24.09.2024
TAKeOFF Consortium Scientists Participate at the Annual UN Science Summit 2024
The TAKeOFF Consortium joined other RHISSA funded consortia to present at the 2024 Science Summit at the 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York.Prof. Alexander Debrah, TAKeOFF coordinator, KNUST Ghana, Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz from IMMIP Bonn and Dr. Linda Batsa Debrah from KNUST Ghana, presented talks during the session "Collaborative African-German research exchange, implementation & uptake." The session was organized by RHISSA . RHISSA, (Research Networks for Health Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa), is made up of 9 BMBF funded consortia, one of them being our TAKeOFF Project.
Group Photo of participants
(C) TAKeOFF Consortium
The sessions, held on September 19, 2024, was opened by a welcome speech by Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz (UKB/IMMIP, Bonn, Germany) who then gave the floor to presenters from different country and institutions to present. Dr. Linda Batsa Debrah (KCCR/KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana). In the first session, Prof. Alexander Debrah presented on North to South research collaboration to contribute for the achievement of SDG target 3 whilst sharing insights on the achievements from the consortium’s first funding phase, these included achievement on the application of digital health tools like the Mobile Interactive Voice System (mIVRS) and hygiene management for lymphedema patients. In his talk he highlighted how evidence generated during TAKeOFF’s first funding period, the introduction of the mIVRS tool led to a significant increase in case identification for lymphedema and hydrocele in the Upper East Region, Ghana, which massively contributed to the data on lymphedema cases reported by the Ghana Health Service NTD Programme.
Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz, whose first talk was on Collaborations with the DAAD centres for global health and pandemic prevention, presented on how additional collaborations support the projects and help in capacity building, the talk highlighted TAKeOFF’s collaborations with the DAAD centers for global health and pandemic prevention, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne Site and EDCTP funded clinical trials.
The first session was followed by a panel discussion that was very insightful.
The second session, was introduced by Dr. Linda Batsa Debrah, focused on "Early- to mid-career researchers, mentors from the African and German sides, and elevator pitches". Dr. (Mrs.) Debrah presented on the challenges of conducting clinical research in resource-limited settings, outlining four key areas: human resources, infrastructure, regulatory and stakeholder engagement, and cultural and social factors. She also addressed the issue of brain drain among African scholars and emphasized the need for on-demand, non-credit training courses, such as grant and research proposal writing, for students in academic institutions. Additionally, early-career PhD researchers, including Dr. Vera Serwaa Opoku, shared her experiences on navigating the path of clinical research, citing the importance of networking and mentorship. Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz did her second presention during this session on Mid-career researchers in Germany, challenges that postdocs face on the way to become professors, and the limitation on the number of contracts that can be renewed for researchers under the German “limited extension regulation law”.
Overall, the RHISSA-TAKeOFF sessions, along with contributions from other consortia, provided valuable insights and potential benefits for early-career researchers and students who participated.
Dr. (Mrs.) Linda Batsa Debrah, TAKeOFF-Ghana PI
(C) TAKeOFF Consortium
Dr. Ute Klarmann-Schulz
(C) TAKeOFF Consortium
