Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa - launch
Today sees the launch of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections To Benefit Africa At The University Of Edinburgh.
Funding from the National Institute for Health Research has been given to establish a new Global Health Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh, to be known as TIBA – after the Swahili word 'to cure infection'.
Experts have received £7 million to fund the new NIHR Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections To Benefit Africa (TIBA) At The University Of Edinburgh, which officially launches on October 25 2017.
TIBA is directed by Professor Mark Woolhouse, of the Usher Institute.
University of Edinburgh news item
TIBA
TIBA is an Africa-led, wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary research programme that explores and draws lessons from the ways that different African health systems tackle infrectious diseases. TIBA aims to harness the expertise and technical capcbility in biomedial and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh and African partners to reduce the burden and threat of infectious diseases in Africa by informing and infludencing health policy and strengthening health systems.
African countries involved in the initiative include Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan.
This project is a unique opportunity to improve the ways that African health systems tackle infectious diseases. By harnessing our collective expertise to gain a better understanding of what works best, we hope to reduce the burden of infectious disease for millions of Africans
TIBA aims to
- Improve the diagnosis and surveillance of infectious diseases in resource-poor settings
- Improve the deployment of existing drug treatments and enhance local capacity to develop new ones
- Improve the deployment of existing vaccines and enhance local capacity to develop new ones
- Improve the management of endemic and epidemic infectious diseases by:
- Strengthening health systems, governance and ethics
- Improving policy development and implementation
- Enhancing capacity to respond to infectious disease emergencies
The launch
The full programme for the launch includes short talks from Prof Charlie Jeffery, Senior Vice Principal, University of Edinburgh; Prof James Smith, Vice-Principal International, University of Edinburgh; Prof Mark Woolhouse, TIBA Director, University of Edinburgh; Prof Francisca Mutapi, TIBA Deputy Director, University of Edinburgh; and Prof Moses Chimbari, TIBA Deputy Director, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
Africa Week
The launch has been timed to coincide with #AfricaWeek.
Africa week at the University of Edinburgh
NIHR Global Health Research Units
The National Institute for Health Research has recently funded a number of new Global Health Research Units in the UK.
The Usher Institute is proud to host both the NIHR Global Health Research Unit Tackling Infections To Benefit Africa (TIBA) at The University Of Edinburgh and the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE) at The University of Edinburgh.
Read more about the NIHR Global Health Research funding on the NIHR website
News item on the launch of RESPIRE on the Usher Institute website