GamREMTI is a programme designed to strengthen leadership capacity and expertise in health research ethics and methodology in The Gambia.
Ambassador Bah welcomed the delegation to the Embassy, and thanked them for paying a courtesy call on the Embassy. He assured them of the Embassy’s resolve to support the GamREMTI project initiative. The Ambassador suggested the need to broaden the project so that a good number of nurses may also benefit from obtaining training in the U.S. This, he added, would encourage retention in the health system. He said the Embassy would continue to explore avenues with bilateral and development partners with a view to give support to such crucial ventures.
For her part, Ms. Veronica Njie – Carr, Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and Principle Investigator of the Programme at the University of Maryland, spoke on behalf of the delegation. She briefed the Ambassador about the project and how they intend to continue expanding The Gambia’s research interest and activities. She said the capacity is needed for the country to successfully implement research-related activities.
Ms. Carr informed that The Gambia currently has very limited capacity in health research ethics and methodology, hence the need for their work. She said the 5-year Fogarty International Center (of the NIH) grant award will help address the capacity gap through implementation of a postgraduate certificate programme to lay the foundation for a Master’s Programme, annual professional development activities, and structured mentoring activities.
She said they have anticipated to start a postgraduate certificate programme in September 2023; postulating collaboration of three institutions – the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the University of The Gambia, and the Medical Research Council Gambia Unit.
On the purpose of the visit of the delegation from Banjul, she said the visit of Gambian scholars to the University of Maryland, Baltimore is part of the faculty preparatory set of activities. She said the group has received intensive research ethics training since 2020 to prepare them for their role as faculty teaching in the postgraduate certificate in research ethics and methodology programme.
Source: Embassy of The Gambia in the United States of America
