Available courses

Introduction to Biostatistical Methods with Applications to HIV and TB Research 2019

  • Understand and apply basic biostatistical methods from descriptive statistics to hypothesis testing and linear regression;
  • Increase statistical literacy to improve understanding and critical review of the scientific literature;
  • Create better tables and figures through application of the principles learned;
  • Describe key clinical trial design features with application to HIV vaccine trials;
  • Apply basic data management principles to create accurate data sets;
  • Conduct analyses in R, a widely-used statistical programming language.

This interactive workshop will provide an introduction to basic biostatistical concepts and statistical literacy, basic data management, and introductory statistical programming in R.  Concepts will be motivated from real-world examples in clinical and laboratory research on HIV vaccines and TB.

Workshop faculty include:

  • Zoe Moodie, Senior Staff Scientist, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA.
  • Lori Dodd, Mathematical Statistician, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Maryland, USA.
  • Leigh Fisher, Staff Scientist, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA.
  • Michael Duvenhage, Clinical Trials Data Operations Manager, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Maryland, USA.
  • Tyler Bonnett, Biostatistician, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Maryland, USA.

SANTHE Mycobacterial Genetics Course 2018

A primary focus of the course will be for you to isolate and characterize novel mycobacteriophages, viruses that infect Mycobacterium tuberculosis. You will have an opportunity to isolate a novel virus, name it, characterize it, and join in the computational analysis of phages that can help to unravel the secrets of tuberculosis.  

pangea_course_v5-1.pdfpangea_course_v5-1.pdf

Epidemiology meets Phylogenetics

This course is organised jointly by SANTHE (www.santheafrica.org) and the PANGEA consortium (www.pangea.org). The course conveners are Lucie Abeler-Dörner, Scientific Manager of the Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, and Anne Derache, Clinical Research Co-ordinator from the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI).

 The course will cover topics from an introduction to epidemiology and epidemiological measures and designs to case studies and how to split a health budget to disease surveillance versus outbreak control.

This platform will facilitate whatever goes on in the classroom to enrich your learning experience. You will find all your course materials here and your classmate's profiles. You are also able to upload and share documents. Please feel free to make use of the chatrooms for topic related discussions.

Should you wish to tweet about the course which we hope you will, please include our handles: @SANTHEafrica and @pangea_hiv

Africa Asia Communications Forum 2019

The Wellcome Trust Africa Asia Communications Forum (AACF) is an annual meeting which aims to create and build a strong community of practice among Wellcome’s Africa and Asia Programme communication practitioners.
The overarching goals of the annual meetings are to:

1.    Develop the skills of Wellcome Trust’s Africa and Asia Programme communications practitioners through learning from each other’s experience and best-practice.
2.    Upskill through a ‘masterclass’ workshop/s led by an external expert.
3.    Continue to build a community of practice across the programmes.
4.    Build a culture of ongoing sharing and support.

Scientific Writing

“As scientific research evolves, it is critical – for credibility, relevance and readability of scientific articles – that our writing style evolves with it.” Ed Hull, Course Instructor.

Gain the skills and tools needed to write readable, relevant and credible research papers for publication in English and receive extensive individual feedback on your own paper.

This goal-oriented course focuses on: designing and organising a scientific article for publication; and finishing a scientific article for publication. It also looks at using language as a tool to clearly present the relevance and the credibility of the research.

Instructor: Ed Hull

Presentation Skills for Scientists

Scientists need to know how to present scientific information so that their audience understands the significance of their findings. Ed Hull’s workshop will help you prepare your presentations quickly and efficiently to deliver your information effectively in a way your audience understands.

This is what Ed Hull says you will learn from the course: A memorable presenter tells a memorable story. For this course, we will be concentrating on scientific stories. What I mean by a memorable scientific story is a story that interests an audience and from which they learn something that could be of use. This course is a course in health-related scientific storytelling.

Instructor: Ed Hull

Hypothesis-driven proposal writing: from theory to practice

A packed 2-day/3-session programme during which trainees learn useful tips about scientific reading and writing.

The goal of the first session is to understand the structure of an article so that trainees learn how to organise their data into into a story and also learn to read articles more efficiently. 

The second session focuses on the structure of a research proposal.

Even if you do not need to apply for funding in a near future being able to articulate a clear hypothesis and structure your work into aims will help you be very efficient during your PhD training (and of course will help you apply for funding or better explain your work when you apply for postdoctoral positions, jobs or funding).

The third session focuses on the hypotheses of each trainee's proposal.

 

SANTHE RESEARCH DAY 2020

Background: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we’ve had to cancel our site specific research days (where trainees showcase their work via oral and/or poster presentations in order to bring us up to date with their progress) that were due to take place between April and June this year at our sites in Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda/Zambia and South Africa.


Aim: We aim to pilot an online “project review workshop” instead where trainees from all SANTHE sites present online and these presentations will be peer- and secretariat-reviewed and graded.


Risk Management

Description

Risk management has long been an essential part of project management, but it has also become an increasingly important part of organizational best practices. This course will introduce you to the basic principles of risk management.

Objectives

In this course, you will learn about the seven R’s and four T’s that traditionally represent the key activities of risk management. This will give you a framework that you can customize for a single project, a department, or an entire company.


Time Management

Description

Time is money, the saying goes, and lots of it gets lost in disorganization and disruption. This course will give you some ways to get organized and make the most of your time.


Objectives

In this course, you will learn how to organize your workflow and office space, use your planner effectively, and delegate some of your work to other people.




Coaching & Mentoring

Description

Coaching is based on a partnership that involves giving both support and challenging opportunities to employees. Mentorship is a related skill that is often a part of coaching. It’s about being a guide, offering wisdom and advice when it is needed. This course will cover both of these essential skills.


Objectives

In this course, you will learn how coaching and mentoring differ from each other. You will also learn the key aspects of each skill as well as supporting skills (such as goal setting, communication, feedback techniques, and adult learning principles).





Instructor: Bronwyn Petzer

Conducting Effective Performance Appraisals

Description

Performance reviews are an essential component of employee development. After all, how will employees be able to meet their goals if they don’t know what those goals are? This course will help you set up and execute a performance management process.


Objectives

This in-depth course will cover the entire performance management process, various types of performance reviews, goal setting, feedback strategies, coaching tips, techniques for handling performance problems, and ways to maintain performance.




Intermediate Project Management

Description

Project management is not just for certain industries or job titles. Most of us are expected to complete assignments that are not a usual part of our job and to get the job done well, within a budget, and on time. This course will share some project management techniques that can help you achieve your goals. We recommend that you complete “Project Management Fundamentals” before beginning this course.


Objectives

In this course, you will focus on the last three stages of the project life cycle: planning, execution, and termination. This includes identifying tasks and resources; using scheduling techniques like the work breakdown structure, Gantt charts, and network diagrams; preparing a budget; executing a project; and controlling changes.




Instructor: Sashin Harilall

Working with people with disabilities

Description

People with disabilities represent a significant and largely underutilized resource for businesses. This course will give you tools and tips for creating a diverse workplace and making the most of what employees have to offer.


Objectives

In this course, you will explore what the word “disabilities” means and what some common disabilities are. You will also explore stereotypes, misconceptions, and labels. Then, you will learn ways to encourage diversity, create an accessible workplace, make appropriate accommodations, and protect the privacy of your employees.




Instructor: Bronwyn Petzer