Makerere University is set to benefit from a US $130m investment to strengthen medical training in twelve African countries, thanks to 5-year plan by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Makerere University is set to benefit from a US $130m investment to strengthen medical training in twelve African countries, thanks to 5-year plan by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
According to a press release issued on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to invest $130 million over five years to transform African medical education and dramatically increase the number of health care workers.
Through the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), grants are being awarded directly to African institutions in a dozen countries, working in partnership with U.S. medical schools and universities. The initiative will form a network including about 30 regional partners, country health and education ministries, and more than 20 U.S. collaborators. The program is designed to support PEPFAR's goals to train and retain 140,000 new health care workers and improve the capacity of partner countries to deliver primary health care.
Over a five-year period, MEPI intends to provide up to $10 million for each programmatic award, up to $2.5 million for each linked project and up to $1.25 million for each pilot grant.
As one of the institutions in the twelve Programmatic Awards recipient countries, Makerere University in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Kampala International University, Case Western Reserve University, Yale University, Medical Research Council, Busitema University, and Gulu University will receive support in the area of Medical Education for Services to All Ugandans. Makerere University will also receive support for a Linked Award, for Building Capacity for Cardiovascular Research and Training in Uganda.
Professor Nelson Sewankambo, Principal, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University will be the contact Principal Investigator for Uganda. Other countries set to receive this award are Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Out of the twelve selected countries Ghana and Malawi will receive the pilot grants.
Links
Full Press release http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2010/fic-07.htm