This program will serve its mission to promote responsible research in DRC and in Francophone Africa by consolidating the Center Interdisciplinaire de Biothique pour l'Afrique Francophone (CIBAF) at the Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH) and by leveraging CIBAF's resources to enhance ethics capacity locally, regionally and internationally. University of North Carolina (UNC), Centre Interdisciplinaire Droit Ethique et Science de la Sante (CIDES, Belgium) and KSPH will strengthen the foundation of CIBAF's ongoing research, educational, consultation and network-building activities by broadening its current repertoire of research ethics, clinical ethics and public health ethics curricula; by offering and improving the newly established MPH at KSPH with concentration in bioethics; creating required research ethics modules for all KSPH students conducting research; strengthening skills of CIBAF members and affiliates in grant and manuscript writing, research design methodology and English. To expand ethics capacity regionally, workshops will be held Lubumbashi and Kisangani on clinical and research ethics; public health ethics; ethics committee capacity building; responsible conduct of research and research integrity; rights of research participants. Scholarships for 3- month program at UNC or CIDES will be offered annually to the most promising MPH student. Fogarty scholars in Madagascar will conduct a structured series of research ethics/bioethics capacity-building activities in collaboration with te University of Antananarivo and a network of nationally prominent research institutions. Workshops will be held at University of Burundi to support the creation of an ethics working group and to build capacity for local and national ethics committees.

Public Health Relevance

With its high disease burden, Francophone Africa is increasingly a venue for biomedical and public health research involving human participants, but local capacity in ethical conduct and regulation of research is underdeveloped. This program will contribute to public health by enhancing responsible conduct of research and helping to maintain trust between research institutions, researchers and communities. Our program will also raise local awareness of the ethical issues commonly confronted by public health practitioners, and strengthen their skills to help resolve and manage them.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Type
Education Projects (R25)
Project #
5R25TW007098-11
Application #
8836607
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel ()
Program Officer
Sina, Barbara J
Project Start
2004-09-08
Project End
2018-01-31
Budget Start
2015-02-01
Budget End
2016-01-31
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$263,406
Indirect Cost
$13,339
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
Mupenda, Bavon; Duvall, Sandra; Maman, Suzanne et al. (2014) Terms used for people living with HIV in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Qual Health Res 24:209-16
Munday, FĂ©licien (2013) Bioethics and teaching: relations and contributions? J Int Bioethique 24:11-3, 15-6
Rennie, Stuart (2013) Ethical use of antiretroviral resources for HIV prevention in resource poor settings. Dev World Bioeth 13:79-86
Tshikala, Tomi; Mupenda, Bavon; Dimany, Pierre et al. (2012) Engaging with research ethics in central Francophone Africa: reflections on a workshop about ancillary care. Philos Ethics Humanit Med 7:10
Rennie, Stuart; Mupenda, Bavon (2011) The Ethics of Globalizing Bioethics. Ethics Biol Eng Med 2:147-156
Rennie, Stuart (2011) Viewing research participation as a moral obligation: in whose interests? Hastings Cent Rep 41:40-7
Rennie, Stuart; Turner, Abigail Norris; Mupenda, Bavon et al. (2009) Conducting unlinked anonymous HIV surveillance in developing countries: ethical, epidemiological, and public health concerns. PLoS Med 6:e4
Rennie, Stuart; Mupenda, Bavon (2008) Ethics of mandatory premarital HIV testing in Africa: the case of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Dev World Bioeth 8:126-37
Rennie, Stuart; Muula, Adamson S; Westreich, Daniel (2007) Male circumcision and HIV prevention: ethical, medical and public health tradeoffs in low-income countries. J Med Ethics 33:357-61
Rennie, Stuart; Behets, Frieda (2006) AIDS care and treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa: implementation ethics. Hastings Cent Rep 36:23-31