News & Updates

April 2025 Edition, Issue 88

Welcome to another edition of the CARTA monthly updates. Read on to keep abreast with what is new.

CARTA Secretariat Hosts PERKA Research Team

The CARTA Secretariat hosted a team from the Peer Learning for Emerging Researchers’ Knowledge and Advancement (PERKA) II project on April 15, 2025. Supported by the Carnegie Corporation and National Research Foundation of South Africa, PERKA has assessed the impact of the Emerging Researcher Initiatives over the past decade. PERKA I, held in 2019, was the first opportunity for the representatives of the different Carnegie-supported fellowship programs to share their postdoc models (and expected outcomes) and experiences for peer-learning. PERKA II aims to better understand the outcomes achieved through these initiatives—what has made these impacts possible, the challenges that may have limited progress, and how such challenges can be addressed more effectively moving forward. CARTA is proud to have been selected as one of the initiatives under review as part of the impact of PERKA II.

Advancing Strategic Governance: Highlights from CARTA’s April 2025 Meetings

In April 2025, CARTA held two key governance meetings that shaped the direction of its ongoing initiatives and strategic focus. On April 25, the Executive Directorate met virtually to align on major priorities, including updates on early career researcher support, development of the cohort 12 proposal, and progress on operationalizing research hubs. The meeting also reflected on CARTA’s journey and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening research environments across the continent.

Subsequently, the 19th Partners’ Forum on April 29 brought together institutional partners to review program progress and deliberate on CARTA’s strategic trajectory. Discussions included updates on cohort 12, financial and audit reports for 2024, and collaborative approaches to enhancing research capacity. Together, these sessions reinforced CARTA’s participatory governance model and its continued leadership in advancing Africa’s research ecosystem

Blog

As CARTA advances into its third strategic phase, CARTA2025, it is establishing research hubs at partner institutions to strengthen Africa’s research landscape. These hubs are envisioned to provide research knowledge, training, and expertise in specific thematic areas. The hubs will build upon and consolidate the existing research expertise within the CARTA network while bringing in new collaborators to further enhance their capacity. Learn more about this exciting step toward sustainable research excellence and how postdoctoral fellowships are helping drive impact. Read more

University of Ibadan Extends CARTA’s JAS3 Mentorship Model to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

On April 4, 2025, the University of Ibadan (UI), a committed CARTA partner, demonstrated its strong commitment to research capacity building by mentoring Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to deliver a CARTA-modeled Joint Advanced Seminar 3 (JAS 3). This initiative followed virtual sessions held in November 2024 and culminated in a successful residential phase hosted by KNUST. Through this collaboration, UI not only strengthened regional academic networks but also broadened the reach of CARTA’s transformative approach to doctoral training, benefiting doctoral fellows from both institutions. UI’s willingness to share its expertise and support a non-CARTA institution reflects the spirit of collaboration at the heart of the consortium. JAS 3 is crucial for strengthening fellows' skills in data analysis, scientific writing, and research communication - key components of the CARTA model for strengthening research capacity.

Makerere Focal Person Featured in La Croix for Groundbreaking Climate-Health Adaptation Work in Uganda

CARTA Focal Person for Makerere University, John Bosco Isunju’s work was featured in the La Croix publication in an article titled ‘Global warming: pioneer of adaptation in Africa’. The piece highlights Uganda’s pioneering efforts as the first African country to launch a national initiative aimed at adapting its healthcare system to the effects of climate change. 

After witnessing extreme weather events like tornadoes and floods, Isunju spearheaded a national plan focusing on training health workers, enhancing disease prevention, and reinforcing hospital infrastructure. His work highlights the link between environmental and human health, addressing rising cases of malaria, cholera, and other epidemics worsened by climate impacts. Read more

Launch of the 2025 Countdown Lancet Report

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and other partners launched the 2025 Lancet Report under the Countdown 2030 Initiative on April 14, 2025. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH) across Africa. It underscores persistent disparities and highlights strategies to strengthen health systems and accountability. The Countdown 2030 Initiative is a multi-institutional collaboration that calls for the accountability of governments and development partners, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes new actions for universal coverage of women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health.

The initiative is under the current Directorship of CARTA graduate, Cheikh Faye, who is also the Head of the APHRC’s regional office in West Africa, based in Dakar, Senegal. Explore the Report

Ijarotimi Omotade, cohort 10, was promoted to the grade of Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Perinatology, on April 14, 2025, with effect from October 1, 2022, by the Appointments and Promotions Committee of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. This promotion is historic for the University as it makes her the first-ever female Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology produced by the University.

Celestin Banamwana, cohort 7, University of Rwanda, was granted a CARTA Post-doctoral fellowship in the Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (TERID) research hub at Makerere University on April 1, 2025. His work focuses on Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) under the surveillance, preparedness, and response (SPAR). It is noted that the overall HAI remains higher at 15% in Rwanda. Evidence research for a proper intervention on Infection Prevention Control (IPC) in the hospital, aimed at containing these pathogens, can reverse the burden of HAI in Rwanda and Uganda.

John Alonge, cohort 4, led the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sustainable Knowledge Systems in Africa, which was hosted by Karatina University on April 14-15, 2025. The conference drew experts from across the globe to discuss ethical innovation and digital transformation. The event featured over 40 presentations, workshops, and panels that explored the intersection of AI, education, libraries, data governance, and indigenous knowledge. Read more

Godwin Anywar, cohort 6, Makerere University, gave a talk on Scholarly Writing for Publication at the Great Lakes Centre for the study of the United States at Makerere University on April 28, 2025, under the auspices of the Makerere University Writing Center. He also facilitated a session during the Uganda Science Leadership Programme at the Uganda Virus Research Institute on April 23-25, 2025. The Leadership workshop was attended by 27 Early-Career Researchers, all PhD holders from over 6 universities and one research institute in Uganda.

On April 15, 2025, Stephen Wandera, cohort 2, Makerere University submitted an abstract titled, ‘Risk Factors of Caregiver Burden Among Caregivers of Older People in Rural Eastern Uganda’, that was selected for the merit of distinction in 2025. Each year the American Academy of Neurology and the Science Committee review the highest-rated abstracts in each topic. Distinction is awarded to the abstract deemed to be the top in its topic category in quality of study and interest to the neurologic community.

François Niragire, cohort 1, University of Rwanda, led an awareness workshop on “Expanding the Institutional Capacity Strengthening for Enhanced Doctoral Research Training at the University of Rwanda (ECASERT)” project, which aims to institutionalize CARTA interventions and ensure consistent, high-quality doctoral training across all UR Colleges using adapted content from CARTA’s Joint Advanced Seminars (JASes) on April 24, 2025. The workshop brought together 24 participants, including the Director of the Center for Postgraduate Studies, School Coordinators, PhD trainers, and student representatives—for a demonstration of the newly developed learning materials on the University’s eLearning platform and the CARTA PhD Training Curriculum.

Solange Nikwigize, cohort 11, University of Rwanda participated in piloting a survey for the Human papillomavirus (HPV) Project and trained 20 data collectors who were assigned to collect data during the project April 26, 2025. The project aimed to improve methods for measuring the coverage and equity of HPV. She is also serving as a co-supervisor of 7 master’s students at the university.

Pierre Munezero, cohort 11, University of Rwanda, contributed to the development of a new Master of Science in Immunology program. His effort supports capacity building in postgraduate education and aims to produce skilled professionals capable of contributing to immunological science and translational medicine. He is also serving as a co-supervisor of two master’s students at the University.

Fellowship: IVI's 2025 International Vaccinology Course

In an increasingly interconnected and evolving world, the theme of this year’s International Vaccinology Course, “Vaccines in a Changing World: Innovation and Access,” reflects the urgent need to adapt our approaches to vaccinology. This year’s course will explore how scientific innovation, alongside the pressing need for equitable access, can meet these evolving challenges. Details

Application deadline: May 26, 2025

Call for Applications: The 12th KOSTAT-UNFPA Summer Seminar on Population (Korea)

Statistics Korea (KOSTAT) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will host “the 12th KOSTAT-UNFPA Summer Seminar on Population” from June 23 to July 11, 2025. The 12th Seminar will feature three distinct yet consecutive training courses centered on research and methodologies. These courses address key contemporary demographic challenges, including low birth rates, aging populations, and COVID-19. Details

Application deadline: May 16, 2025

Call for applications for two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Science and Society

The Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University invites applications for two exciting postdoctoral fellowship opportunities in the broad field of science and society. Science Fellowship, and Public Engagement with the Social Sciences and Humanities Fellowship. Both fellowships will be hosted within the Public Engagement Lab at CREST, led by Prof Marina Joubert. Details

Application deadline: June 5, 2025

Call for papers: 21st International Conference on Urban Health

The 21st Annual International Conference on Urban Health (ICUH 2025), hosted by the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), sets the stage for a transformative dialogue on the future of urban health. Invitations are open to thought leaders, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and innovators to share insights and solutions that address the pressing challenges of urbanization, climate change, and health inequities. Details

Application deadline: May 17, 2025

Training: UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Sparkman Center for Global Health Summer Institute is a one-week intensive workshop that introduces implementation research (IR) in global health settings and provides training on how to apply IR concepts and methods to address health inequities in global health research and practice. Details

Application deadline: June 1, 2025

Online workshop: Introduction to LactaMedia – A Visual Resource for Breastfeeding Education

Organized by the Global Health Network, this will be an interactive 90-minute online workshop introducing LactaMedia, a curated collection of clinical breastfeeding photos and videos, freely accessible on LactaHub. This unique resource supports healthcare professionals in strengthening breastfeeding education through high-quality visual materials. A Certificate of Attendance will be issued upon full participation. Details

Date / Time: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 14:00 UTC +1

Cold Chain for Global Health Course

Over 30% of food is lost, around 25% of vaccines are wasted, and pandemic surveillance systems still face significant challenges due to inadequate management strategies, such as broken cold-chain systems. The cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply system essential for preserving food, vaccines, reagents, and biological samples, playing a critical role in health outcomes and food security. It also intersects with climate change due to its reliance on energy and refrigerants. Details

From Freeze to Evisceration of U.S. Foreign Aid: On-the-Ground Realities and Sector-Wide Impacts on Global Health Webinar

Hosted by the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University, in collaboration with CREHPA, HIAS, and policy/strategy Group, this timely global webinar brings together researchers, frontline practitioners, policymakers, and advocates. Register here

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