Building capacity in clinical epidemiology in Africa : experiences from Masters programmes
Date
2017-02-27
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: To describe and contrast programmatic offering of Clinical Epidemiology Masters programmes in
Africa, to evaluate experiences of graduates and faculty, and assess if graduates are playing roles in research,
practice and teaching of Clinical Epidemiology.
Methods: We searched and identified relevant programmes, reviewed programmatic documentation, interviewed
convenors and surveyed graduates. Participants provided informed consent, interviews with faculty were recorded
and transcribed for analysis purposes, and graduates participated in an online survey.
Results: Five structured Masters programmes requiring health science professionals to complete modules and
research projects were assessed. Demand for programmes was high. Graduates enjoyed the variety of modules,
preferred blended teaching, and regarded assessments as fair. Graduates felt that career paths were not obvious
after graduating. Despite this, some have gone on to promote and teach evidence-based health care, and conduct
and disseminate research. Areas of concern raised by faculty were quality assurance; research project initiation,
implementation and supervisory capacity; staff availability; funding to support implementation and lack of
experiential learning.
Conclusion: Although faced with challenges, these programmes build capacity of health professionals to practice
in an evidence-informed way, and conduct rigorous research, which are central to advancing the practice of Clinical
Epidemiology in Africa.
Description
CITATION: Young, T., et al. 2017. Building capacity in clinical epidemiology in Africa: experiences from Masters programmes. BMC Medical Education, 17:46, doi:10.1186/s12909-017-0885-4.
The original publication is available at https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Clinical Epidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology -- Study and teaching (Continuing education), Curriculum evaluation -- Africa
Citation
Young, T., et al. 2017. Building capacity in clinical epidemiology in Africa: experiences from Masters programmes. BMC Medical Education, 17:46, doi:10.1186/s12909-017-0885-4.