The future of public health doctoral education in Africa: transforming higher education institutions to enhance research and practice.

The African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Call to Action in 2022 for Africa's New Public Health Order that underscored the need for increased capacity in the public health workforce. Additional domestic and global investments in public health workforce development are central to achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 of the African Union, which aims to build and accelerate the implementation of continental frameworks for equitable, people-centred growth and development. Recognising the crucial role of higher education and research, we assessed the capabilities of public health doctoral training in schools and programmes of public health in Africa across three conceptual components: instructional, institutional, and external.

Studying the context of psychoses to improve outcomes in Ethiopia (SCOPE): Protocol paper.

Background: Global evidence on psychosis is dominated by studies conducted in Western, high-income countries. The objectives of the Study of Context Of Psychoses to improve outcomes in Ethiopia (SCOPE) are (1) to generate rigorous evidence of psychosis experience, epidemiology and impacts in Ethiopia that will illuminate aetiological understanding and (2) inform development and testing of interventions for earlier identification and improved first contact care that are scalable, inclusive of difficult-to-reach populations and optimise recovery.

Methods: The setting is sub-cities of Addis Ababa and rural districts in south-central Ethiopia covering 1.

Multidimensional and intergenerational impact of Severe Mental Disorders.

Background: Severe Mental Disorders (SMDs) affect multiple generations although this is poorly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the intergenerational and multidimensional impacts of SMD in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: This comparative study was nested within an existing population-based cohort study.

The effect of gender on the long-term course and outcome of schizophrenia in rural Ethiopia: a population-based cohort.

Background: Although some studies have suggested that women with schizophrenia are more likely to achieve positive outcomes, the evidence-base is fraught with inconsistencies. In this study we compare the long-term course and outcomes for men and women living with schizophrenia in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: The Butajira course and outcome study for severe mental disorders is a population-based cohort study.

The 10-year functional outcome of schizophrenia in Butajira, Ethiopia.

Background: Long-term functional schizophrenia outcomes are not well characterized in low-income environments because of the rarity of prospective studies.

Objectives: To assess and describe long-term schizophrenia's functional outcomes and potential outcome predictors.

Methods: Following a baseline assessment, 316 people with schizophrenia were studied for 10 years, on average.

Excess mortality in severe mental illness: 10-year population-based cohort study in rural Ethiopia.

Background: Evidence on mortality in severe mental illness (SMI) comes primarily from clinical samples in high-income countries.

Aims: To describe mortality in people with SMI among a population cohort from a low-income country.

Method: We followed-up 919 adults (from 68 378 screened) with SMI over 10 years.

Long-term clinical course and outcome of schizophrenia in rural Ethiopia: 10-year follow-up of a population-based cohort.

Background: Although the few available studies from LMICs report favorable outcome, the course of schizophrenia is more complex than has been indicated so far.

Methods: A sample of 361 people with a standardized clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited from a predominantly rural community in Ethiopia and followed up regularly for an average of 10years. Psychiatrists used the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation chart to carry out assessment of illness course.

Human resources in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe human capacity and staff movement in national health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries.

Design: A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on governance and stewardship from health research institutions.

Setting: Eight hundred and forty-seven health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries.

Expenditures on health research in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To estimate the sources of funds for health research (revenue) and the uses of these funds (expenditure).

Design: A structured questionnaire was used to solicit financial information from health research institutions.

Setting: Forty-two sub-Saharan African countries.

Research and its governance in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe governance and stewardship of research in health research institutions in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region. Design: A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on governance and stewardship from health research institutions. Setting: Forty-two Member States of the WHO African Region.

Overview of national health research systems in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To assess the state of national health research systems of countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.

Design: A questionnaire-based survey METHODS: Structured questionnaires were used to solicit health research systems' relevant information from key informants in each country.

Setting: Forty-six Member States of the WHO African Region.

Health information systems in Africa: descriptive analysis of data sources, information products and health statistics.

Objective: To identify key data sources of health information and describe their availability in countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.

Methods: An analytical review on the availability and quality of health information data sources in countries; from experience, observations, literature and contributions from countries.

Setting: Forty-six Member States of the WHO African Region.

Surveying the knowledge landscape in sub-Saharan Africa: methodology.

Objective: To describe in detail the methods followed in each of the qualitative and quantitative surveys of national health information, research and knowledge systems and research institutions.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys.

Setting: National health information and research systems, and 847 health research institutions in 42 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.

Resources, indicators, data management, dissemination and use in health information systems in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe the status of health information systems in 14 sub-Saharan African countries of the World Health Organization African Region.

Design: A questionnaire-based survey.

Setting: Fourteen sub-Saharan African countries of the African Region.

Knowledge systems in health in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe the mechanisms and systems of knowledge acquisition, creation, diffusion, application and improvement of knowledge in two layers of the health system: health policy formulation and the provision of clinical services.

Design: A questionnaire-based survey.

Setting: Health research institutions in 46 countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region.

Research ethics policies and practices in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe the state of research ethics policies and practices in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries.

Design: A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on research ethics from health research institutions.

Setting: Forty-two sub-Saharan African countries.

Research output of health research institutions and its use in 42 sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe and analyse research output from surveyed national health research institutions in Africa.

Design: The survey used a structured questionnaire to solicit information from 847 health research institutions in 42 countries of the World Health Organization African Region.

Setting: Eight hundred and forty-seven health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries.

Institutional facilities in national health research systems in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

Objective: To describe the current status of institutional facilities and the supporting research infrastructure of surveyed health research institutions in Africa, including information on communication technologies and connectivity, library resources, and laboratory operations and resources.

Design: A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on institutional facilities at health research institutions.

Setting: Health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries.

Revising the WHO verbal autopsy instrument to facilitate routine cause-of-death monitoring.

Objective: Verbal autopsy (VA) is a systematic approach for determining causes of death (CoD) in populations without routine medical certification. It has mainly been used in research contexts and involved relatively lengthy interviews. Our objective here is to describe the process used to shorten, simplify, and standardise the VA process to make it feasible for application on a larger scale such as in routine civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems.

Trimethoprim as adjuvant treatment in schizophrenia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Various infectious agents, such as Toxoplasma gondii, have been hypothesized to be potentially relevant etiological factors in the onset of some cases of schizophrenia. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial in an attempt to explore the hypothesis that the symptoms of schizophrenia may be related to infection of the central nervous system with toxoplasma gondii. Systematically selected patients with ongoing and at least moderately severe schizophrenia from Butajira, in rural Ethiopia, were randomly allocated to trimethoprim or placebo, which were added on to participants' regular antipsychotic treatments.

Clinical course and outcome of schizophrenia in a predominantly treatment-naive cohort in rural Ethiopia.

The established view that schizophrenia may have a favorable outcome in developing countries has been recently challenged; however, systematic studies are scarce. In this report, we describe the clinical outcome of schizophrenia among a predominantly treatment-naive cohort in a rural community setting in Ethiopia. The cohort was identified in a 2-stage sampling design using key informants and measurement-based assessment.