MRC International Statistics & Epidemiology Partnership (ISEP): Strengthening capacity in applied medical statisticians in sub-Saharan Africa

MRC国际统计

• 批准号: MR/X019888/1
• 负责人: Helen Weiss
• 金额: $ 336.87万
• 依托单位: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FX019888%2F1
• 关键词: MRC; International; Statistics; Epidemiology; Partnership

There is an increased demand for expertise in medical statistics and epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Demand currently exceeds supply due to both a long-standing shortage of trained and experienced statisticians and the ongoing explosion of data relevant and important to human health. This includes both traditional sources of data, such as observational epidemiological studies, intervention trials and surveillance data, and new large-scale data sources including social media, geospatial data, mobile phones, wearable technology, electronic medical records, bioimaging, and genomics. The proposed MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Partnership (ISEP) will seek to address the shortage in capacity by creating a partnership between applied statisticians ("ISEP statisticians") at several institutions in SSA: African Population Health Research Centre (APHRC), Kenya; The Health Research Unit, Zimbabwe (THRU-ZIM); Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU), Tanzania; MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit; MRC Unit The Gambia; Zambart, Zambia; the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, UK.The Partnership complements existing initiatives for strengthening capacity for medical statistics in SSA which focus either on formal training at MSc and PhD levels, or on bilateral partnerships between one Northern and one African institute. We specifically address the needs of early-to-mid career applied medical statisticians who lack career and skills development opportunities, and report isolation which can lead to poor job satisfaction and retention.The Partnership will improve i) The skill set of medical statisticians by focusing on a) peer-support through an online platform, monthly meetings and periodic theme-specific meetings, exchange visits of ISEP statisticians between partner institutions, sharing of resources used by working statisticians such as statistical analysis plans, and facilitating new joint grant applications; b) training in technical and transferrable skills including management training and skills training specific to the needs of working statisticians such as being on a Data Safety and Monitoring Board; and c) creation of a pilot mentorship scheme including training workshops for mentors and ISEP mentees using LSHTM materials, matching and evaluationii) Training in medical statistics and epidemiology, led by ISEP statisticians, for students and non-statisticians through a) a two-year MSc Medical Statistics Fellowship scheme, b) short course delivery by developing and implementing a package of training resources in statistics, c) training of trainers to deliver short courses, d) PhD supervision.iii) Stakeholder engagement with a) Directors of ISEP partner institutes to reinforce the benefits of statistical leadership at research institutes both for specific projects and to raise the quality of all quantitative research undertaken, and the need for adequate value and funding for statisticians; b) Directors of relevant BSc/MSc programmes at local Universities and African Institute of Mathematical Sciences to raise awareness of medical statistics as a career among young mathematicians and statisticians; c) policy makers to raise awareness of the role of data to guide public health policy and the importance of training and research support and d) youth to encourage consideration of careers in health research and data analysis by visiting schools and universitiesThrough these activities, we aim to create a sustainable network of trained, confident, experienced statisticians in SSA. This will contribute to a culture change in the perception of statisticians and their role in epidemiological research along with complementary initiatives, with an immediate and longer-term impact on the quality of research conducted.

撒哈拉以南非洲 (SSA) 对医学统计和流行病学专业知识的需求不断增加。由于长期缺乏训练有素、经验丰富的统计学家，以及与人类健康相关且重要的数据不断激增，目前供不应求。这既包括传统的数据源，如观察性流行病学研究、干预试验和监测数据，也包括新的大规模数据源，包括社交媒体、地理空间数据、移动电话、可穿戴技术、电子病历、生物成像和基因组学。拟议的 MRC 国际统计和流行病学伙伴关系 (ISEP) 将通过在 SSA 多个机构的应用统计学家（“ISEP 统计学家”）之间建立伙伴关系来解决能力短缺问题：肯尼亚非洲人口健康研究中心 (APHRC)；津巴布韦健康研究中心 (THRU-ZIM)；姆万扎干预试验中心 (MITU)，坦桑尼亚； MRC/UVRI 和 LSHTM 乌干达研究单位； MRC 单位 冈比亚；赞比亚赞巴特；伦敦卫生与热带医学学院 (LSHTM) 和英国 MRC 临床试验单位。该伙伴关系补充了加强 SSA 医学统计能力的现有举措，这些举措要么侧重于理学硕士和博士级别的正式培训，要么侧重于一个北方研究所和一个非洲研究所。我们专门解决缺乏职业和技能发展机会的早期到中期职业应用医学统计学家的需求，并报告孤立可能导致工作满意度差和保留率低。该伙伴关系将通过关注改善 i) 医学统计学家的技能组合a) 通过在线平台、每月会议和定期专题会议、合作机构之间 ISEP 统计员互访、共享工作统计员使用的资源（例如统计分析计划）以及促进新的联合赠款申请等方式提供同行支持； b) 技术和可转移技能培训，包括针对统计工作人员需求（例如数据安全和监测委员会成员）的管理培训和技能培训； c) 创建试点导师计划，包括使用 LSHTM 材料为导师和 ISEP 受训者举办培训讲习班、匹配和评估ii) 由 ISEP 统计学家领导，通过 a) 为期两年的计划，为学生和非统计学家提供医学统计学和流行病学培训医学统计学硕士奖学金计划，b) 通过开发和实施一揽子统计培训资源来提供短期课程，c) 培训培训师提供短期课程，d) 博士生监督。iii) 利益相关者参与a) ISEP伙伴机构的负责人要加强研究机构统计领导力对具体项目和提高所有定量研究的质量的好处，以及对统计学家提供足够的价值和资金的需求； b) 当地大学和非洲数学科学研究所相关学士/理学硕士项目的负责人，以提高年轻数学家和统计学家对医学统计作为职业的认识； c) 政策制定者提高对数据在指导公共卫生政策中的作用以及培训和研究支持重要性的认识； d) 青年通过访问学校和大学来鼓励考虑从事健康研究和数据分析职业 通过这些活动，我们的目标在 SSA 建立一个由训练有素、自信、经验丰富的统计人员组成的可持续网络。这将有助于改变统计学家的观念及其在流行病学研究中的作用以及补充举措，对所进行的研究质量产生直接和长期的影响。