Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
Capacity Building Feedback, 2012
Former course attendees were asked to provide feedback to the following:
We would like to know whether you have had a direct benefit from attending our
course(s). Things to consider in your reply might include any of the following:
Job Promotion
PhD enrolment
Job placement
An idea you gained from the course, resulting in a PhD or grant application
New collaborations between course attendees or faculty
Unaltered responses are listed below
If anybody has benefited from the training is me. I have attended two
trainings march 2011, and one module of September 2011. The training has
contributed alot to my proffession
1) An indicator in my performance contact where am suppose to attend at least one
workshop
2) will contribute towards my promotion since i have shown continued improvement
of my area of specialization
3) Obtained the latest facts and research avenues in areas such as immunology of
malaria and helminths
4) As a lecturer I have improved my delivery to my students both undergraduates
and graduates even the postgraduates. The materials obtained from the training are
quite resourceful for teaching the latest immunology
5) The book immunobiology and the soft copy of the illustrations that I got from the
training is my day to day guide to my teaching notes.
6) I have heard a chance to interract with renounced immunologists, the key
speakers in the training.
7) I have had an experience of how we can have suchof our own training in my
country , that can benefit many students who cannot afford to travel to Makerere.
8) The practicals are fair, I was able to understand some of the key principles eg in
flow cytometry though I wished there was molecular immunology, PCR as well
9) Was able to understand some areas of immunology that have been grey to me eg
evolution of immune system
I wish you continued support from wellcome trust so that more people
will benefit.
I attended the immunology in the tropics short course on malaria and Helminth
immunology at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Entebbe, from November
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5 – 16 , 2011.
The well organized training delivered in an all inclusive participatory way was highly
motivating to me as a researcher. Lectures, lab based practicals and discussion on
hot topics guided by prominent faculty members such as Prof. Mick Bailey, Dr. Simon
Draper, Prof. Eleanor Riley, Dr. Stephen Cose among others were insightful and
provided the much needed current knowledge on immunology of malaria and
helminths.
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
Besides gaining cutting edge knowledge, I was able to extent my scientific network
among fellow participants and faculty members. I also had an opportunity to discuss
with Dr. Simon Draper (vaccinologist, Oxford University) on a possible collaboration
to develop a non human primate model for Chikungunya, the mosquito-borne
arboviral disease.
Research tools acquired from the iTROP course was helpful in securing a
collaborative grant with KEMRI-Nairobi for the purpose of undertaking
seroprevalence survey for dengue and Chikungunya viruses circulating in non
human primates found in Kenya.
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I partly dedicate my recent achievement (10 July 2012) of postdoctoral grant award
by the Consortium for National Health Research (CNHR) to iTROP course work for
its motivation, provision of current knowledge and immunology practicals provided.
My postdoctoral research on “Surveillance of non-human primate zoonoses with
contemporary public health implications within Kenyan urban centres” needs to be
supplemented with more up-to date workshops on current immunology and
molecular techniques. It is therefore crucial that iTROP course work be sustained in
order to realize research capacity in different African countries and to promote
networking among students and established faculty members.
Immunology in the Tropics has enriched my knowledge. It has enbolden and
strenghtened me. I have told many colleagues in Nigeria about the programme. I
have it in mind to sponsor my students for the programme in future. You people
simplified immunology. I really gained from the course. Please, look for more
sponsors to make it easy for poor people to attend the course. My regards to other
lecturers.
For me, as research group leader I benefit by gaining knowledge (getting updated on
current immunological issues in the tropics) that help me to guide my PhD students
and Masters students. I have 4 students I am co-supervising and need to be able to
advice them well. Of course it also helps a lot towards my ongoing research,
identifying new leads for investigation, and also in my grant writing. Because I have
been a Welcome Trust fellow, I also appreciated that both myself and my students
(two have participated) our tuition fees was waived!
Thanks!
With regards to Job promotion i can't immediately state the impart.
My PhD enrolment, offcourse was the reason why i attended the course, i think it
gave me positive mark with my supervisor who sees in me as a student ready to
learn new things. He has suggested to me to design an experiment with which i can
use the flow cytometer to measure pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in culture
cells. I'm still thinking about the idea, hopefully that can be transformed into a grant
application.
On the overall i think the course has been helpful.
Thanks
In my response to your inquiry, I would wish to indicate that am indeed pleased to
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
have been one of the beneficiaries of the Immunology Course conducted at UVRI
during September 6-17, 2010.
This course helped me to improve on my proposal for the PhD studies on Isolation
and Characterisation of Influenza Viruses in Animals in Uganda that am currently
pursuing at College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity at
Makerere university.
I am using the same knowledge to guide research work investigating different
immunological options for integrated management of Theileria parva in the different
dairy farming systems in Uganda. I am the Project Coordinator of the Ugandan
Component of this Regional Project whose results are intended to improve a vaccine
for control of East Coast Fever, intended to benefit farmers in Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania and Burundi.
I would love to hear that further funding is being provided for this course for the
benefit of other Ugandan students and scientists, who may not have the opportunity
of attending such a course, if organised at foreign venues.
It is so good to read from you. I am glad to respond to this mail as one of the
beneficiary of the programme. The course has helped me in my understanding of
many aspect of research. It has helped me in my teaching job. As a faculty I have
taught my course more efficiently. The course has greatly improved my
understanding of journal articles and this has improved my performance generally
even in patient management. The course materials have become a regular source of
reference for me and my colleagues.
Steve please keep the good work going. Greet your family and members of your
team.
About your request, I wish to compliment like this. The iTrop course gave me a lot of
information that I keep finding to be helpful in my day today experience in private life
rather than the academicia!
I keep myself refreshed with the wealth of knowledge I got through the iTrop I & II
course I attended in 2009-2010, in running my private business that involves dealing
with my customers in the Academicia. It puts me in the state of talking the language
they understand when it comes to procuring items of specific specificity in their field
of research work.
Therefore, I would recommend that such an eye opener course being conducted
locally but in a very professional touch of international level continue to be sponsored
so as to build capacity in all relevant aspects of the scientific world.
On that note allow me to thank you for the efforts and dedication you are continuing
to deliver to our nation.
I wish that the other forms of iTrop culture like journal club at institutional level are
still being conducted.
I attended the above training in the year 2010 and I truly had direct benefit from it.
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
Project proposal:
We learnt in details on the Camel immunology and the structure of their
immunoglobulin’s and their functions. Due to this, I am already writing a proposal on
the use of Camel Immunoglobulins for treatments of different ailments and conditions
in children. I also want to use this project for PhD enrolment. I also teach about
Stem cells for research and therapeutic, and monoclonal antibody production.
I really benefits. I do pray that the program continues so that other people benefit as
much as I did.
Am also glad be an alumni of the immunology in the tropics course 2010
and i benefited in the following areas:
1. Through the knowledge that i gained i have been able to finish my Master's
research project entitled ''The effect of HAART on reconstitution of naive versus
memory T cell reconstitution during tuberculosis treatment in HIV/Active pulmonary
tuberculosis patients''. It was a result of that training that i was able to write the
proposal, do the research and now am finalising with the student dissertation.
2. In our department, we are working on writing grants pertaining research in
immunology of tuberculosis and am part of it.
3. Additionally, it widened the scope of knowledge, understanding plus the different
immunology techniques that i work with in day today activities in research of
tuberculosis and HIV. These include the cell cultures, cell separation techniques, cell
phenotyping, ELISAs, ELISPOTS and so on.
This course was very important for me. i managed to use the knowledge to complete
the a proposal on "Antigenic characterization of Non polio enteroviruses that grow
on L20B cell line". I am now doing the work for that proposal and i hope to release
results soon as part of my masters thesis.
It is my prayer that you get further funding for this very important activity.
There is no gainsay that the training programme in Immunology as organised by
UVRI is highly beneficial. It has helped brush up my knowledge of immunology and
hence impacted on my teaching and research.
Consequently, I have recommended it for other scientists and postgraduate students
who also atttested to its quality. As you know one of my PhD students is expected to
apply for the next course.
I therefore believe strongly that the grant for sustainability of the training programme
be applied for as I hope for success of your proposal with the Welcome Trust.
Cheers and best of luck.
The immunology training has benefited me; it helped me get a Job to lecture at
Muhimbili University in Dar es salaam, i now handle some immunology classes. The
practicals on flow cytometry gave me hands on exposure, considering the fact that
those machines are limited. Considering the above i must admit that this MUII
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
Research Training is a good one and should continue.
Thank you very much for providing this opportunity;
I attended two courses; on TB/HIV and Malaria/Helminths immunology courses
organized by MRC/UVRI
Through these;
I was able to organize my thoughts and enroll myself into PhD with Basel university;
on the topic Epidemiological interaction of malaria and other co infections.
I'm now project leader with IDEA- Tanzania project Dissecting the Immunological
Interplay between Poverty Related Diseases and Helminth Infections:An AfricanEuropean Research Initiative. (IDEA)
Through the knowledge acquired i'm able to reason out and draft my new proposal
for future project.
I established a strong collaboration with not only UVRI researchers but other
scientists coming from different regions of the world.
My dream is to see the courses continue and many more young scientist to benefit
as i did
Thank you again
Please below is what I gained:
1. Confidence in presenting and critiquing a paper to colleagues.
2. Tips when performing lab experiments, e.g, ways of breaking cells in a tube,
principles behind why we perform some basic tasks in the lab that are overlooked,
economical usage of pipet tips etc.
3. Established a network with colleagues both within Kenya and in Nigeria, where we
discuss and share new opportunities arising for post graduate students.
Best wishes in the renewal phase.
The course was extremely useful. It introduced to me some of the key concepts of
immunology in infectious disease. Malaria immunology and specifically humoral
immunity was most exciting for me and led to some ideas for my PhD work on
correlated of protection in children vaccinated with a candidate malaria vaccine,
RTS,S. The course made my transition from the field to the
laboratory swimmingly effective because of its practical module. I would very much
recommend this course to all young African scientists and hope it will persist for
many years to come.
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
I would really support the idea for the continuation of the course.
I attended the 2009 course, at a time I was planning to apply for a Wellcome Trust
funded Masters Fellowship. I was successful in my application, and they gave me
funding covering for a MSc Immunology course at King’s College London (which I
successfully completed last year, 2011). They further funded me for 18 months to do
a project investigating host immune responses during early TB treatment, which I am
currently doing in Malawi, at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust, Blantyre, Malawi.
The course provided me with adequate introductory knowledge in the subject of
immunology. I graduated in 2007 with basic Science degree, and having worked as
a technician in an immunology lab alone wouldn’t have qualified me to enrol for an
MSc Immunology course. Attendance of the course enhanced my selection into the
program with King’s College London. After all, if I did not intend to pursue a career in
Immunology research, why would I attend such a course!!!
I did not get a job promotion after the completion of the course!!! However after the
course, my supervisors became more confident with my work, and this enabled me
to greatly contribute in the studies I was working with by then. Furthermore, they
enabled me to train other junior staff, and other members of the lab, a thing which
increased my knowledge and interest in immunology.
Just a few days before your email, a junior colleague asked me how I managed to
get funding for my study, and I emphasised the benefit that I attained by attending
your course.
This years’ call was circulated at our institution and I have encouraged a number of
junior staff to attend.
I would wish to indicate that I am indeed pleased to have been one of the
beneficiaries of the Immunology Course conducted at UVRI during September 5-16,
2011.
This course helped me to improve on my proposal for PhD study on Malaria in
women after delivery: immunological basis of susceptibility in Burkina faso [Clinical
Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN)].
In addition, my background in immunology permitted me to obtain a post of Project
Coordinator [Malaria-063 (Immunogenicity of the hepatitis B antigen of the GSK
Biologicals’ candidate malaria vaccine (257049)].
I would love to hear that further funding is being provided for this course for the
benefit of other African students and scientists.
I was one of the pioneer attendees of these courses and my experience is
memorable. It made me start to enjoy Immunology having seen how the faculty on
the course interacted with us. I made long time net works both in and outside
Uganda with whom I am very much in contanct and hoping to write joint grants with
some of them some time soon. These were great courses which are important in
interesting more people in Basic science research (immunology in particular).
Makerere/UVRI Infection and Immunity
Research Training Programme
I attended two iTrop trainings in September 2011 and in March 2012.
I learnt so much in both trainings and have been able to use most of what I learnt in
writing a grant application focusing on malaria and helminth infections, and also in
designing and optimising my laboratory assays.
The training also enabled me interact with trainers and trainees who were an
inspiration to me and I have the intentions of forming new collaborations with them.
I therefore believe that iTrop is a brilliant idea for the young African scientists and
should by all means continue training them.