This week Mr Humpress Harrington (Pacific Adventist University) and Dr David MacLaren (James Cook University) have attended a workshop at the University of Nairobi in Kenya to learn more about the WHO TDR ‘Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative’. TDR is the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, a global programme of scientific collaboration that helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty.

Humpress and David have witnessed how emerging health researchers in Kenya are being supported through the TDR program, and how the TDR programme could be used to strengthen health research training in the Pacific.

While in Kenya, Humpress and David met with Dr Eddie Kamau from the WHO TDR program. The Atoifi Health Research Group has received two grants from WHO TDR (2014 and 2015), with these grants supporting a series of research training workshops and many of the ‘learn-by-doing’ projects at Atoifi.

During the meeting, key achievements of the Atoifi Health Research Group's grass-roots approach to strengthening research capacity were discussed, and future plans proposed.

For more information about the TDR funded work being conducted by the Atoifi Health Research Group, please email: humpress.harrington@gmail.com or rowenaasugeni@gmail.com

Photo (L-R): Dr Eddie Kamau (WHO TDR), Mr Humpress Harrington (PAU), Dr David MacLaren (JCU)