Expanding cancer research capacity in Nigeria with team science

Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research, New York NY

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Abstract

In Nigeria, cancer is a significant and growing public health threat. Given the rising incidence and poor outcomes associated with cancer in the region, the Nigerian Ministry of Health has designated cancer as a priority area for research and training. To support this, we propose a new training program – the Nigerian Cancer Research Training (NCAT) program – with the goal of increasing capacity for cancer research in Nigeria. We seek to not only strengthen the existing research enterprise but to build in-country expertise and provide a solid foundation for the development, implementation, and dissemination of evidence-based interventions that will impact public health policy, as well as clinical practice, care, and treatment for cancer patients. A multi-pronged training approach, utilizing coursework, independent study, workshops, team science, and mentorship will be used to train a cadre of Nigerian and US cancer researchers. The NCAT program will build on existing relationships and infrastructure established over the past decade between Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in the US, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Nigeria, and the College of Medicine/Lagos University Teaching Hospital (CMUL/LUTH) in Nigeria. The aims of this program are: 1. Improve cancer research capacity at an individual level 2. Strengthen cancer research capacity at an institutional level using team science and mentorship 3. Build a sustainable cancer research program by creating broader systemic relationships at the national, regional, and global levels. The NCAT training program will include 36 cancer research scholars who will participate in a 6-month Harvard School of Public Health course in clinical research, 7 postdoctoral NCAT fellows who will spend 1-year training at MSK, and 5 US trainees who will complete mentored research training in the US and Nigeria. Trainees will be competitively selected. In the first three years, all Nigerian trainees will participate in prospective breast and colorectal cancer studies already underway in Nigeria. After their US training period, NCAT trainees will be grouped in research teams and take part in team science-based training, including designing and conducting a collaborative mentored pilot research project in Nigeria. We will use multiple layers of trainee and project assessment to ensure that our program is meeting its ultimate goal of creating a cadre of well-trained researchers and a sustainable pipeline for continued cancer research in Nigeria.