Background: Training and mentorship in research skills are essential to developing a critical mass of researchers in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, reporting on the details of such training programs, especially regarding the cost of the training, is limited. Objectives: This paper describes a year-long operational research training and mentorship course in Rwanda, implemented between 2013 and 2017. Approach: We describe motivations for the design of the Intermediate Operational Research Training Course (IORT) across four iterations. We also report outputs, evaluate trainee experiences, and estimate training and mentorship costs. Findings: Of the 132 applicants to the course, 55 (41.7%) were selected, and 53 (96.4%) completed the training. The ratio of female-to-male trainees in the course increased from 1:8 in 2013 to 1:3 in 2017. Trainees developed and co-first-authored 28 research manuscripts, 96.4% (n = 27) of which are published in peer-reviewed journals. For the 15 trainees who completed the post-course evaluation, 93.3% and 86.7% reported improvement in their research and analytical skills, respectively. The median cost per trainee to complete the course was US$908

Introduction Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, are an increasing global health burden. Over 70% of deaths globally are attributed to NCDs, the majority of which occur in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1, 2]. In 2016, NCDs accounted for about 46% premature mortality among the population aged less than 70 years [3]. Within the next decade, Africa is projected to experience the largest relative increase in the population living with NCDs, with NCDs taking over as the leading cause of death [4] Without adequate intervention, the increasing NCD burden will cause additional constraints to health systems that are notably already overstretched and fragile [5]. This fragility is even more pronounced in rural areas where poor case detection, access to care, and documentation of NCDs has led to frequent underestimation and under-prioritization of the endemic burden of NCDs. Despite the increasing NCD burden, most people in LMICs have poor availability and access to the NCD medicines that are crucial for prevention and treatment [6, 7]. In addition, existing evidence indicates that access and availability are disproportionate among the rural population compared to the urban population [8] and public facilities compared to private facilities [9]. Thus, the majority of patients residing in rural Africa and relying on public facilities for health care remain untreated or receive delayed NCD treatment.

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Introduction Community Health Workers (CHW) are a critical resource for outbreak preparedness and response. However, CHWs´ ability to respond to outbreaks depends on their accurate knowledge of the disease and proper adoption of disease prevention practices. We explored knowledge and practices related to outbreaks in general, and COVID-19 among CHWs in Rwanda. Methods this cross-sectional multimethod study used stratified simple random sampling to recruit three cadres of CHWs (agents de santé maternelle, female Binomes, and male Binomes) from three rural Rwandan districts. We used telephone-based data collection to administer quantitative surveys (N=292) and qualitative interviews (N=24) in September 2020. We calculated descriptive statistics and conducted thematic analysis of qualitative data. We assessed for associations between general outbreak-related knowledge and receipt of training using Chi-square tests and between COVID-19 related knowledge and CHW characteristics and adoption of prevention methods using linear regression models. Results only 56.2% of CHWs had received training on any health topic in 12 months prior to COVID-19 pandemic and only 19.2% had specifically received training on outbreak preparedness. Almost all CHWs reported preventing COVID-19 by wearing facemasks (98%), washing hands (95%), and social distancing in crowds (89%) with fewer reporting staying at home (50%), sneezing or coughing into an elbow (38%) or using hand sanitizer (18%). Almost all CHWs in our study knew that COVID-19 transmits through respiratory droplets (98%) and by infected surfaces (98%) and that asymptomatic spread is possible (91%). However, fewer than half of community health workers correctly affirmed that children were at low risk of becoming severely ill (48%) and only 32% correctly rejected the misconception that everyone with COVID-19 would become severely ill. There was no association between COVID-19-related knowledge and adoption of COVID-19 preventative practices. Qualitative findings suggested that while CHWs possessed lots of correct information about COVID-19 and reported good adherence to COVID-19 prevention practices, they also commonly held misconceptions that over-exaggerated the dangers of COVID-19. Conclusion gaps in knowledge, training, and access to information point to a need for additional investment in supervision and credible informational systems to support CHWs.