Building capacity for Global Infectious Disease Research Training in Schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa - Program abstract This is an application for a two-year planning grant to build capacity for an international advanced research training in schistosomiasis in Uganda. The high burden of schistosomiasis in Uganda persists since the 1950’s Over 50% of the Ugandan population is at risk of exposure to Schistosoma species and its complications of fatal upper gastro-intestinal bleeding among adults. Gaps in control of schistosomiasis remain due to limited number of scientists with capacity to conduct advanced research and training focused on schistosomiasis epidemiology, vector biology, immunology, vaccinology, therapeutics, genomics, computational biology to model the schistosomiasis transmission, data science and artificial intelligence to model population behavior and other predictors of disease severity, as well as local development and production of effective vaccine candidates, and the application of locally generated data to inform relevant interventions for disease surveillance and control interventions in the affected communities. We propose to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of the existing research and training capacity for schistosomiasis at Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) and the collaborating institutions in Uganda (Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI, the Ministry of Vector Control Division in charge of schistosomiasis and other medical schools in the country). Findings from the needs assessment will be used to develop of an innovative research training and career enhancement program to strengthen capacity of scientists and health research professionals to conduct independent, multi-disciplinary research in schistosomiasis. During the two-year planning period we will hold multiple stakeholder engagements and identify the research training resources, local and international faculty, scientific environment contributions and administrative processes needed to undertake a schistosomiasis research training program. We will establish a strong executive committee to oversee the design and preparation of advanced scientific didactic and methodology courses (physical and virtual) and research training resources for schistosomiasis epidemiology, disease management, prevention, and control. We will also establish an international multi- disciplinary training advisory committee that will meet quarterly to guide and monitor the progress of the planning process against the set goals and milestones. The proposed planning grant will build on existing infection and immunity research training partnerships between MakCHS and UVRI, and long-standing research training collaborations with our US partners (John Hopkins University and University of Washington). We will reach out for new collaborations that may be required locally and abroad to establish a wholistic, multi-disciplinary network of scientists with an effective organizational structure that will support the envisioned research training program, and resultant collaborative five-year training program (D43) application for better control schistosomiasis in Uganda. 1
