Building and Evaluating Research Capacity in Healthcare Systems: Case Studies and Innovative Models

There have been many calls internationally over the past decade to strengthen, support, and sustain research capacity in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Research capacity is considered an essential foundation for a cost-effective healthcare system. There is growing recognition that a more systems-oriented approach to research capacity building is appropriate; however, a substantial effort is required to make it effective and sustainable. While many countries and research funding organizations have invested in training individuals for this purpose, in many LMICs research capacity remains fragmented, uneven, and fragile.

This book addresses these gaps, capturing what was learned from teams working on the Global Health Research Initiative. It brings together the experiences of 13 research capacity-building teams co-led by Canadians and LMIC researchers in several regions of the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia. It will be of particular interest to funding agencies, policymakers and researchers in the healthcare sector.

The editors

Nancy Edwards is a nurse epidemiologist and a professor in the School of Nursing and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada. She has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of public health.

Dan C. Owino Kaseje, professor at Great Lakes University of Kisumu, Kenya, has over 30 years of experience in providing technical and advisory services in the implementation of health and development programmes in Africa.

Eulalia Kokuangisa Kahwa teaches at the UWI School of Nursing, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica. She is a nurse and nutritionist with over 30 years’ experience in healthcare and nursing education, particularly in the fields of HIV/AIDS and asthma.