Creating the opportunity for high-burden countries to locally support, design, and conduct TB research aligned with national priorities, SMART4TB has launched the Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Training and Mentorship Program, which aims to train and support researchers early in their career to develop, implement, and lead their own studies. The program has four sequential phases: core training, research proposal development, study implementation, and publication and results dissemination.
Capacity Strengthening
Robert Bollinger
Johns Hopkins University
Andy Ruff
Johns Hopkins University
Lisa Chen
University of California, San Francisco
Philip Hopewell
University of California, San Francisco
Degu Dare
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
Mary Talalay
Johns Hopkins University
Louise Walshe
Johns Hopkins University
Activities
In SMART4TB’s first year, a cohort of 40 ESIs were recruited from five USAID-approved national TB programs and implementation partners. In the second year, a second cohort is being recruited. These ESI participate in phase I, consisting of a three-month, structured online curriculum with topics such as study design, data analysis, and creating a budget. Select candidates move forward to phase II, a six-month, structured and mentored training curriculum including an Epidemiology of Tuberculosis course and a Scientific Writing Workshop, where they develop and submit an independent research project proposal to a potential funder/sponsor.
Collaborations
Capacity strengthening partners include USAID country missions and National TB programs.