Past Trainees 2006 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program  Caroline Kithinji
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nairobi, Ms. Kithinji employed her knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology in conducting trypanosomiasis research at the Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute. In the course of her twelve years of trypanosomiasis research, she attended the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she received a Masters of Science in Medical Parasitology. Through her experience as a medical researcher, Ms. Kithinji was exposed to a host of bioethics issues arising from international research collaboration. She found that many ethical review boards were compelled to approve proposals with little or no recourse as to how the study wou ld actually be conducted. Also, she witnessed a lack of bioethics knowledge on the part of principle investigators and research participants. In May of 2004, Ms. Kithinji joined the Ethical Review Committee (ERC) in the Research and Development Department of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). While at KEMRI, Ms. Kithinji has initiated a post-approval monitoring program, developed a digital database of Ethical Review Committee documentation, and played a key role in the development of a com prehensive Intellectual Property Policy for the Institute. Ms. Kithinji intends to use the skills she takes away from the Training Program to transform the ERC into a center of bioethics excellence for the Great Lakes region. Towards this goal, she wishes to expand and train the ERC’s skilled staff base, introduce research tracking mechanisms and monitoring systems, and develop a method by which dissemination of ERC materials will create awareness in the population of potential research subjects.  Francis Masiye
Mr. Masiye received a Bachelor of Philosophy in Ethics from the Pontifical Urbania University through his studies at the Salvatorian Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Tanzania. Upon returning to his native Malawi, Mr. Masiye took a post as a secondary school teacher of History, Biblical Studies and Social Studies. Having also studied anthropology at the Salvatorian Institute, Mr. Masiye went on to work as a museum guide and research officer for the Chamare Cultural Museum at the Kunogi Cultural Center in Mua Mission, where he conducted anthropological research for two years. Currently, Mr. Masiye is working towards a Master of Philosophy in Ethics while serving as an assistant research officer in the Bioethics Research Unit of the University of Malawi College of Medicine. The study he is involved in examines clinical research from an anthropological and bioethics perspective. Mr. Masiye intends to come away from the Program with the tools and knowledge necessary to formulate codes of research ethics that fit African and Malawian research subjects in particular. Through imparting his knowledge to the students of bioethics at the Malawi College of Medicine, he will also work to incorporate ethics into African Anthropology.  Robert Ssekubugu
Mr. Ssekubugu’s research experience began when he was an undergraduate at Makarere University in Kampala, Uganda, stud ying the role of religion in HIV prevention. Soon after graduating with a degree in economics and religious studies, he joined the Rakai Health Services Program as a primary data collector. After five years of working his way through the ranks of the Rakai Program, now a twelve-year-o ld longitudinal study, Mr. Ssekubugu is currently a Fie ld Supervisor. His enthusiasm for human subjects protection made him a natural fit for a study assessing community and individual perception of the benefits and risks associated with biomedical research, the first ever bioethics study done in the Rakai Health Sciences Program. Mr. Ssekubugu wishes to use the tools and expertise he will gain from the Training Program to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data from the Rakai bioethics study and to conduct his own study of consent com prehension. He also plans to study indicators of subject autonomy as well as to develop an in-house projects review committee at Rakai. 2005 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program Joseline Bruce, B.Sc. Ms. Bruce is currently working as a Research Assistant for the Malaria Project, at the School of Public Health (SPH), University of Ghana, where she completed her B.Sc. studies in Nutrition and Biochemistry. Ms. Bruce has research experience in the measurement and analysis of data on nutrition and health, diagnosis of Malaria infection, and monitoring anti-malaria treatments. She has also held key positions of trust with Church organizations. Ms. Bruce's interest in research ethics also stems from her experiences with the malaria project she works on. She realized that when dealing with communities, individuals, and their blood samples, many ethical concerns arise that do not necessarily have direct and easy solutions. She also attends meetings where MPH students present their project proposals. At one such meeting, she found herself dissatisfied with how conclusions were drawn over critical ethical dilemmas. Ms. Bruce's future goals in research ethics include being a public health researcher, lecturer, and coordinator of activities in health-based institutions in a morally upright manner. Ms. Bruce hopes that the JHU-Fogarty African Bioethics training program will give her the necessary skills to provide expert advice on bioethical issues arising from projects implemented by the SPH, and to serve as a peer trainer in the field of ethics for her colleagues and students at the university.
Contact: jbruce@noguchi.mimcom.net Fraction Dzinjalamala, PhD Dr. Dzinjalamala is a research scientist working with the Blantyre Malaria Project, at the College of Medicine in Blantyre, Malawi. Dr. Dzinjalamala earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry, with honors, from the Chacellor College, at the University of Malawi. After receiving certificates in Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Research Design and Analysis at the University of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins University, respectively, he went on to the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he completed his Ph.D. studies in Pharmacology. Dr. Dzinjalamala’s interest in research ethics arises mainly from being faced with the challenge of making prospective study subjects understand the nature, risks, and benefits of a particular study. This challenge became particularly poignant to Dr. Dzinjalamala, when at a meeting on Good Clinical Practices, participants (nurses, clinicians or scientists) failed to raise their hands when asked, “How many of you would allow your child to participate in the drug trials that we are conducting?” For Dr. Dzinjalamala, this incidence raised the question of whether biomedical scientists are operating within the realms of justice and beneficence towards the patients participating in studies, based on the controversial claim that the patients have had access to an informed consent process.
Contact: fdzinjalamala@bmp.medcol.mw Gorrette Nalwadda, M.Sc. Ms. Nalwadda is working as an Assistant Lecturer with the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, at the Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Ms. Nalwadda completed both her B.Sc. in Nursing and her M.Sc. in Population and Reproductive Health. Ms. Nalwadda is a member of the research and ethics committee in the Faculty of Medicine, she supervises undergraduate proposal development and dissertations, and she co-teaches courses in Research Methodology and Professional Ethics in Nursing. Ms. Nalwadda’s interest in bioethics comes from her recognition of gaps currently existing in operationalizing the principles of informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy. She has concerns about the extent to which they are actually followed in developing countries such as Uganda, and recognizes the need for particular safeguards when marginalized groups are included in research. Ms. Nalwadda’s main areas of research interest are in reproductive health, fertility regulation, continuing medical education, information availability on HIV/AIDS and its application, and perceptions of adolescent reproductive health. Ms. Nalwadda intends to use the JHU-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program to gain sound scientific background in bioethics, to enhance her personal capacity to conduct quality research, to provide ethics training of trainers’ workshops for colleagues, and to advocate for the establishment of short-term courses in bioethics at the Makerere University.
Contact: nagorrette@hotmail.com 2004 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program Dr. Dya Eldin Elsayed – Republic of Sudan Dr. Elsayed is the assistant of the Secretary General at the Council of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health in the Republic of Sudan. He earned his diploma of medicine and surgery at the Medical Institute in Kiev, USSR and his MD (Community Medicine) at the University of Khartoum. His involvement in research ethics was pushed by the recent formation of a National Ethics Reviewing Committee, to which he was elected. As a member of this newly formed Committee, Dr. Elsayed has played an important role in determining the objectives of the committee and establishing the guidelines to enable the committee to successfully perform its jobs. With this committee he has helped organize seminars, give speeches, and lead discussions on research ethics. His main interests are with human rights, welfare, and human dignity safeguard. Dr. Elsayed hopes to infuse the importance of these ideas throughout his country and protect the rights of the people by being an active, contributing member of the new National Ethics Reviewing Committee.
Contact: delsayed@jhsph.edu Dr. Mantoa Mokhachane – South Africa Dr. Mokhachane is a pediatrician and consultant for the Neonatal Unit at the Chris Hani Barahwanath Hospital, University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB.B.Ch), Fellow of the College of Medicine (FCP.Paed.SA), and MMed of Pediatrics at the University of Witwatersrand. Dr. Mokhachane's interest in bioethics was sparked by the unfortunate situations that she has witnessed in her country, including various atrocities regarding human rights and ethical issues. The recognition of these issues motivated her to become a member of the National Medical Research Council Ethics Committee and the Ethics Committee of Research on Human Subjects at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her particular area of interest in research ethics is human rights and the idea of equality in a diverse community. She is interested in pursuing a study about informed consent in cross-cultural settings. Dr. Mokhachane is also interested in conducting research about orphans in a community where children are not legally adopted by the extended family.
Contact: mmokhach@jhsph.edu Mr. Bornwell Sikateyo – Zambia Mr. Sikateyo is a research, monitoring, and evaluation specialist at the Central Board of Health in Zambia. He earned his Bachelor of Science with Education (BSc.Ed) at the University of Zambia and his Post Graduate Diploma and Masters of Science in Applied Information Technology (MSc) at Vrije Universiteit, Brussels. Mr. Sikateyo's interest in research ethics has been a result of his position at the Central Board of Health where he has witnessed the miscommunications that occur during recruitment for research studies. He is committed to restoring the integrity of health related research studies by ensuring that the dignity and health of participants is preserved and certifying that the study provides useful knowledge that will improve human welfare. Mr. Sikateyo hopes to establish a Medical Research Council in Zambia.
Contact: bsikatey@jhsph.edu 2003 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program Dr. Ademola J. Ajuwon, Nigeria Ademola Ajuwon is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Health Promotion and Education in the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan (CMUI) in Nigeria. He holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology, a Master of Public Health degree, and a Doctoral degree in Public Health Education from universities in Nigeria. Currently, he teaches courses in health education, communication theory, and planning and evaluation of health programs. He is also a co-investigator on a project aimed at preventing gender-based violence among female apprentices in Ibadan. In 2001, he was nominated to serve on the University of Ibadan/University College Hospital Ethical Review Committee. As a member of the committee, he co-authored the guidelines for submission of proposals to the committee. He is a member of the Ethical Committee of the Center for HIV/AIDS Intervention in Nigeria, a special unit in CMUI charged with HIV/AIDS intervention activities. Dr. Ajuwon plans to conduct a pre-post test evaluation of research ethics training at his home institution in Nigeria for his practicum. Mr. Bavon Mupenda, Democratic Republic of Congo Mr. Mupenda is a Lecturer at the Free University of Great Lakes Countries in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, where he teaches a course in social ethics and research methodology. He holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology and Anthropology, and a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Lubumbashi, Zaire. He also holds a Higher Diploma in Community Health and Development and a Masters degree in Community Health and Development from the Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development in Kenya. Currently, he is doing a study on the vulnerabilities of the elderly, and examining health and development programs that could help to better support them. He is also interested in long-term and home-based care in the special context of Africa. Upon returning to his country, Mr. Mupenda will play a key role in providing training on ethics and research ethics in the “Institute of Alternative Development, Conflict Resolution and Ethics” which was recently jointly-founded by the Free University of Great Lakes Countries and the Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development. Mr. Mupenda plans to create a new IRB as part of his practicum, and to apply for a Federal Wide Assurance for the IRB. Ms. Nicola W. Barsdorf, South Africa Ms. Barsdorf is a full-time student currently at the beginning of a research career in which she hopes to immerse herself within the field of research ethics. Through the Johns Hopkins-Fogarty training program, she is receiving an MHS through the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health. She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology. Her first and current project is research on racial differences in the public’s perception of voluntariness of medical research participants. She has conducted this exploratory research with colleagues in South Africa, and would like to continue it on a larger scale for her Master’s thesis. Although she does not currently hold a formal position in research, she expects her career to include bioethics, ethics research, research consulting, and/or work with Institutional Review Boards. Ms. Barsdorf plans to examine what interventions need to be provided to participants in a vaccine study in South Africa after studies are completed. 2002 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program Rev. John Appiah-Poku, Ghana John Appiah-Poku is an ordained Priest who studied theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, MD. He currently heads the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi, Ghana. He has designed and taught courses in medical ethics at the university for the past 12 years. He is the only member of the university trained in theological ethics, and as a result he has played an important role consulting on issues of ethical issues in medical health care at the teaching hospital where he is based. In terms of research he has been interested in informed consent procedures as well as examining the role of a second party in patient care. He is currently studying informed consent in four major clinical disciplines. He also has been involved in studying elements of disclosure and intentional non-disclosure between doctors and patients in research and therapy. He sits on the Institutional Review Board at the university and advises colleagues on ethical aspects of their collaborative research protocols. He has published papers on Informed Consent and Patient Compliance as well as on the Perceived Role of Accompanying Relatives at the Psychiatric Department at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Father Appiah-Poku has created a research project for his practicum to explore the perceived benefits among research participants who are enrolled in a genetic epidemiology study of tuberculosis at Kumasi Hospital in Ghana. Dr. Godfrey Tangwa, Cameroon Godfrey Tangwa is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Yaounde 1 in Yaounde, Cameroon. He holds a Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degree in Philosophy from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has been actively involved in international bioethics associations including as Vice President of the International Association of Bioethics in 1999, Advisor for the BioMed Central, Visiting Scholar at the Hastings Center and Member of the Editorial Board of Developing World Bioethics. He teaches courses in Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, African Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion and Introductory Logic. He has written books including, “Karl Popper: A Thematic Critical Introduction,” “African Philosophy in a Western Frame,” and “ Democracy and Meritocracy: Philosophical Essays and Talks from an African Perspective,” as well as journal articles including, “Traditional African Perception of a Person: Some Implications for Bioethics” in the Hastings Center Report and “Globalisation or Westernisation? Ethical Concerns in the whole Bio-Business,” in the journal Bioethics. For his practicum Dr. Tangwa has written a conceptual paper that describes the role of context in the development and implementation of international research ethics guidelines. Ms. Paulina Onvumaha Tindana, Ghana Paulina Tindana has a Bachelors degree in English and Linguistics from the University of Ghana. She is currently the IRB Administrator of the Navrongo Health Research Center in Navrongo, Ghana. As the IRB administrator Ms. Tindana is responsible for performing peer reviews of each IRB submission, training new IRB members, preparing statements of assurance when required, designing and disseminating templates for IRB submissions, recruiting new IRB members, and maintaining correspondence with all researchers throughout the submission and review process. She has participated in international ethics workshops including the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network Workshop on Ethics in Kisumu, Kenya, April, 2001 and the PRIM&R workshop in San Diego in October, 2000, and in Boston in November, 2001. She has observed IRBs at the U.S. NIH and the U.S. Navy. in Bethesda. Ms. Tindana is conductingh a research project for her practicum to explore the motivations for research participation among residents living in the district served by the Navrongo Health Research Center in Ghana. She also has been developing training materials for seminars on research ethics to be delivered in various research institutions in Ghana as well as developing a more comprehensive operations manual for the institutional review board at the Navrongo Health Research Center. 2001 Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program Dr. Duncan Ngare -- Kenya
Dr. Ngare is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. He received his BA in Sociology from Nairobi University in 1981, his MPH from UCLA in 1987 and his DrPH from UCLA in 1990. He is responsible for several undergraduate and graduate courses that include strong research and ethics components including, 'Behavioral Sciences and Ethics: Medical Sociology, Research and Professional Ethics,'; 'Research Methodology,' and 'Bioethics.' His recent research has focused on Vitamin A deficiency among pre-school childlren, the prevalence of malnutrition in Kenya, predictors of low birthweight and Vitamin A deficiency. He has conducted consultancies related to community-based growth-monitoring projects, home-based care for AIDS patients in Mombasa and the evaluation and implementation of code of breastmilk substitutes in Kenya. He is a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences Research and Ethics Committee (IRB) and Chair of the Postgraduate Studies Committee. Dr. Ngare's practicum involved conducting a "situation analysis" of IRBs in Kenya and interviewing members of Kenyan IRBs. Dr. Godwin Ndossi -- Tanzania
Dr. Ndossi is Director of the Directorate of Food Science and Nutrition in the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Center, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In this role he oversees activities in three sections including Nutritional Biochemistry, Food Quality and Safety, and Food Preservation and Product Development. He has his BSc in Botany, Zoology and Education from University of Dar es Salaam in 1976, his MSc in Biology from University of Dar es Salaam in 1983 and his PhD in International Nutrition from Cornell University in 1992. His work involves designing and implementing nutrition interventions at the community level as well as undertaking nutrition research related to the role of specific nutrients in health and disease. He has worked on collaborative research projects with scientists from the Institute of Child Health (London), Harvard School of Public Health, Cornell University and Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences. Recently he was Co-PI of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled field trials to test the efficacy of multiple micronutrient supplements in school children and pregnant women. Recent publications include papers related to predictors of anaemia among children from Dar es Salaam, the use of red palm oil for promotion of Vitamin A status, the development and field testing of a protocol for the rapid assessment of anaemia and a randomized trial of vitamin A supplements in relation to child mortality among HIV infected and uninfected children in Tanzania. Dr. Ndossi's practicum involved assessing the ethics capacity of 6 IRBs in Tanzania. Mr. Paul Ndebele -- Zimbabwe
Mr Ndebele is the Liaison Officer with the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ)in Harare, Zimbabwe .Mr Ndebele received his BSc In Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe in 1992 and his MSc in Pouplation Studies from the same institution in 1994. In his current position, Mr Ndebele coordinates the ethics review of research proposals at the MRCZ as well as the activities of the few operational Institutional Ethical Review Boards (IERBs) that exist in some of the health institutions. The MRCZ is a semi-autonomuos statutory body that exists to coordinate and promote medical research in Zimbabwe. The MRCZ achieves its functions of coordinating and promoting health research through facilitating the review of research proposals for scientific and ethical soundness, setting up Institutional Ethical Review Boards (IERBs) in health institutions and organising workshops and seminars various topics related to all aspects of health research. The MRCZ is made up of volunteer individuals representing the government, the private sector, the life insurance industry, the Universities and medical aid societies. Mr Ndebele is a permanent staff member of the MRCZ who coordinates activities within the organisation. In his position, he has developed the Ethical Guidelines on the Collection of Blood Samples for Research and Guidelines on the Operations of Institutional Ethical Review Boards. He is also the sub-editor of the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe Newsletter which disseminates information on research findings and ethics to researchers, health workers, members of the community and other stakeholders. Mr Ndebele is also a part of the Health Systems Decentralisation Team coordinated by Blair Research Institution within the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. The main aim of this initiative is to equip health care workers with research, data analysis and report writing skills so as to ensure that they are capable of finding solutions to health problems within their localities. Mr. Ndebele's practicum involved improving the functioning of his IRB, providing lectures and seminars on research ethics for IRB members, and providing more education on research for members of the lay community |
