Research training for capacity strengthening
Making an impact
A growing demand for implementation research training inspired TDR to develop a range of training options in collaboration with research partners in low- and middle-income countries. We aim to strengthen the capacity of people, institutions and societies to produce research evidence that is useful for reducing the burden of infectious diseases of poverty. Partner universities and training institutions in low- and middle-income countries are critical to jointly achieving this goal.
An innovative training model
“TDR has revolutionized research capacity building by co-creating training models with institutions in low- and middle-income countries and identifying the best training partners through a competitive selection process. We are seeing a snowball effect where we, as a training hub in South-East Asia, have enabled other institutions in the region to access and offer TDR’s gold standard research training tools. We are also learning from our counterparts in other regions of the world, where materials are adapted to different contexts and audiences. Together with TDR, we are building a global community of practice in implementation research, which inspires me every day.”
– Dr Yodi Mahendradhata, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
From short training courses implemented by Regional Training Centres, to fully accredited programmes in the TDR Postgraduate Training Scheme, developed in partnership with eight universities, this training goes beyond academic researchers and includes those working in the community and in implementation programmes, as well as decision- and policy-makers.
Strengthening institutional capacity to deliver research training
In addition to strengthening research capacity of individual researchers, TDR is committed to building the capacity of research institutions in low- and middle-income countries that develop and disseminate implementation research training materials to health professionals and researchers. TDR will continue to strengthen the capacity of training institutions by:
- Supporting the Postgraduate Training Scheme and Regional Training Centres
- Developing regional networks of training institutions
- Strengthening links between learners and local institutions through information sharing on trainings on implementation research or other health policy and systems research (through the TDR Global platform and activities)
Over time, TDR has moved most of its training to institutions in low- and middle-income countries. This not only sets the training in an appropriate context, it allows the institutions to build strength and sustainability beyond TDR-sponsored students. Train-the-trainer workshops also allow for the adaptation of TDR’s training materials to address region- and country-specific needs and networking among institutions.
Regional Training Centres directly supported by TDR
Our approaches to training
We aim to strengthen research capacity and to create health research leaders in low- and middle-income countries using the following training approaches:
• Flagship implementation research training courses – Over the years, TDR, in collaboration with partners, has developed a suite of flagship training courses relevant to implementation research, aimed at improving access to, and delivery of, public health strategies and interventions. The objective and target audience for each course are detailed below. These courses are co-developed, managed and disseminated by Regional Training Centres that have been identified as leading research and training organizations through a competitive selection process. Many have been produced in multiple languages, benefitting thousands of scientists across the world.
• The Postgraduate Training Scheme – This scheme provides a full academic scholarship for master’s degree training focused on implementation research, in collaboration with competitively selected universities located in low- and middle- income countries. The scheme has built cadres of skilled professionals in infectious diseases of poverty across Africa, Asia and Latin America who have become influential figures in research and public health. The partner universities have also collaborated to co-develop a standardized curriculum on implementation research.
• Clinical Research Leadership programme – Complementing our training programmes focused on implementation research, TDR’s Clinical Research Leadership programme aims to develop internationally recognized clinical research leaders in low- and middle-income countries. The programme builds on the success of the Clinical Research and Development Fellowship programme, which ran between 1998 and 2021, developing some outstanding leaders in their field. The partner universities have also collaborated to co-develop a standardized curriculum on implementation research.
The Clinical Research Leadership programme: Developing leadership in clinical research in low- and middle-income countries
LYDA OSORIO
• Former TDR fellow who advised the state government of Valle del Cauca in Colombia on COVID-19 response strategies and public outreach
• Described by Colombia’s El País newspaper as “one of the people who knows the most about the behavior of the coronavirus in Cali”
Fellowship programme’s 3-year cycle
• The Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) – SORT IT is a global partnership coordinated by TDR and implemented in low- and middle-income countries. SORT IT supports countries and institutions to conduct operational research on national priorities, build sustainable operational research capacity and make evidence-informed decisions for improving programme performance. It targets implementers using their own routinely collected data to solve problems they face and improve the programmes they manage.
Strengthening research communication skills to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Sierra Leone
Recently, TDR and SORT IT partners developed a new training module on research communication to bridge the gap between researchers and decision-makers. Amara Leno applied this training to communicate findings from his study on antimicrobial use in livestock in Sierra Leone. The study documented incomplete reporting and insufficient resources to collect surveillance data. After being presented with these findings, the Ministry of Livestock and the Food and Agriculture Organization mandated country-wide weekly reporting, conducted trainings on data collection and provided computer tablets and motorbikes to livestock officers. A year later a second study assessed the impact of these actions and found the percentage of districts reporting data increased from 3% to 100%, and report completeness from 1% to 88%.
• Strengthening capacity in communities outside academia – We will work at the forefront of democratizing research and building local capacity for communities and social innovators so that they engage and directly contribute to open science, while maximizing the impact of grassroots innovations. We will do this through innovative hubs that bring together communities and their innovators with academia, governments, funders and entrepreneurs. Research skills will help the innovators evaluate and scale up their programmes to reach their full potential.
Implementation research on social innovation improves access to health services in rural Malawi
CHALLENGE:
In remote and rural communities, distance often prevents people from seeking health care when they need it.
SOLUTION:
Health Centre by Phone – a toll-free hotline where callers can speak with trained health workers.
EVIDENCE TO POLICY IMPACT:
Evidence from research on Health Centre by Phone prompted Malawi’s Ministry of Health to finance and integrate the innovation in the health system.
• Fostering mentorship and collaborative science – We will take advantage of the wealth of expertise in our global community of trainees, grantees and experts to bridge the generational gap and ensure that young scientists can build on the wealth of knowledge and wisdom of their experienced colleagues. Using the TDR Global platform, we will promote and support career development that nurtures research impact, by leveraging recognized expertise in our networks to strengthen individual scientists and institutional capacity, while also addressing important aspects of equity in health and education.
Our inclusive, gender-responsive approach to capacity strengthening
TDR is committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity in science as essential approaches to achieving universal health coverage. We encourage researchers to participate in our training programmes, irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious, cultural and social backgrounds, or (dis)ability status. For our Clinical Research Leadership programme, a flexible placement can be arranged for candidates with young families, including a mix of remote and on-site training at the home institution with intensive and well-structured mentoring. In addition, to support women with professional and personal challenges linked to this fellowship and how to overcome them, TDR has made previous women fellows available as mentors. Following efforts to encourage more applications from women, in the 2020–2021 application round, 55% of the selected fellows were women.