Establishing a postgraduate programme in nutritional epidemiology to strengthen resource capacity, academic leadership and research in the democratic republic of Congo

Abstract

Background Low- and Middle-income countries (LMIC) face considerable health and nutrition challenges, many of which can be addressed through strong academic leadership and robust research translated into evidence-based practice. A North-South-South partnership between three universities was established to implement a master’s programme in nutritional epidemiology at the Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The partnership aimed to develop academic leadership and research capacity in the field of nutrition in the DRC. In this article we describe the educational approach and processes used, and discuss successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Methods Self-administered questionnaires, which included both open and closed questions, were sent to all graduates and students on the master’s programme to explore students’ experiences and perceptions of all aspects of the educational programme. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies, and a thematic approach was used to analyse responses to open-ended questions. Results A two-year master’s programme in Nutritional Epidemiology was established in 2014, and 40 students had graduated by 2020. Key elements included using principles of authentic learning, deployment of students for an internship at a rural residential research site, and support of selected students with bursaries. Academic staff from all partner universities participated in teaching and research supervision. The curriculum and teaching approach were well received by most students, although a number of challenges were identified. Most students reported benefits from the rural internship experience but were challenged by the isolation of the rural site, and felt unsupported by their supervisors, undermining students’ experiences and potentially the quality of the research. Financial barriers were also reported as challenges by students, even among those who received bursaries. Conclusion The partnership was successful in establishing a Master Programme in Nutritional Epidemiology increasing the number of nutrition researchers in the DRC. This approach could be used in other LMIC settings to address health and nutrition challenges.

Challenges for research uptake for health policymaking and practice in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

“…Untrained human resources (53,54,105) , lack of research capacity portfolios (83) , low capacity to produce and use evidence (77) , and limited researchers' knowledge about research funding (73,84,108,131) , have all in uenced health evidence to policy translation. Extensive capacity building, at the individual and organisational level (47,52,58,63,76,77,79,84,103,110,111,122,123,142,146,149,152,156) , for skilled human resource for research development (46,47,97,104,105,112,131,144,149) through in-service training (77,78,82,104,105,138) is urgently required to improve use of research evidence. Funders need strong technical skills from researchers and integrated evidence translation (33,102,147) .…”

“…Poor inter-sectoral collaboration (43-45, 121, 125, 133) among public health researchers and political scientists working on international development has remained a challenge to evidence uptake. Networking and collaboration are robust approaches to enhance professional transformation (77,93) , stakeholder buy-in (69) , opportunities for transparency and communication (123,146,156) , partnerships (47,86,109,114) , and community participation in implementation (87,114,115,130,149) . Strong collaboration creates a good relationship between researchers, funders and policymakers (41,48,84,85,104) , and enhance health innovation in LMIC (111) .…”

“…Health research uptake for policymaking and practice has suffered from low awareness, and misconceptions among evidence users (52,54,63,93,96,104,105,113,130,131,139) . Research and translation mentorship (47,52,54,56,57,63,73,75,97,103,144,156) and supportive supervision (56,57,75) play key roles in identifying potential evidence for policy.…”

Achieving a Robust Mentoring and Research Capacity Program in a LMIC – The BRAINS Faculty Development Model

“…Our nding is in consonance with reports of previous program evaluations from other LMIC reporting individual level research training outcomes namely publications/dissemination of study results, conference presentations and successful grant applications. [16][17][18][19][20] One of the pivots of this program was mentorship from local and international specialists. Each of the mentors contributed richly to the project and improved both the capacity of junior researchers and the research environment through the introduction of skills, expertise, use of facilities & laboratory and diverse work cultures.…”

‘I am not only beneficial to the community but to the entire country, I am trained as a researcher now’: Developing health research skills in low-income countries

“…For the research, all students had a primary supervisor in DRC and a co-supervisor from a partner institution. The nutritional epidemiology training programme for master's students is described in more detail elsewhere (Ali et al, 2021).…”