Wednesday 11 November 2015

CARTA’s co-director awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Gothenburg

Prof. Sharon Fonn, the co-director for the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, which is one of the participating institutions in CARTA. This honorary doctorate was awarded courtesy of her collaboration with Sahlgrenska Academy; her work with CARTA; and the immense contribution of her research to the public healthcare system. The honorary doctorate was conferred at a ceremony in Gothenburg on October 16, 2015.

Honorary doctorates are awarded each year at Sahlgrenska Academy to those who have played a key role in the academy's research or education, or who have otherwise promoted progress in one of its focus areas.

Prof. Sharon Fonn being conferred the degree. Photo by Johan Wingborg
“It seems inconceivable to me when given such an honor, not to ask why me?  So why would the University of Gothenburg honor me in this way?” said Prof. Fonn.

In her speech while receiving the award, Prof. Fonn talked about her work during the apartheid in South Africa, her research on integrating and strengthening health care systems, as well as about being a member of the team that initiated the CARTA program. She further noted that she shares the fundamental values of the University of Gothenburg - values that led to a fruitful cooperation and also to her appointment for the award of an honorary doctorate at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

“I knew for me that being a doctor was a means to an end and not an end in itself; it was for me a way of redressing structural disadvantage at the population level.  Structural disadvantage is a profound force and engaging in efforts to redress disadvantage and inequality can be one’s life’s work. For those of us who make this part of our work, we are enormously privileged to do so. Being able to make a difference is tremendously rewarding and I can recommend it to anyone.  It has become one of my core values and one that I share with those that I work with at the University of Gothenburg” said Prof. Fonn.

“We must focus on people, not diseases. The entire health system must be strengthened in order for it to work and be able to respond to future outbreaks of serious diseases such as Ebola,” she said adding, “You understand the impact of structural inequality and that doing something to redress structural inequality is fulfilling and mutually beneficial. While you honor me so highly today with this honorary doctorate I want to stop and honor you for your commitment and action in promoting a more equal academic world and partnering with us in Africa.”


Prof. Fonn’s research has been greatly focused on the integration of health systems. She believes in interventions and actions targeting individuals rather than specific diseases, such as HIV because these prioritize the disease alone and has zero benefits to the health system as a whole.

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Joint Advanced Seminar 2 for Cohort 5 fellows kicks off at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

The residential Joint Advanced Seminar (JAS) 2 for the fifth cohort of CARTA fellows kicked off on November 2, 2015, at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. 25 fellows from cohort 5 are attending the JAS which ends on November 26, 2015. University of Witwatersrand’s, School of Public Health is hosting the four-week long seminar.

“JAS 2 marks a critical step in the training of our fellows. At this JAS, fellows are equipped with necessary skills for developing their protocols. This ensures they move faster in the journey towards attaining their PhDs,” said Prof. Sharon Fonn while welcoming the fellows to JAS 2. Sharon is a Professor and head of the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand and CARTA’s co-director. The one-month long seminar focuses on data management and analysis.

Cohort 5 fellows during a break at JAS 2
"JAS 2 kicked off to a beautiful and energetic start. The general mood here is one of optimism and excitement among the Cohort 5 fellows. Profs. Sharon Fonn and Margaret Thorogood effortlessly helped us to settle in. We are excited to see this JAS to a pleasant end," said Raymond Felix Odokonyero, cohort 5 fellows’ President. He is pursuing his doctoral studies at Makerere University, Uganda.

During JAS 2, fellows are exposed to software packages for qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis. It also has several practice sessions which use real research data and current software packages to offer hands-on training to enhance grasp of knowledge by the fellows. There are also regular methodology clinics (one-on-one meetings between fellows and their supervisors) designed to respond to individual needs of fellows and to strengthen specific areas where they feel deficient or simply to address specific challenges they are facing in their research.

Fellows are also introduced to journal clubs during this JAS and each of them has a chance to run a session observed and evaluated by a JAS Facilitator. These journal clubs allow fellows to become familiar with how to participate in and organize a journal club; develop their ability to critically read and discuss a paper; learn how to present an overview of a journal article, and acquire skills in peer review and discussion.

"JAS 2 has started very well and we feel at home here in Wits. The first week was structured in a clinical setting where we met facilitators for diagnosis of the specific problems we are facing during our protocol development process. It is through this diagnosis that we were assigned clinics for "treatment" purpose. Going through this treatment is something I look forward to in the next few weeks," said Jepchirchir Kiplaglat, a cohort fellow from Moi University attending the JAS.

To mark the end of JAS 2, fellows usually go for a field visit. This gives them a chance to have an experience with data collection; appreciate the importance of research management systems; discuss key ethical issues in populationbased longitudinal research; translate research findings into appropriate oral feedback for community, and have an awareness of practical issues that arise during fieldwork. 

This year’s field visit will be to the Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit located at the Agincourt Population and Health Unit. The Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), located in rural northeast South Africa close to the Mozambique border, provides the foundation for the Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit of the Medical Research Council (MRC) and University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Friday 6 November 2015

Call for proposals - EDCTP-TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships

This joint call for proposals provides fellowships to early-to-mid-career scientists and clinical staff in low- and middle-income countries to learn how to conduct clinical trials.

Selected applicants are placed in pharmaceutical companies or product development partnerships for 6-24 months.

For complete information, visit the TDR grants page:



TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, is a global programme of scientific collaboration that helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty. TDR is hosted at the World Health Organization (WHO), and is sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and WHO. For more information, visit: www.who.int/tdr

Wednesday 4 November 2015

University of Witwatersrand appoints new focal point for CARTA

Dr. Jude Igumbor
Dr. Jude Igumbor has been appointed as the new focal person at the University of the Witwatersrand, for the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) program. Dr. Igumbor is a senior lecturer, PhD program in the School of Public Health, which offers an interdisciplinary PhD program.

He is a public health specialist, epidemiologist and biostatistician with 10 years experience in public health program design and management, strategic information systems and capacity building related to monitoring and evaluation.  His other experiences include teaching, research and communication of data to inform programmatic decision-making. 

Before he joined Wits, he provided technical assistance to district health teams to meet DoH, and USAID evaluation requirements on the PEPFAR cooperative agreement with USAID/South Africa. He also provided operations research to support company innovations with empirical evidence; documentation of program outcomes and impact as well as ensuring all data collected and reported meet data quality standards and guidelines.

He has served in various capacities as Researcher, Senior Lecturer and Project Manager in HIV and TB related interventions and academic capacity development projects. Dr. Igumbor has also published numerous peer review papers on HIV, diarrheal diseases, health-related quality of life and health system strengthening. Dr. Igumbor takes over this role from Prof. Sharon Fonn who is the co-director for the CARTA program.