The four-day visit brought together teams from Africa CDC, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and MRCG at LSHTM to strengthen collaboration, exchange knowledge and gain a closer understanding of the Unit’s research and public health activities in The Gambia and the wider region. 

During a meeting with the Unit’s Leadership Board, the delegation was briefed on MRCG’s strategic direction, operational structure and key research programmes. 

Professor Ed Clarke, MRCG at LSHTM Unit Director said; “We were thrilled to welcome our colleagues from the Africa CDC as well as from the PVAC to the Unit. The Africa CDC are the key continental stakeholders leading and supporting numerous healthcare, medical research and infectious disease outbreak responses.  We were very pleased to be able to show them our capacity as well as aspects of the research we are doing.” 

The Unit is playing a key role supporting the development of the Africa CDC’s ‘Hub and Spoke’ model for research evidence generation in outbreaks and this visit is expected to further those goals.  

The delegation also met with researchers, students and other members of staff and toured the clinical services department and various laboratories, including the biobank, where they explored sample storage and systems for maintaining temperature control. Additionally, they visited the biomedical engineering department, where they observed the maintenance of equipment and archive department facilities, as well as the immunology lab, where they viewed potential space for a study. 

The programme also included visits to MRCG’s trial sites in Fajikunda and Brikama, as well as the Keneba Field Station. The visits provided an opportunity for the delegation to see how research activities are carried out in collaboration with communities, health facilities and local teams. 

Postdoctoral fellows and PhD students presented their research, highlighting work that addresses health priorities across West Africa and beyond. The presentations also demonstrated the role of early-career researchers in generating and applying evidence to support health systems and policies. 

The visit concluded with a seminar delivered by Dr. Elvis Temfack, Head of Research and Development and Clinical Trials Coordination, Center for Science and Innovation on “The Continental Coordinated R&D Ecosystem: A Pragmatic Approach of African Health Security and Sovereignty,” bringing together staff to discuss and explore approaches to strengthening Africa’s research and development ecosystem, advancing health security and building greater capacity and self-reliance across the continent. 

Among other things, the visit provided an opportunity for both institutions to share experiences, identify areas for further collaboration and strengthen links between research, capacity development and public health across Africa.