Output from the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network international postdoctoral fellowship for capacity building in HIV clinical trials

• Published in: HIV/AIDS (Auckland) Vol. 10; pp. 151 - 155
• Main Authors: Mbuagbaw, Lawrence, Slogrove, Amy L, Sas, Jacqueline, Lengwe Kunda, John, Morfaw, Frederick, Mukonzo, Jackson K, Cao, Wei, Ngomba-Kadima, Gisele, Zunza, Moleen, Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre, Nana, Philip N, Cockcroft, Anne, Andersson, Neil, Sewankambo, Nelson, Cotton, Mark F, Li, Taisheng, Young, Taryn, Singer, Joel, Routy, Jean-Pierre, Ross, Colin Jd, Thin, Kyaw, Thabane, Lehana, Anis, Aslam H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Antiretroviral agents; Author productivity; capacity building; CIHR CTN; Clinical trials; Co authorship; Collaboration; Control; Disease; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Epidemics; Health sciences; Health services; HIV; HIV infections; Hospitals; Human immunodeficiency virus; International; Managers; Medical research; networking; postdoctoral fellowship; Production management; Research funding; Research institutes; Research methodology; Researchers; Risk factors; Scholarships & fellowships; Supervisors; Sustainable development; SWOT analysis; Training; Workshops (Educational programs); Canada; Cameroon; Botswana; China; Africa; Montreal Quebec Canada; South Africa; Uganda; Zambia; Lesotho; clinical trials; networking; CTN; capacity building; postdoctoral fellowship
• ISSN: 1179-1373; 1179-1373
• DOI: 10.2147/HIV.S150107

As a response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and part of Canadian Institutes for Health Research's mandate to support international health research capacity building, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Canadian HIV Trial Network (CTN) developed an international postdoctoral fellowship award under the CTN's Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program to support and train young HIV researchers in resource-limited settings. Since 2010, the fellowship has been awarded to eight fellows in Cameroon, China, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. These fellows have conducted research on a wide variety of topics and have built a strong network of collaboration and scientific productivity, with 40 peer-reviewed publications produced by six fellows during their fellowships. They delivered two workshops at international conferences and have continued to secure funding for their research, using the fellowship as a stepping stone. The CTN has been successful in building local HIV research capacity and forming a strong network of like-minded junior low- and middle-income country researchers with high levels of research productivity. They have developed into mentors, supervisors and faculty members, who, in turn, build local capacity. The sustainability of this international fellowship award relies on the recognition of its strengths and the involvement of other stakeholders for additional resources.