’ during the celebration of 20 years of bilateral research cooperation between Rwanda and Sweden. The event was hosted by the University of Rwanda.



Eniola Cadmus (cohort 7 graduate, University of Ibadan) attended the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) in Kigali, Rwanda from March 5 to 8. The conference brought together researchers, political leaders, innovators, and health workers to discuss relevant issues affecting the continent and the world.

PARTNER NEWS

APAS Cascading Workshop at Moi University

As an outcome of CARTA’s rigorous mainstreaming efforts that have been in momentum since last year, Moi University, Kenya organized a five-day Academic, Professional, and Administrative Staff (APAS) Training of Trainers (ToT) between March 6 - 7. The ToT sought to enable trainees to effectively facilitate APAS workshops in Moi’s campuses/directorates/schools.


CARTA’s APAS intervention seeks to strengthen the capacities and enthusiasm of institutional-based facilitators to implement quality PhD training programs in its partner universities. The ToT was facilitated by Moi University CARTA focal persons, fellows based at the institution, faculty who have previously been trained, and CARTA Program Coordinator, Cavens Kithinji.

PUBLICATIONS

Assessing the knowledge and practices of primary healthcare workers on malaria diagnosis and related challenges in view of COVID-19 outbreak in a Nigerian Southwestern metropolis. PLOS Global Public Health (2023)


Authors: Esther Oluwayemisi Ayandipo, Deborah Babatunde, Oladipo Afolayan, Olabisi Kalejaye, and Taiwo Obembe

Cardiovascular Disease and Its Implication for Higher Catastrophic Health Expenditures Among Households in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research (2023)


Authors: Folashayo Ikenna Peter Adeniji and Taiwo Akinyode Obembe

Health Challenges in Everyday Life of Nigerians in Guangzhou City, China. Journal of International Migration and Integration (2023)


Author: Kudus Adebayo

Knowledge and perspectives in management of common childhood illnesses by caregivers to under-five children in southwestern Nigeria: synopsis of self-medication practices. Cogent Public Health (2023)



Authors: Oluseye Ademola Okunola, Mabayoje Anthony Olaniyi Aluko, and Abdulrahman Azeez Aroke

Knowledge of health workers on cholera management in Oyo State: Results of a training intervention. Annals of Ibadan Postgraduate Medicine (2022)



Authors: O.T. Bankole, G. Abbass, T.A. Obembe and I.O. Ajayi

Prevalence and Correlates of Stunting among Children Aged 6-23 Months from Poor Households in Rwanda. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023)


Authors: Jean de Dieu Habimana, Aline Uwase, Noel Korukire, Sara Jewett, Maryse Umugwaneza, Lawrence Rugema, and Cyprien Munyanshongore

Risk, lifestyle and non-communicable diseases of poverty BMC Global Health (2023)


Authors: Lenore Manderson and Sara Jewett

The infant feeding methods promoted by South African Instagram influencers in relation to crying and sleeping, 2018–2020: a retrospective digital ethnography BMC International Breastfeeding Journal (2023)



Authors: Sukoluhle Pilime and Sara Jewett

The effect of integration of family planning education with infant vaccination visits on the uptake of postpartum family planning in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2023)


Authors: Omotade Ijarotimia, Ibidolapo Ijarotimi, Akaninyene Ubom, Oluwaseun Sowemimo and Ernest Orji







Reads this Month

Starting Tuberculosis Treatment in South Africa: Leaving No One Behind

By Judith Mwansa- published by CARTA Evidence


Risks of Partner Abuse in Ever-Married People in Uganda

By Stephen Wandera - published by CARTA Evidence


Two global health experts say the time is ripe to re-think Gavi’s mission

By Ann Danaiya Usher - published by Development Today

OPPORTUNITIES

Funding: Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators

The Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI) aims to support early-career scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on Least Developed Countries (LDCs). SG-NAPI Grants are awarded to high-level promising research projects in Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Information Computer Technology, Mathematics, Medical Sciences, and Physics carried out by Principal Investigators (PI) in African countries lagging in science and technology identified by TWAS. Research Grants to research units amount to a maximum of USD 67,700. Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI) is fully funded by The German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Details

Deadline: April 4, 2023

Funding: Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action on Climate, Environment, and Health

The purpose of this call is to address an unmet need to promote, mobilize, and establish an inclusive, transdisciplinary funding scheme, through the preservation and celebration of diverse communities, research topics, ecosystems, and creative transformative solutions. One ambitious goal for this CRA will hopefully create a comprehensive culture shift through education, research, service, and advocacy to inspire a world where all animals and humans can thrive — through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science — and by adapting and protecting Earth’s natural systems for generations to come. Details

Status: Opens on April 15 and pre-proposals are due on July 15, 2023

Funding: Applied Global Health (Pre-announcement)

This year, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has split the global health funding call into two: research and partnership to address global health challenges and inequities. Proposals of all sizes, including large research projects and small to medium-scale applications, will be accepted. Interested applicants should note the applied global health funding opportunity is now split into separate ‘research’ and ‘partnership’ outline application processes. Applicants are advised to read both the ‘applied global health research’ funding opportunity and this applied global health partnership’ funding opportunity, before deciding which 1 is the best fit for their application. Details: Research call or partnership call

Status: Opens on May 24 and closes on July 27

Request for Expression of Interest: Sustainable Diagnostic Containment Laboratories

This Expression of Interest (RFEI) is seeking bold ideas that will reinvent the diagnostic laboratory, making it fit-for-purpose in resource-limited contexts globally. These innovative solutions are expected to reimagine the physical laboratory to reduce ongoing operational and maintenance costs and allow sustainable presence of safe and secure handling of high-consequence pathogenic materials, whilst maintaining and/or optimizing core functions of a diagnostic laboratory in low- and middle-income countries. Details

Deadline: April 12, 2023

Call for Applications: Researcher Leadership and Grant Writing Workshop

The UK NIHR-funded IHCoR Consortium is organizing a training workshop on Researcher Leadership and Grant-writing for early career researchers who are working on hypertension and related chronic diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. This workshop will give experiences and skill sets that are required for professional and personal career development in health research. Eligible persons for the workshop include post-doctoral fellows, mid-level clinical researchers, and PhD students. Candidates must be recommended by their line managers/supervisors. Access call here and application form here

Deadline: April 19, 2023

Call for Application: Bellagio Center Residency

The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center has a track record of spurring action and impact to address pressing global challenges. Each year, during an annual open call for applications, we seek candidates from a broad range of fields, areas of practice and expertise, with diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives. The General Open Call Residency is for all practitioners, academics and artists working in any discipline or area of study. Projects can be based on any topic but must demonstrate clear social impact and charitable purpose. Details

Deadline: April 29, 2023

Call for Abstracts: Continuity of Chronic Health Care Among Forcibly Displaced Persons

On 14 September 2023, the University of Copenhagen’s School of Global Health is launching the UCPH Global Health Day - the first in a series of annual symposia about global health challenges. The topic for 2023 is ‘Continuity of chronic health care among forcibly displaced persons’. Abstract submissions are invited from people working on the topic. Ten (10) abstracts will be selected for presentation at the symposium, and additional selections are offered a poster presentation. The 10 selected abstracts will be part of a Special Issue on the topic which is expected to be published by the end of the year. Details

Deadline: May 15, 2023 (CET)

Call for Papers: Ageing and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

The International Journal of Public Health (IJPH) – an independent non-profit society journal of the Swiss School of Public Health, open access, Impact Factor (2021) 5.1 – has launched a special issue/call centered around the three priority areas of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing: older persons and development, advancing health and well-being into old age and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. Original and review articles relevant to the priority areas and the key topics are invited. Details

Deadline: August 31, 2023

Call for Papers: Science to Foster WHO Air Quality Guidelines Values

The International Journal of Public Health (IJPH) – an independent non-profit society journal of the Swiss School of Public Health, open access, Impact Factor (2021) 5.1 welcomes original research, reviews or commentaries on the health effects of air pollution that foster the translation of research to policy and action. Particularly encouraged are submissions of research from low- and middle-income countries that are most heavily affected by air pollution, and typically understudied. Investigations in marginalized communities in high-income countries for evidence-based clean air policy and action will be of major interest too. Details

Deadline: November 2023

Survey on Health Research Prioritization in Africa

Africa CDC is currently developing a continental framework for health research prioritization using an inclusive multi-stakeholder consultative approach. As part of this process, an online survey has been developed targeting research stakeholders. This survey administered in four languages (Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese) is important in shaping and streamlining this framework.


Take the survey: https://tools.africacdc.org/africacdcrc/surveys/?s=YKXW4PAXYFECMKXT


Deadline: April 30, 2023

Disclaimer: 

The opportunities CARTA shares are mostly from external funders. Linking to an external site does not constitute an endorsement by CARTA. For more opportunities, visit our website.

RESOURCES

Research4Life

Research4Life provides institutions in low-and middle-income countries with online access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content. We aim to improve teaching, research and policymaking in health, agriculture, the environment and other life, physical and social sciences. 2023 has started with a big milestone for Research4Life: more than 200,000 resources are now available for access by users in 125+ countries and territories. Explore

Resources from the PERKA International Convening on Higher Education Capacity Enhancement

The Peer Learning for Emerging Researcher’s Knowledge and Advancement (PERKA) held a high-level convening on early career researcher development from 6-7 December 2022 in Cape Town South Africa. PERKA is pleased to share a set of online resources from the event. An online version of the guidelines (designing and implementing impactful post-phd support programs in Africa) is available here, and presentations from the convening are available here. Based on the conversations held during the convening, a Communiqué has been developed which shares key insights and recommendations from the event (available here).

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

To be featured in the next CARTA news and updates, share with us your news and updates via email to cartacomms@cartafrica.org on or before April 25, 2023.


Submissions should include but are not limited to

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.

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