Sub-Saharan Africa Advanced Training Programme for Leadership and Excellence in Biostatistics

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) bears the highest burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Funding initiatives for health-sciences research in the region have generated high quality data from demographic and health surveillance sites (DHSS) and nationally representative demographic and healthsurveys. Other funding tools help the region to collect routine health data using the district health information systems. However, the capacity to analyse and formulate locally relevant scientific questions is limited. Individuals capable of robust, innovative and elaborate analyses are often overwhelmed and there is limited capacity to manage and use existing data to inform policy makers and local health service implementers. Ground breaking research in HIV and AIDS, TB, malaria, other infectious diseases and research on health systems has largely relied on statistical and data expertise from developed countries. With emerging non-communicable diseases, there will be a need for even more biostatistical expertise. To facilitate high quality research, a training programme is needed to increase the number of both methodological and applied biostatisticians. This will build the capacity to handle advanced statistical analysis, enhance grantsmanship, and reduce dependence on external experts. The Wellcome Trust African Institutions Initiative (AII) through several consortia (CARTA, THRiVE, SACORE, etc) has made significant progress to build research capacity.However, enhancement by the creation of a clear research capacity in biostatistics that fully complements such initiatives is needed. Previous efforts to develop statistics have been disjointed, with statisticians leavingto private industry, as there are few academic centres for biostatistics that are tightly linked to local biomedical research. Previous regional meetings recognised the need to pull resources to build biostatistics capacity, which resulted in the formation of the Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistical Training (S2ACABT), which forms the basis of this proposed programme to Wellcome Trust. S2ACABT brings together African and Northern academic/research institutions todevelop and improve biostatistical skills among researchers. The ultimate goalis to create research nodes of excellence to grow the discipline and a biostatistical network to nurture researchers with advanced skills and expertise. S2ACABT will support the development of a network of statisticians to deliver statistical courses for biomedical researchers, develop and implement statistical theory to analyse health data, and create the framework for improved biostatistical skills among health researchers and academics in nine African countries. This network will be integrated within the existing Sub-Saharan Africa Network (SUSAN) under the International Biometrics Society (IBS). Strengthening the existing research infrastructure and imbedding biostatisticstraining within these structures will improve local statistical expertise and enable high-level data analysis capacity. This will generate a pool of Africanbiostatisticians who can lead future analyses. The consortium will: 1. Develop, strengthen and implement high quality biostatistics masters' leveltraining at the lead and partner institutions. 2. Provide PhD level training to develop expertise, skills, and become research leaders in biostatistics in Africa. 3. Build a sustainable network of biostatisticians and statistically informed researchers within each country through outreach, mentoring and transferring skills, workshops and conferences. 4. Integrate meetings with IBS through SUSAN and National Statistical Societies