Developing excellence in biostatistics leadership, training and science in Africa: How the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) training unites expertise to deliver excellence

The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat): Results from a Skills Workshop

The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat) aims to establish a research and training platform for biostatisticians doing HIV-related research in Nigeria, including enhancing mid-level biostatistics capacity through annual workshops. This paper describes findings from the inaugural workshop in Kano, Nigeria. Participants were surveyed before and after the workshop to assess their self-perceived familiarity with and confidence in their abilities to use statistical software and apply specific statistical techniques, as well as to gather feedback regarding the conduct of the workshop and future topic areas. Of the 23 participants enrolled in the workshop, 22 (96%) completed both pre- and post-workshop assessments. In both pre-workshop and post-workshop surveys, participants ranked their confidence in statistical skills using Likert scales. Scores were transformed to a 0-100 scale, and averages computed. Participants also shared open-ended feedback about the workshop and suggested future topic areas. Before the training, the average participant reported having either a "beginner" (30% of participants) or "moderate" (43%) level of familiarity with R. Many participants (65%) rated themselves as having "moderate" or "expert" familiarity with SPSS. Pre-workshop averages for confidence ranged from 26 to 64, with lowest confidence in "expanding continuous covariates in regression models and interpret results" and highest confidence in "fitting and interpreting results from a linear regression model". Post-workshop averages for confidence were all above 70. The lowest post-workshop score (74) was for "fit and interpret results from a semiparametric linear transformation model". The greatest increase in confidence was observed in "expanding continuous covariates in regression models using splines and interpreting results" and the lowest increase was in "fitting and interpreting results from a linear regression model." Participants offered positive feedback on instructor effectiveness (4.9/5) and overall course quality (4.9/5). While the overall course was rated on a 0-100 scale as "moderately difficult" (mean ± SD: 40.5 ± 17.5), the participants felt the course was highly organized (87.7 ± 17.8), and the information was moderately easy to learn (81.9 ± 15.9). Suggestions for future workshops included providing supplementary resources for out-of-classroom learning and releasing codes in advance to enhance participants' preparation. Among suggestions for future workshop topics, 80% of respondents listed survival analysis. Lessons learned provide insight into how short-term training opportunities can be leveraged to build biostatistics capacity in similar settings.

Training the next generation of Biostatisticians in West Africa: The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat)

Biomedical HIV research is growing in West Africa, but biostatistical expertise is lagging. The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat) seeks to establish a research and training platform for biostatisticians doing HIV-related research in Nigeria. The objectives of the program are: 1) Host two Nigerian data scientists per year (a total of 10 over 5 years) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to gain hands-on biostatistics training and experience via one-year fellowships. Eligible trainees will be junior investigators with PhDs or nearing completion of their PhDs in statistics or related fields, including mathematics and computer science. 2) Conduct annual workshops in Nigeria to provide biostatistics training. Trainees will undertake biostatistics coursework and hands-on training and participate in mentorship as biostatisticians involved in HIV research. Trainees will be at Vanderbilt for a full year and be part of an active biostatistics department. They will be immersed in a dry-lab HIV biostatistics project in collaboration with a Nigerian HIV research project and lead a methodologically focused research project. They will also participate in a one-month research training/grant writing program in Nashville. The VN-BioStat program will build on the existing momentum of ongoing initiatives to enhance research capacity in Nigeria by developing biostatistics leadership. VN-BioStat trainees will interact with investigators from Nigeria to provide collaborative biostatistical assistance with study design and data analysis, thus gaining real-world experience that will benefit the trainees and the broader research community in Nigeria.

COVID-19 and unintended steps towards further equity in global health research

There was, and possibly still is, potential for COVID-19 to disrupt power inequities and contribute to positive transformation in global health research that increases equity. While there is consensus about the need to decolonise by transforming global health, and a roadmap outlining how we could approach it, there are few examples of steps that could be taken to transform the mechanics of global health research. This paper contributes lessons learnt from experiences and reflections of our diverse multinational team of researchers involved in a multicountry research project. We demonstrate the positive impact on our research project of making further steps towards improving equity within our research practices. Some of the approaches adopted include redistributing power to researchers from the countries of interest at various stages in their career, by involving the whole team in decisions about the research; meaningfully involving the whole team in research data analysis; and providing opportunities for all researchers from the countries of interest to voice their perspectives as first authors in publications. Although this approach is consistent with how research guidance suggests research should be run, in reality it does not often happen in this way. The authors of this paper hope that by sharing our experience, we can contribute towards discussions about the processes required to continue developing a global health sector that is equitable and inclusive.

Perspectives on academic mentorship, research collaborations, career advice and work-life balance: a masterclass conversation with Professor Salim Abdool Karim

Mentorship and collaboration are fundamental to ensure success in research, particularly health research. In this article, we summarise a conversation between the Master's in Biostatistics students at Stellenbosch University and Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the head of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa. In May 2021, Professor Abdool Karim was invited to share some of his expertise and knowledge on successful mentorship and collaboration with researchers in the early stages of their careers. Passion, hard work and always trying one's best were some of the key values he highlighted as what a young researcher would need to succeed in today's world. In this candid and open discussion, Professor Abdool Karim provides valuable insight pertaining to the intricacies of a career in research, in terms of collaboration, mentorship and personal lessons drawn from his own life experience.

Training and capacity building in medical statistics in Sub-Saharan Africa: Impact of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine MSc in Medical Statistics, 1969 to 2021

Since its inception in 1969, the MSc in medical statistics program has placed a high priority on training students from Africa. In this article, we review how the program has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, two substantial capacity building initiatives: (a) a fellowship program, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, and run through the International Statistical Epidemiology Group at the LSHTM, and (b) the Sub-Saharan capacity building in Biostatistics (SSACAB) initiative, administered through the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS) program of the African Academy of Sciences. We reflect on the impact of both initiatives, and the implications for future work in this area.

Considerations for an integrated population health databank in Africa: lessons from global best practices

Background: The rising digitisation and proliferation of data sources and repositories cannot be ignored. This trend expands opportunities to integrate and share population health data. Such platforms have many benefits, including the potential to efficiently translate information arising from such data to evidence needed to address complex global health challenges. There are pockets of quality data on the continent that may benefit from greater integration. Integration of data sources is however under-explored in Africa. The aim of this article is to identify the requirements and provide practical recommendations for developing a multi-consortia public and population health data-sharing framework for Africa. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of global best practices and policies on data sharing and its optimisation. We searched eight databases for publications and undertook an iterative snowballing search of articles cited in the identified publications. The Leximancer software © enabled content analysis and selection of a sample of the most relevant articles for detailed review. Themes were developed through immersion in the extracts of selected articles using inductive thematic analysis. We also performed interviews with public and population health stakeholders in Africa to gather their experiences, perceptions, and expectations of data sharing. Results: Our findings described global stakeholder experiences on research data sharing. We identified some challenges and measures to harness available resources and incentivise data sharing.  We further highlight progress made by the different groups in Africa and identified the infrastructural requirements and considerations when implementing data sharing platforms. Furthermore, the review suggests key reforms required, particularly in the areas of consenting, privacy protection, data ownership, governance, and data access. Conclusions: The findings underscore the critical role of inclusion, social justice, public good, data security, accountability, legislation, reciprocity, and mutual respect in developing a responsive, ethical, durable, and integrated research data sharing ecosystem.