title: A strategy for developing future academic leaders for South Africa in a resource-constrained environment.
abstract: A key challenge in addressing the shortage of health care workers in resource-constrained environments is ensuring that there is optimal academic capacity for their training. South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal has placed academic and research capacity building at the heart of its program with the Medical Education Partnership Initiative in a program called ENhancing Training and REsearch capacity and Expertise (ENTREE). The program aims to increase the quantity, quality, and retention of health care graduates. It is premised on the basis that research capacity development will lead to an increase in teachers who will be essential to improving the quality and quantity of health care workers needed to meet South Africa's health challenges. This is being achieved through four components of the program: (1) infusion of the undergraduate program with research modules; (2) attraction of academically talented students in the middle of their undergraduate program into a parallel track that has research capacity as its major thrust; (3) attraction of qualified health care personnel into a supported PhD program; and (4) providing strong research ethics training and mentorship. A significant proportion of the program is being executed in rural training sites, to increase the probability that trainees will return to the sites as mentors.
authors: Professor Lalloo is senior professor and head, Department of Pulmonology and Critical Care, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Professor Bobat is associate professor and head, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Dr. Pillay is honorary lecturer, Department of Pulmonology and Critical Care, and director, HIV Graduate Program, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. Professor Wassenaar is professor and director, South African Research Ethics Training Initiative, School of Applied Human Sciences, and chair, Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
authors: Umesh G
authors: UG
authors: Lalloo
authors: Raziya A
authors: RA
authors: Bobat
authors: Sandy
authors: S
authors: Pillay
authors: Douglas
authors: D
authors: Wassenaar
mesh_terms: D001675:Bioethics / Q000193:education; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000193:education; D057191:Capacity Building; D002321:Career Choice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007857:Leadership; D008611:Mentors; D017145:Models, Educational; D013019:South Africa; D014481:United States