Transitioning to a National Infectious Diseases Institute in Tanzania

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Tanzania despite access to highly active antiretroviral therapy, and tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death among people with HIV in Tanzania and worldwide. The Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital (KIDH) in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania began as a specialized care center for people with HIV, TB, and other complicated infectious diseases, yet is rapidly transitioning to a National Infectious Diseases Institute (NIDI). Research administrative capacity at KIDH/NIDI has not kept pace with the rapid increase in new laboratory and clinical research facilities, total HIV/TB and other infectious diseases research funding, and new affiliated investigators including through an active Fogarty International Center D43 for training Tanzanian postdoctoral scientists in research leadership. Following a formal needs assessment, two core areas were identified to best capacitate KIDH/NIDI in its transition to a national infectious diseases institute: 1) development of a multidivisional research administration office (pre-award, finance/compliance, post-award) and 2) creation of a self-sustaining training program to improve the efficiency and efficacy of research administration for KIDH/NIDI practices and later training of local and regional partnered organizations. To accomplish this, KIDH/NIDI will leverage long-standing partnerships with the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, a “near-peer” organization with experienced staff capable of local mentorship, and the University of Virginia which has successfully administered multiple NIH / Fogarty International Center Training programs including a G11 for HIV research administration in another East African setting. Research administrative trainees (one new hire for each track) will undergo general and then specialized training within a track (pre-award, finance/compliance, post-award). Metrics of training success differ for each track, and individual trainee and overall programmatic achievement will be assessed by mentors, programmatic leadership, and a Training Advisory Committee composed of experienced HIV scientists and research administrators working in Tanzania and with prior G11 participation. In addition to improving KIDH/NIDI’s administrative capacity to increase the total number of awards submitted, the prime awards to KIDH/NIDI, the number of awards submitted by junior investigators, and the overall range of the HIV and local infectious diseases research portfolio, KIDH/NIDI is uniquely positioned to test the transferability of the research administrative toolkit developed within this training program to one or more of the 14 other Sub-Saharan African institutes in the PanACEA clinical research consortium that KIDH/NIDI serves as secretariat.