In celebration of the successful completion of the MEPI-JF project, a half day workshop was held at Capital Hotel, Addis Ababa, on March 27/2022. This project was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Addis Ababa University was one of the eleven institutes in Sub Saharan Africa, which has received a grant. The project has run from 2018 to 2021 with a total budget of 3.6 million USD.

The Project had the objective to build the research capacity of junior faculty in the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University. As part of this, the project had awarded a two-year training scholarship for junior faculty members of the College on the merit-based competition. The scholars had been taking face-to-face and online courses collaborating with international partners, including Emory University, University of Wisconsin, and Johns Hopkins University. The course work led to a Masters’ Degree in Clinical Epidemiology. In addition, the scholars had been participating at bi-monthly journal club sessions where each scholar reviewed and presented articles and research papers to the College community.

Miliard Derbew (Professor) Principal Investigator, MEPI- Junior Faculty & HEPI Project, CHS, AAU

In total, 45 junior faculty scholars in five cohorts were accepted. The project had four thematic areas: HIV/AIDS and related infections; non-communicable  diseases; maternal and child health; and mental health. As part of the program, the scholars engage in original research activities in their scientific areas. 43 of the scholars have completed the program successfully.

The senior leadership of the University and the College and representatives of different stakeholders have attended the workshop including Dr. Mitike Molla (VPRTT, AAU), Dr. Andualem Deneke (CED, CHS, AAU), Prof. Damen Hailemariam (Co-PI, MEPI-JF and HEPI projects), MEPI Scholars, MEPI mentors and others. Major accomplishments of the project and experience of scholars and mentors in the program was presented. Certificates of appreciation were also awarded to different stakeholders that have contributed to the success of the project.