The administration of the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), the University of Sierra Leone has launched the Research and Innovation Support Office (RAISO) on 12th July, 2024 at the former Law School Building along Lamina Sankoh Street Freetown. This occasion was also used to induct 13 PhD candidates in medical and related sciences, 17 MPhil, 18 MPH, and 20 MSc Nursing. These students are largely benefiting from funding attracted through partnership with international research agencies and development organizations. They are also benefitting from intellectual support from academic institutions including Havard University especially in teaching and with resource materials.
Presenting the RAIS Office to the Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Sierra Leone, Professor Aiah Lebbie and other dignitaries present including the former Minister of Technical and Higher Education and earlier on Minster of Health and Sanitation, Professor Alpha Wurie, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, COMAHS, Professor Mohamed Samai, said “this place is established to house the management of research grants”. Professor Samai highlighted the research profile of the College, which has significantly improved the capacity of COMAHS and medical services in the country especially after the EBOLA outbreak in Sierra Leone. According to him, the College has attracted several international funding and research grants as a result of staff undertaking empirical and reliable studies that are impacting on clinical development. some of the trail studies include vaccines like EBOVAC for Ebola and MULTIPLY for the prevention of malaria and recently they are working on the SOLIDIARITY VACINE for COVID 19.
Professor Samai provided synopsis of this progress since Ebola response to date. According to him, it was difficult to cut the chain of transmission of the virus at the initial outbreak of Ebola. He says, “together with Haja Isata Wurie we took steps to train people in diagnostic molecular biology that was needed to reduce the spread of the virus at that time. We contributed in that direction. We also worked with Peter Piot the person who discovered Ebola virus”. Sir Peter Karel Baron Piot, KCMG, FRCPFFPH, FMedSci is a Belgian-British microbiologist known for his research into Ebola. Professor Samai said they were working on a big project called EBOVAC together with CDC. He stated, “I was also dragged to work with CDC on another project on Ebola. which dealt with clinical trials and through that effort the office I currently operate from in New England was built as part of the capacity building.” He appreciated several other big gains made through research and partnerships. Professor Samai, again stated, “through the resources benefited from STRIVE Study, we have rehabilitated this dilapidated building, we now use as the Research grant office”. He continued that, “we used that project to train our people in terms of clinical trials and good research practice as a result, we have acquired a lot thing.” Professor Samai told the gathering that, “we know Ministry of Health and Sanitation is also key in training its personnel at postgraduate level, but we have packaged a master’s program for nurses such that it is a combination of academia and clinical training. We now have masters in neonatal nursing and pediatric nursing. We have ten students that have enrolled for neonatal nursing and these students are supported by Project HOPE. As a college, we considered the bulk of infant mortality is really occurring at neonatal period”.
In view of this, as a college, he says, “we have selected ten students in pediatric nursing and paid for their training. We also have funding from Ministry of Health and Sanitation through Word Bank grant to develop curriculum in surgical nursing and Masters in Midwifery and curriculum in dentistry. Those funding have been secured”.
The Dean of Faculty, Associate Professor Haja Isata Wurie briefly explained about the development of the different postgraduate programmes at COMAHS leading to the induction ceremony. The process, according to her started in 2021 which was pioneered by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, COMAHS, Professor Mohamed Samai and erstwhile VC&P, Brigadier General Professor Dr. Foday Sahr.
The initiative was justified by the drive of meeting the health demand and sustainability in SierraLeone. This was further based on the financial environment and the various courses required for professional practice. In other to meet these objectives, innovative approaches were used for income generation and resource mobilization as a core strategy. The process has three phases:
• Phase 1: Develop concept note and request proposal with a sustainable component through National and International institution for support.
• Phase 2: Develop the package resource which include direct financial support, internship opportunities, gratis lecture, project or research supervision-mentor or advisor
• Partner responses were:
• The Broad Institute USA
• Tulane University USA
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast Ghana
• National counterpart Universities: UNIMTECH, Makeni, Njala University, EBKUST
• Phase 3: Popularize the concept to faculty member and any other interested scientists wanting to upgrade their career. The result was :
• Develop the program Interview of potential Masters and PHD Candidates were conducted by a team led by VC-P and DVC and SPS
• Selections was based on defending hypothesis and proposal outline
These candidates were selected after defending their proposals in Bo few weeks ago. The essence of today’s occasion is to ensure that these students are exposed to postgraduate policies, resource materials, procedures and processes that will help them to graduate as early as possible. At the same time, the College is making these project results visible to the academic community and the nation at large. Professor Wurie further outlined the support they are getting from different partners, local and international to accelerate this process and to develop the young faculty she is heading as a dean. The gathering was thrilled with her presentation. She acknowledged some contributors who were present and those that could not make it to be there.
The Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sierra Leone, Professor Aiah Lebbie demonstrated his passion for empirical research and the diverse ways he has promoted intellectual culture through research. He started his statement by acknowledging the presence of Professor Alpha Wurie and appreciated his immense contributions while serving as Minister of Health and Tertiary Education. He commended Professor Samai and team for taking the College from a humble begging to a very admirable standard. He encouraged them to keep up with the good work and foster more collaborations with researchers and development partners.
He congratulated the staff of COMAHS and acknowledged the results of their team work presented by the DVC and Professor Wurie. He said that he was convinced with the results of their team work. In similar way, he appreciated the role played and contributions made by the Dean of Postgraduate studies.
He was impressed with the facilities available at the RAIS office and complemented their efforts emotionally. Professor Aiah Lebbie told the gathering that he was trained as a botanist and later on has specialized in wildlife ecology and forestry. He has conducted several studies in those areas. He said in 2016 CDC approached him to investigate about Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. He teamed up with his colleagues to do so. However, since then to date they have been busy searching for the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, they are yet to see the virus; they have discovered another deadly virus and isolated it in Moyamba district. The Marborg Virus (MARV) is very deadly like Ebola virus.
Before officially launching the RAIS Office, Professor Lebbie appealed to alumni and other well-wishers to support COMAHS and the university as a whole. He confessed that when some were students, they might have experienced things that have made them bitter and to the point of giving their backs to the University after graduating. He ended up by commissioning the building and blessing the induction ceremony.