Research
The AMPATH Research Network, currently led by Dr.
Thomas Inui of Indiana University and Dr. Winstone Nyandiko of Moi
University, was born in 1998. The research program was built
on a solid foundation with an eye toward sustainability. The
efforts to create a sustainable program included establishing:
- A research program office at AMPATH to oversee and coordinate research actividties.
- A Research and Sponsored Programs office to provide grants managements and other essential services.
- An Institutional Review Board to ensure that proposed research is both ethical and culturally-appropriate.
The laboratory capacity was enhanced to support research projects. This infrastructure has allowed the program to grow from a single research project to more than 90 active projects with research funding in excess of $42 million. There are currently (July 2011) more than 19 universities participating in the research program. More than 170 publications have resulted from these collaborations.
The program structure has been adapted over the years to deal with its growth. Initially, there was one full-time IU researcher working and living in Kenya. Now, there are 5 co-field directors for Research; three are full-time in Kenya. To facilitate collaboration, the program is organized into 9 research working groups (adult medicine, basic science, behavioral & social science, oncology, pediatrics, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, public health & primary care, reproductive health, and tuberculosis)s and 7 cores (operations, data management, biostatistics, clinical informatics, pharmacy, laboratory, and bioethics). Additionally, each project must have both a North American and Kenyan principal investigator.