Browsing by Author "Hyder, Adnan A."

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    Building capacity for injury research: A case study from Uganda
    (Abstracts, 2016) Hyder, Adnan A.; Kobusingye, Olive; Bachani, Abdulgafoor M.; Paichadze, Nino; Bishai, David; Wegener, Stephen; Mbona Tumwesigye, Nazarius; Guwatudde, David; Atuyambe, Lynn; Stevens, Kent A.
    Despite the high burden of injuries, they have largely been overlooked in global health research. One of the reasons for this is that in many developing countries there is limited supply of trained human resources for addressing injury research. Uganda is one such country where two critical gaps in addressing the lifelong consequences of trauma, injuries and disability are the lack of trained human resources and the lack of data. Objectives Through innovative model of sustainable development, the Johns Hopkins University-Makerere University Chronic Consequences of Trauma, Injuries and Disability in Uganda (JHU-MU Chronic TRIAD) program aims to strengthen research capacity on the long-term health and economic consequences of trauma, injuries and disability across the lifespan in Uganda.
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    Evaluating institutional capacity for research ethics in Africa: a case study from Botswana
    (BMC Medical Ethics, 2013) Hyder, Adnan A.; Zafar, Waleed; Ali, Joseph; Ssekubugu, Robert; Ndebele, Paul; Kass, Nancy
    The increase in the volume of research conducted in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), has brought a renewed international focus on processes for ethical conduct of research. Several programs have been initiated to strengthen the capacity for research ethics in LMIC. However, most such programs focus on individual training or development of ethics review committees. The objective of this paper is to present an approach to institutional capacity assessment in research ethics and application of this approach in the form of a case study from an institution in Africa. Methods: We adapted the Octagon model originally used by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to assess an organization along eight domains in research ethics: basic values and identity; structure and organization; ability to carry out activities; relevance of activities to stated goals; capacity of staff and management; administrative, financing and accounting systems; its relations with target groups; and the national context. We used a mixed methods approach to collect empirical data at the University of Botswana from March to December 2010. Results: The overall shape of the external evaluation Octagon suggests that strengths of the University of Botswana are in the areas of structure, relevance, production and identity; while the university still needs more work in the areas of systems of finance, target groups, and environment. The Octagons also show the similarities and discrepancies between the 'external' and 'internal' evaluations and provide an opportunity for exploration of these different assessments. For example, the discrepant score for 'identity' between internal and external evaluations allows for an exploration of what constitutes a strong identity for research ethics at the University of Botswana and how it can be strengthened. Conclusions: There is a general lack of frameworks for evaluating research ethics capacity in LMICs. We presented an approach that stresses evaluation from both internal and external perspectives. This case study highlights the university's rapid progress in developing research ethics capacity and points to some notable areas for improvement. We believe that such an empirically-driven and participatory assessment allows a more holistic measurement and promotion of institutional capacity strengthening for research ethics in LMICs.
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    Research translation to inform national health policies: learning from multiple perspectives in Uganda
    (BMC International Health and Human Rights, 2011) Ssengooba, Freddie; Atuyambe, Lynn; Kiwanuka, Suzanne N.; Puvanachandra, Prasanthi; Glass, Nancy; Hyder, Adnan A.
    Research and evidence can have an impact on policy and practice, resulting in positive outcomes. However, research translation is a complex, dynamic and non-linear process. Although universities in Africa play a major role in generating research evidence, their strategic approaches to influence health policies and decision making are weak. This study was conducted with the aim of understanding the process of translating research into policy in order to guide the strategic direction of Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) and similar institutions in their quest to influence health outcomes nationally and globally. Methods: A case study approach using 30 in-depth interviews with stakeholders involved in two HIV prevention research project was purposively selected. The study sought to analyze the research-to-policy discourses for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and safe male circumcision (SMC). The analysis sought to identify entry points, strengths and challenges for research-to-policy processes by interviewing three major groups of stakeholders in Uganda – researchers (8), policy makers (12) and media practitioners (12). Results: Among the factors that facilitated PMTCT policy uptake and continued implementation were: shared platforms for learning and decision making among stakeholders, implementation pilots to assess feasibility of intervention, the emerging of agencies to undertake operations research and the high visibility of policy benefits to child survival. In contrast, SMC policy processes were stalled for over two years after the findings of the Uganda study was made public. Among other factors, policy makers demanded additional research to assess implementation feasibility of SMC within ordinary health system context. High level leaders also publicly contested the SMC evidence and the underlying values and messages – a situation that reduced the coalition of policy champions. Conclusions: This study shows that effective translation of PMTCT and SMC research results demanded a “360 degree” approach to assembling additional evidence to inform the implementation feasibility for these two HIV prevention interventions. MakCHS and similar institutions should prioritize implementation research to guide the policy processes about the feasibility of implementing new and effective innovations (e.g. PMTCT or SMC) at a large scale in contexts that may be different from the research environments.