DESCRIPTION OF THE TRAINING COURSE
The aim of this brief course is to train the next generation of medical researchers in Cameroon on the fundamentals of medical research with focus on research protocol, study designs including observational cohort studies and clinical trials. Emphasis will be laid on how to write a scientific research paper. The program will also cover key ethical aspects, regulatory and legal requirements of conducting research involving human subjects in Cameroon. This course is designed by the CAM-HERO consortium and supported by outstanding international HIV/AIDS researchers.
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
Upon completion of this training program, trainees will be able to:
- Formulate a good research question.
- Describe commonly used observational and experimental epidemiology study designs.
- Describe the basic biostatistical methods that are commonly used for observational studies.
TRAINING PROGRAM PREREQUISITES
- Applicants must demonstrate an interest in medical research with priority given to those in HIV/AIDS research.
- Pre-training in human subjects research ethics compliance (GCP) with certification is an advantage.
COURSE MATERIALS, COMPUTING AND SOFTWARE
- Your project (Research protocol or at minimum a research question and its design)
- A computer
- A statistical software
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
English is the language of instruction but French will be used when necessary to facilitate understanding for French-speaking trainees. Instantaneous translation services of English language discussions will not be provided but summaries in French will be made when necessary.
TRAINING PROGRAM EVALUATION METRICS
- Quizzes or other graded assessments
- Self-report (pre vs. post – 5 Likert scale questions)
- Self and team research productivity 1 year after the conclusion of the training. Each trainee who completes the training will receive a certificate of completion and will be contacted next year before CAM=HERO 2023 to assess scientific productivity.
Course fee: FREE
Very limited places are available.
PROFILE OF TRAINERS
Prof. Anne Cécile Bissek
Prof Anne-Cécile ZOUNG-KANYI BISSEK is a full Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the Yaounde Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon. She is the former President of the Cameroon Society of Dermatology and President of the Cameroon Wound Care Society. She is the Coordinator of the Cameroon South Site of the French Agency for Research on AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Emergent Infectious Diseases. As the current Head of the Division of Operational Health Research at the Ministry of Public Health, she has been very innovative in improving health policy research in Cameroon, with special focus in HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. She has published around 50 scientific papers, a book chapter and supervised over 40 MD thesis and 05 masters.
Dr. Appolinaire (Appolo) Tiam
Dr. Tiam is the Vice-President of Technical Strategies and Innovation at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) and oversees implementation of technical leadership, innovation and new technology, program optimization and external technical assistance. He is a recognized HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis expert with demonstrated experience managing the technical implementation of integrated HIV/AIDS, TB and other infectious disease service delivery projects. He is Principal investigator on several studies across Africa. He has published and presented his work internationally.
Prof. Friedrich Thienemann
Prof. Thienemann undertook his post-graduate training in internal medicine, infectious diseases, tropical medicine and global health at Charité University Hospital Berlin and the University of Cape Town. In 2019, Friedrich Thienemann established the research group General Medicine & Global Health (GMGH) with two sites, at the University of Zurich and the Cape Heart Institute of the University of Cape Town. His work is on optimising the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, understanding the intersection of infectious and cardiovascular disease and the role of molecular imaging in infective lung disease. He lives between Zurich and Cape Town.
Dr. Patrice Tchendjou
Dr Patrice Tchendjou is currently Country Director of Cameroon programs at Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). He is a medical doctor and epidemiologist with 18 years of experience in global health sector; with high focus on PMTCT, HIV/TB among children and adults; management of pandemic in low resource settings. He is holder of MD degree from FMSB-UYI in Cameroon; He is also holder of PhD degree in Public Health (option Epidemiology) from ISPED-France. He has been Principal Investigators of several studies and has authored and co-authored over 30 scientific papers indexed in Pub Med and wrote chapiters of books in the HIV/AIDS.
Prof. Andre Pascal Kengne
Prof Andre Pascal Kengne is a scientist and medical doctor with a speciality in internal medicine. He received his basic and specialist training from the School of Medicine of Yaounde 1 University in Cameroon. He then completed a PhD in Medicine with major concentration on cardiovascular epidemiology and prevention, from the School of Medicine and George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney, in Australia in 2009. He is the Director of the NCD unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). He holds conjoint appointments as Professor at the Department of the Department of Medicine of the University of Cape Town, and Extraordinary Professor at the Department of Global Health of the Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Prof. Anastase Dzudie
Prof. Anastase Dzudie is a cardiologist and heart rhythm specialist working at the Douala General Hospital, Cameroon. He co-founded the Clinical Research Education Networking and Consultancy and he is the PI for several studies including the Cameroon IeDEA study. He holds a PhD in cardiovascular medicine and an Accreditation to Supervise Research. He is the Central and West Africa chair of the Pan African Society of Cardiology task force on clinical research and holds credits for scientific contribution in several international expert groups including the Lancet commission on Sudden Cardiac Death. He is the clinical editor and editorial board member of several international journals. He has published over to 200 papers and co-authored several book chapters.