About CAM-HERO
Since the beginning of the epidemic, HIV infection has been the target of research efforts in a variety of domains. These endeavors allowed great progress in the fields of basic sciences, clinical care, treatment, social sciences and much more.
The knowledge and experiences acquired through research in HIV supported advances in other fields and changed the approach to research, making it more inclusive and multidisciplinary.
Health research is more effective when its implementation is well planned, coordinated, and synergic. Poor planning, collaboration and coordination in research may lead to several inconveniences including a waste of resources, duplication of efforts, and misplaced/mismatched research priorities that do not align with national and international priorities.
Currently, a number of HIV research groups are active in Cameroon and produce high quality results given their standard of publications in virological, epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic or social sciences. Although most work in collaboration with the Cameroon Ministry of Health, little has been done so far to encourage and support them to work more collaboratively and synergistically to meet the most pressing research needs of the country. Bringing HIV researchers and research institutions together would facilitate the sharing of findings, the identification of areas of potential collaboration, where they can help the ministry of health meet her urgent need for scientific evidence within the limit of their respective capacities.
Aim
CAM-HERO aims to improve and optimize the pertinence, performance, and impact on decision making of HIV research in Cameroon
SPECIFIC GOALS
Dissemination of research findings and facilitate translation into policy
- Share HIV research findings in a national forum.
- Share with policy makers our research findings and implications for HIV research, care and policy
- Share our research plans and ensure its alignment with national HIV research priorities
Operational research collaboration
- Facilitate collaboration among research organizations, including mutuallization of research infrastructures when and wherever possible to accelerate implementation of collaborative research
- Minimize research implementation cost while maximizing research data resources through effective collaboration.
Capacity building
- Create a research environment that increase the competitiveness of research application form Cameroon for international fundings.
- Facilitate linkage of junior investigators interested in HIV with potential mentors while offering them the possibility to leverage the existing research infrastructure of CAM-HERO members for their own research
- Serve as a more or less formal platform to support and mentor junior investigators
Identification of new research questions
- Improve collaboration with the Ministry of Health in the identification and answering of new HIV research priority questions
- Share information on research grants and coordinate joint applications whenever possible
PARTNERS
