Browsing by Author "Zolfo, M."
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Item Enhancing research capacity of African institutions through social networking(Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 2013-08) Jimenez-Castellanos, A.; Ramirez-Robles, M.; Shousha, A.; Bagayoko, C.O.; Perrin, C.; Zolfo, M.; Cuzin, A.; Roland, A.; Aryeetey, R.; Maojo, V.Traditionally, participation of African researchers in top Biomedical Informatics (BMI) scientific journals and conferences has been scarce. Looking beyond these numbers, an educational goal should be to improve overall research and, therefore, to increase the number of scientists/authors able to produce and publish high quality research. In such scenario, we are carrying out various efforts to expand the capacities of various institutions located at four African countries-Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon and Mali-in the framework of a European Commission-funded project, AFRICA BUILD. This project is currently carrying out activities such as e-learning, collaborative development of informatics tools, mobility of researchers, various pilot projects, and others. Our main objective is to create a self-sustained South-South network of BMI developers. © 2013 IMIA and IOS Press.Item Evidence based medicine in HIV/AIDS and reproductive health research: Piloting two distance learning courses in low-resource settings(2013 IST-Africa Conference and Exhibition, IST-Africa 2013, 2013-05) Zolfo, M.; Aryeetey, R.; Cuzin-Kihl, A.K.; Ingelbeen, B.; Khanna, J.; Kiyan, C.; Maojo, V.; Lynen, L.AFRICA BUILD is a Coordination Action to support the development of centers of excellence in health care, education and health research in African countries, thanks to Information Technology. This project, developed under the 7th European Framework Programme, consists of seven Work Packages (WPs). The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp is in charge of WP6 with the task of developing a specific distance training program in HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health research in collaboration with the World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR). The aim of this program will be to enhance research and education in the above mentioned fields, via novel approaches and remote resources. Study materials will be available for students through the AFRICA BUILD Portal, and modules' content will be delivered via live webcasts. One of the aims of the course will be to identify research gaps, focusing thereafter on strengthening research methodologies and policies. © 2013 The Authors.Item Exploring three approaches to offer distance learning courses through a social network of health researchers in three African countries(2014 IST-Africa Conference and Exhibition, IST-Africa 2014, 2014-05) Ingelbeen, B.; Aryeetey, R.; Khanna, J.; Niang, M.; Djientcheu, V.; Kiyan, C.; Maojo, V.; Lynen, L.; Zolfo, M.; Ramirez-Robles, M.The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp hereby presents the results of two pilot distance learning training programmes, developed under the umbrella of the AFRICA BUILD project (FP7). The two courses focused on evidence-based medicine (EBM): with the aim of enhancing research and education, via novel approaches and to identify research needs emanating from the field. These pilot experiences, which were run both in English-speaking (Ghana), and French-speaking (Mali and Cameroon) partner institutions, produced targeted courses for the strengthening of research methodology and policy. The courses and related study materials are in the public domain and available through the AFRICA BUILD Portal (http://www.africabuild.eu/taxonomy/term/37); the training modules were delivered live via Dudal webcasts. This paper assesses the success and difficulties of transferring EBM skills with these two specific training programmes, offered through three different approaches: fully online facultative courses, fully online tutor supported courses or through a blended approach with both online and face-to-face sessions. Key factors affecting the selection of participants, the accessibility of the courses, how the learning resources are offered, and how interactive online communities are formed, are evaluated and discussed. © 2014 IIMC.