Training in HIV Implementation Science and Dissemination in Kenya

Project Summary/Abstract This training program will develop research capacity in HIV Implementation Science and Dissemination by leveraging a long-standing collaboration between Moi University College of Health Sciences (Moi University School of Public Health [MUSPH] and School of Medicine [MUSM]) in Kenya and the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Consortium, a collaboration of North American and European Universities led by Indiana University. The over-arching aim of this proposal is to create sustainable and collaborative capacity for HIV Implementation Science and Dissemination (HIV-ID) both within academia and at the county-level (equivalent to U.S. states). The primary aim is to build a sustainable educational infrastructure to support training in HIV-ID in western Kenya. This will be achieved by enhancing existing degree programs and supporting establishment of emerging degree programs at MUSPH. The second aim is to expand human resource capacity in HIV-ID that promotes collaboration between academia and county health teams. This will be accomplished by supporting training for 12 masters and two doctoral students, including six masters students representing county health teams. The third aim is to support continuation of trainees in HIV-ID. This will be accomplished by establishing a competitive post-graduate fellowship program to conduct research embedded in county health teams and by training 5 post-graduate fellows within this program. We will build research mentorship capacity at MUCHS by leveraging a collaboratively developed mentorship training program and creating an environment where mentorship modeling and growth is promoted. We will engage county health teams and county governments in the HIV-ID Program to address the vital need for their collaboration with academics in order to tackle challenges within the HIV prevention and care cascades. This will be addressed by strengthening existing relationships with the counties, supporting masters students from the counties, opening program workshops to county health teams, and promoting research projects that engage county health teams. We will promote reciprocal innovation, defined as the bidirectional, co- constituted, and iterative exchange of ideas, resources, and innovations to address shared health challenges across diverse global settings. This will be achieved by supporting collaborative Kenyan and North American trainee mentorship and by creating and supporting a joint learning process for Kenyan and U.S. post-graduate fellows. By strengthening in-country educational infrastructure, expanding local human resource capacity in strategic areas, promoting sustained engagement in research, enhancing mentorship capacity, and supporting research collaboration with county health teams, this training program will build sustainable research capacity for HIV-ID and promote decolonization of global health.