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Harries AD, Marais B, Kool B, Ram S, Kumar AMV, Gounder S, Viney K, Brostrom R, Roseveare C, Bissell K, Reid AJ, Zachariah R, Hill PC. Mentorship for operational research capacity building: hands-on or hands-off? Public Health Action 2015; 4:S56-8. [PMID: 26477290 DOI: 10.5588/pha.13.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Mentorship is a key feature of operational research training courses run by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Médecins Sans Frontières. During the recent South Pacific paper writing module, the faculty discussed 'hands-on' mentorship (direct technical assistance) vs. 'hands-off' mentorship (technical advice). This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Our collective experience indicates that 'hands-on' mentorship is a valuable learning experience for the participant and a rewarding experience for the mentor. This approach increases the likelihood of successful course completion, including publishing a well written paper. However, mentors must allow participants to lead and take ownership of the paper, in keeping with a first author position.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Harries
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - B Marais
- The Sydney Emerging Infections and Biosecurity Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - B Kool
- School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - S Ram
- College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji
| | - A M V Kumar
- The Union South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India
| | - S Gounder
- National Tuberculosis Programme, Ministry of Health, Suva, Fiji
| | - K Viney
- Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia
| | - R Brostrom
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of TB Elimination, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - C Roseveare
- Department of Statistics, Regional Public Health, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
| | - K Bissell
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - A J Reid
- Operational Centre Brussels, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit (LuxOR), Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - R Zachariah
- Operational Centre Brussels, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit (LuxOR), Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - P C Hill
- Centre for International Health, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Guillerm N, Tayler-Smith K, Berger SD, Bissell K, Kumar AMV, Ramsay A, Reid AJ, Zachariah R, Harries AD. What happens after participants complete a Union-MSF structured operational research training course? Public Health Action 2015; 4:89-95. [PMID: 26399205 DOI: 10.5588/pha.14.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
SETTING Eight operational research (OR) courses run by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for participants from low- and middle-income countries. There is a knowledge gap about whether participants continue OR after course completion. OBJECTIVES To determine 1) the research output of participants and their institutions after course completion; 2) the influence of OR fellowships on output; and 3) the output of non-OR fellows stratified by sex, region and staff position. DESIGN A self-administered e-mail questionnaire survey. RESULTS Of 83 participants who completed a course, 76 (92%) responded to the questionnaire. Following course completion, 47 (62%) participants completed new research projects, 38 (50%) published papers (vs. 25 [33%] who had published before the course), 42 (55%) presented posters or oral abstracts at conferences, 33 (43%) facilitated at further OR courses, 29 (38%) reviewed scientific papers, 25 (33%) secured further OR funding and 55 (72%) said their institutions were involved in OR implementation or capacity building. OR fellows performed better than non-OR fellows. Among the latter, males and participants from Asia had better output than females and participants from Africa (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The significant proportion of participants continuing to engage in OR after course completion provides encouraging evidence of the long-term value of this capacity building model.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Guillerm
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France
| | - K Tayler-Smith
- Medical Department, Operational Centre Brussels, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - S D Berger
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France
| | - K Bissell
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France
| | - A M V Kumar
- The Union, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India
| | - A Ramsay
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland ; Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
| | - A J Reid
- Medical Department, Operational Centre Brussels, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - R Zachariah
- Medical Department, Operational Centre Brussels, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - A D Harries
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Harries AD, Kumar AMV, Satyanarayana S, Bissell K, Hinderaker SG, Edginton M, Reid AJ, Zachariah R. References for scientific papers: why not standardise to one global style? Public Health Action 2015; 3:255-7. [PMID: 26393041 DOI: 10.5588/pha.13.0066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The different reference styles demanded by journals, both for in-text citations and manuscript bibliographies, require that significant time and attention be paid to minute detail that constitute a tedious obstacle on the road to publication for all authors, but especially for those from resource-limited countries and/or writing in a second language. To illustrate this, we highlight different reference styles requested by five popular journals to which operational research papers are often submitted. We call for a simpler, standardised format for in-text and bibliography reference citations, so that researchers can concentrate on the science and its interpretation rather than fonts and punctuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Harries
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - A M V Kumar
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; The Union, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India
| | - S Satyanarayana
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; The Union, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India
| | - K Bissell
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - S G Hinderaker
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; Center for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - M Edginton
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France
| | - A J Reid
- Médecins Sans Frontières-Operational Centre Brussels, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - R Zachariah
- Médecins Sans Frontières-Operational Centre Brussels, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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Demez C, Zachariah R, Reid T, Harries AD. Oh no! Power out, internet down! Two challenges in running training courses in low- and middle-income countries. Public Health Action 2015; 3:96. [PMID: 26393008 DOI: 10.5588/pha.13.0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Demez
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit, Brussels Operational Center, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Rony Zachariah
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit, Brussels Operational Center, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Tony Reid
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Medical Department, Operational Research Unit, Brussels Operational Center, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Anthony D Harries
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France ; Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Harries AD, Zachariah R, Ramsay A, Kumar AMV, Reid AJ, Terry RF, Reeder JC. Does research make a difference to public health? Time for scientific journals to cross the Rubicon. Public Health Action 2015; 4:2-3. [PMID: 26393073 DOI: 10.5588/pha.14.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A D Harries
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - R Zachariah
- Médecins Sans Frontières Medical Department, Brussels Operational Center, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - A Ramsay
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland ; Bute Medical School, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK
| | - A M V Kumar
- The Union, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India
| | - A J Reid
- Médecins Sans Frontières Medical Department, Brussels Operational Center, MSF-Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - R F Terry
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - J C Reeder
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Zachariah R, Guillerm N, Berger S, Kumar AMV, Satyanarayana S, Bissell K, Edginton M, Hinderaker SG, Tayler-Smith K, Van den Bergh R, Khogali M, Manzi M, Reid AJ, Ramsay A, Reeder JC, Harries AD. Research to policy and practice change: is capacity building in operational research delivering the goods? Trop Med Int Health 2014; 19:1068-75. [DOI: 10.1111/tmi.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rony Zachariah
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Nathalie Guillerm
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Paris France
| | - Selma Berger
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Paris France
| | - Ajay M. V. Kumar
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; South-East Asia Regional Office; New Delhi India
| | - Srinath Satyanarayana
- International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; South-East Asia Regional Office; New Delhi India
| | - Karen Bissell
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Paris France
- School of Population Health; The University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
| | - Mary Edginton
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Paris France
- School of Public Health; University of Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| | | | - Katie Tayler-Smith
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Rafael Van den Bergh
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Mohammed Khogali
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Marcel Manzi
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Anthony J. Reid
- Médecins Sans Frontières; Medical Department; Brussels Operational Centre; MSF-Luxembourg; Luxembourg France
| | - Andrew Ramsay
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases; World Health Organization; Geneva Switzerland
- Bute Medical School; University of St Andrews; Fife UK
| | - John C. Reeder
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases; World Health Organization; Geneva Switzerland
| | - Anthony D. Harries
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease; Paris France
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; London UK
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