Mentored postdoctoral training in Zimbabwe: A report on a successful collaborative effort

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Research Capacity Building
• Medical Training

Background:

• Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) contribute only 2% of global research output despite high disease burdens.
• There is a critical need to enhance research capacity in LMICs to address local health challenges.
• The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and University at Buffalo (UB) collaborated to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the collaboration between UZ and UB in implementing a postdoctoral HIV Research Training Program (HRTP).
• To enhance research productivity and capacity at UZ through formalized postdoctoral training.
• To serve as a model for developing similar research training programs in other LMICs.

Main Methods:

• The HIV Research Training Program (HRTP) piloted postdoctoral training from 2016 to 2019.
• Scholars underwent training in hypothesis development, grant writing, budget management, data analysis, and presentation skills.
• Training involved collaboration between UZ and UB, with scholars based at both institutions.

Main Results:

• The first cohort included five postdoctoral scholars trained at UZ and UB.
• One scholar secured a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Emerging Global Leader Award and is now a leading researcher in South Africa.
• Another scholar submitted NIH D43 and K43 grant applications, while the remaining three are establishing research careers at UZ.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative training initiatives, such as the UZ-UB HRTP, can effectively build individual and institutional research capacity in LMICs.
• Formalized postdoctoral training is a viable strategy to increase research output and productivity.
• This program demonstrates a successful model for enhancing global health research capacity in resource-limited settings.