The aim of ISEP is to define and implement a sustainable strategy to expand capacity in applied medical statistics in SSA.
The partnership is unique in focusing on career pathways for early-mid career applied medical statisticians who, lack career and skills development opportunities, and report isolation which can lead to poor job satisfaction and retention. The ISEP structure is grounded in principles of equitable partnerships, African-centred and embedded with management and leadership training.
By the end of the grant, ISEP will increase capacity by creating a network of 20-30 applied medical statisticians at several sub-Saharan Africa institutions. It will do this via:
- Improving the skill set of medical statisticians by focusing on a) peer-support; b) training in technical and transferrable skills including management training; c) creation of a pilot mentorship scheme.
- Training in medical statistics and epidemiology, led by ISEP statisticians, for students and non-statisticians through: a two-year MSc Medical Statistics Fellowship scheme, short courses, training of trainers and PhD supervision.
- Stakeholder engagement with Directors of ISEP partner and non-partner institutes, policymakers and youth.
Established in January 2024, the MRC-funded International Statistics and Epidemiology Partnership (ISEP) aims to address a long-standing shortage of trained and experienced statisticians required for the ongoing explosion of data relevant and important to human health in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
ISEP is unique in focusing on career pathways for early-mid career applied medical statisticians who, lack career and skills development opportunities, and report isolation which can lead to poor job satisfaction and retention. The ISEP structure is grounded in principles of equitable partnerships, African-centred and embedded with management and leadership training.
ISEP will increase capacity by creating a network of 20-30 applied statisticians at several SSA institutions: African Population Health Research Centre (APHRC), Kenya; The Health Research Unit, Zimbabwe (THRU-ZIM); Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU), Tanzania; MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit; MRC Unit The Gambia; Zambart, Zambia; the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, UK.
ISEP complements existing initiatives for strengthening capacity for medical statistics in SSA, and will improve:
- The skill set of medical statisticians by focusing on a) peer-support; b) training in technical and transferrable skills including management training; c) creation of a pilot mentorship scheme.
- Training in medical statistics and epidemiology, led by ISEP statisticians, for students and non-statisticians through: a two-year MSc Medical Statistics Fellowship scheme, short courses, training of trainers and PhD supervision.
- Stakeholder engagement with Directors of ISEP partner and non-partner institutes, policymakers and youth to: a) reinforce the benefits of statistical leadership at research institutes; b) raise awareness of medical statistics, health research and data analysis as careers, the role of data and, the importance of training and research to guide public health policy.
The intended impact of ISEP, is to create a fully African-led network of early-mid career statisticians by the end of 2028.