The Nigerian Environmental Epidemiology Accelerated Research Program (NEEAR): Evaluation of an Environmental Epidemiology Short Course for Nigerian Researchers

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM The Nigerian Environmental Epidemiology Accelerated Research (NEEAR) Program seeks to promote collaborative capacity and research development in environmental epidemiology in Nigeria. In 2021, a short course on environmental epidemiology was developed to strengthen the ability of Nigerian researchers to conduct environmental epidemiology research and thereby, to fill gaps in research capacity. METHODS The course was extensively advertised through social media and professional networks. Eligible applicants included Nigerian graduate students and scientists with degrees in Environment and Health related disciplines. Training was weekly 2-hour online sessions for 2 weeks and a 1-day in-person session in Nigeria. It included tutorial, videos, group work and hands-on exercises with faculty from Emory University USA and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research. Session topics included study design, exposure assessment, data analysis, research ethics, and dissemination. A career talk and transferable skills sessions were also included. Pre- and post-session quizzes were administered during each session to assess whether the training improved participants’ understanding of the session topics. RESULTS A total of 240 Nigerian researchers applied to the program, of which 35 (15%) top applicants were invited. Short course participants were 47% female and 53% male, with 87% possessing postgraduate qualifications. The participants came from 8 states within Nigeria. There was a marked improvement in participants post-session quiz scores compared to scores from the beginning of the sessions. Participants feedback was very positive. There was clarity on how the training will be applied in their current studies or work. CONCLUSIONS The short course was impactful and fostered collaborative research capacity among Nigerian researchers. There is potential for more of such courses to be held due to the large number of eligible applications received. Future courses on intermediate/advanced epidemiology and biostatistics methods, internships and post-training connects are recommended. KEYWORDS Capacity development, Nigeria, collaborative research