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. 2023:7:e2023067.
doi: 10.29392/001c.88939. Epub 2023 Oct 24.

Training the next generation of Biostatisticians in West Africa: The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat)

Bryan E Shepherd  1   2 , Nafiu N Hussaini  3 , Donna J Ingles  4 , Chelsea Van Wyk  2 , Holly M Cassell  2 , C William Wester  2   5 , Muktar H Aliyu  2   5   6
Affiliations

Training the next generation of Biostatisticians in West Africa: The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat)

Bryan E Shepherd et al. J Glob Health Rep. 2023.

Abstract

Biomedical HIV research is growing in West Africa, but biostatistical expertise is lagging. The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat) seeks to establish a research and training platform for biostatisticians doing HIV-related research in Nigeria. The objectives of the program are: 1) Host two Nigerian data scientists per year (a total of 10 over 5 years) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to gain hands-on biostatistics training and experience via one-year fellowships. Eligible trainees will be junior investigators with PhDs or nearing completion of their PhDs in statistics or related fields, including mathematics and computer science. 2) Conduct annual workshops in Nigeria to provide biostatistics training. Trainees will undertake biostatistics coursework and hands-on training and participate in mentorship as biostatisticians involved in HIV research. Trainees will be at Vanderbilt for a full year and be part of an active biostatistics department. They will be immersed in a dry-lab HIV biostatistics project in collaboration with a Nigerian HIV research project and lead a methodologically focused research project. They will also participate in a one-month research training/grant writing program in Nashville. The VN-BioStat program will build on the existing momentum of ongoing initiatives to enhance research capacity in Nigeria by developing biostatistics leadership. VN-BioStat trainees will interact with investigators from Nigeria to provide collaborative biostatistical assistance with study design and data analysis, thus gaining real-world experience that will benefit the trainees and the broader research community in Nigeria.

Keywords: HIV; West Africa; biostatistics; capacity building.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests.

Figures

Figure:
Figure:
The Vanderbilt Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program (VN-BioStat): Program Inputs, Processes, Outputs, Outcomes and Impact Note. AKTH = Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Nigeria; HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus; VN-BioStat = Vanderbilt-Nigeria Biostatistics Training Program
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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