The Addis Ababa University-Johns Hopkins University Research Ethics Training Program in Ethiopia (AAU-JHU RETP)

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa

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Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Addis Ababa University-Johns Hopkins University Research Ethics Training Program (AAU-JHU RETP) is a renewal application that will continue to richly contribute to strengthening research ethics capacity in Ethiopia. The collaborative program embraces a “systems” approach to capacity strengthening, placing an emphasis on addressing individual, institutional and national research ethics needs to produce an ecosystem supportive of high quality, ethical research. Over the past five years, AAU has become well-positioned to lead the training grant, and as such, with this renewal we are enthusiastic to transition grant leadership from JHU to AAU. From 2019-24, the AAU-JHU RETP: 1) created a novel Health Research Ethics Specialty Track within the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at AAU (a first for the country), that recruited and trained a total of 20 Master’s trainees (exceeding our target of 15 trainees); 2) successfully created a Research Ethics Training Unit at AAU; 3) mentored and trained junior and senior faculty who now teach and mentor others; 4) established a National Research Ethics Conference in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education; 5) conducted numerous research ethics webinars for the community of researchers and research organizations across the country, offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for completion; and, 6) created, among other bioethics courses, a week-long Responsible Conduct of Research module that was embraced by the AAU School of Public Health, which made the course a requirement for all its graduate students. These efforts have been very well received by key research actors in Ethiopia, with significant demand to continue and expand our program to meet emerging needs. Accordingly, from 2025-30, the AAU- JHU RETP will further strengthen the only available advanced research ethics training program in a country of over 100 million people by: 1) enhancing the Master’s program to include contemporary curricular additions, more inclusive admission criteria, and new ethics research training components; 2) creatively developing a new Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) in health research ethics catering to the needs of working professionals and complementing other shorter-term training opportunities, which will be enhanced; 3) increasing the number and capacity of bioethics teaching faculty at AAU and collaborating institutions while promoting institutionalization of research ethics across Ethiopia through novel individual and institutional mentoring programs; and, 4) further strengthening national platforms for research ethics engagement through creation of a National Health Research Ethics Association and expansion of the Annual National Conference. Four more cohorts of Ethiopian Master’s students (20 total), 20 PGD trainees, and 450 additional short-term trainees will be trained in health research ethics. We will leverage the very close collaboration between our two institutions, as well as JHU’s 25 years of efforts to strengthen research ethics capacity in Africa through Fogarty bioethics programs, to continue to transform the Ethiopian research ethics landscape.