Clinical trials remain a novel field in low- and middle-income countries. One way of promoting its uptake is capacity building of clinicians such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists among other healthcare practitioners.
The Clinical Investigator Training Programme (CITP) is designed to train these practitioners to be clinical investigators and improve quality of research in institutions.
“CITP introduces basic concepts of clinical investigation including ethics of clinical trials, development and writing of clinical protocols, budget for clinical trials and statistical concepts applied to clinical research," said Prof Mansoor Saleh, founding director of the Aga Khan University Clinical Research Unit.
In 2021, Prof Mansoor led the programme at AKU in Nairobi. Two cohorts of 40 participants completed the course and are now equipped to begin investigator-led trials or sponsor clinical trials.
Following the success of this training, AKU partnered with Nova Medical School in Lisbon to offer CITP to professors, medical specialists and residents. This partnership has opened doors of opportunity for collaboration in research and healthcare.
“It was the vision of our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan to establish links with academic institutions in Portugal to jointly pursue research at the frontiers of medical science. We are doing exactly that at Nova Medical School and will continue to do so in the coming months," said Prof Mansoor.
AKU hopes to implement CITP at all University and Aga Khan Health Services sites. This will in turn improve clinical research and empower clinicians become leaders in this field.
Clinical trials remain a novel field in low- and middle-income countries. One way of promoting its uptake is capacity building of clinicians such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists among other healthcare practitioners.
The Clinical Investigator Training Programme (CITP) is designed to train these practitioners to be clinical investigators and improve quality of research in institutions.
“CITP introduces basic concepts of clinical investigation including ethics of clinical trials, development and writing of clinical protocols, budget for clinical trials and statistical concepts applied to clinical research," said Prof Mansoor Saleh, founding director of the Aga Khan University Clinical Research Unit.
In 2021, Prof Mansoor led the programme at AKU in Nairobi. Two cohorts of 40 participants completed the course and are now equipped to begin investigator-led trials or sponsor clinical trials.
Following the success of this training, AKU partnered with Nova Medical School in Lisbon to offer CITP to professors, medical specialists and residents. This partnership has opened doors of opportunity for collaboration in research and healthcare.
“It was the vision of our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan to establish links with academic institutions in Portugal to jointly pursue research at the frontiers of medical science. We are doing exactly that at Nova Medical School and will continue to do so in the coming months," said Prof Mansoor.
AKU hopes to implement CITP at all University and Aga Khan Health Services sites. This will in turn improve clinical research and empower clinicians become leaders in this field.
