In this issue of the semi-annual newsletter, we take an in-depth look at how CARTA adapted to going virtual and local to keep the program moving. We talk to our co-director, Catherine Kyobutungi, about CARTA’s journey during the pandemic, the Program’s foray into the virtual realm, and the innovative transitions that have taken place so...
Shortly after our tenth anniversary, celebrated last year, CARTA now revels in surpassing the mark of 100 PhD graduates! CARTA has contributed to developing a vibrant African academy capable of leading world-class multidisciplinary research that positively impacts public and population health. Our goal is to strengthen the research ecosystem of African universities and support early career...
It is the wish of every researcher to have access to funding for their work. While it is not always readily available, the first step to being successful at it is a well-written grant application. Frederick Oporia, (Cohort Ten Fellow, Makerere University), took us through what fundraising as an early career researcher entails. What would you...
We are saddened to hear about the loss of Vartan Gregorian, the President of Carnegie Corporation of New York, which happened on April 15, 2021, in New York City. Since our inception, Carnegie Corporation of New York has funded our work, fervently supporting us in advancing the career paths of early career researchers in Africa through...
A one-day virtual workshop for Cohort Ten fellows’ supervisors took place on March 25, 2021 under the facilitation of the University of the Witwatersrand. The workshop, whose aim was to strengthen supervision capacity was attended by 25 supervisors drawn from the CARTA partner institutions. The discussions ranged from the supervision context in Africa, approaches to...
The 8th Public Lecture of the Joint Advanced Seminar 3 was delivered by Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, the Honourable Commissioner for Human Resources, Science, Technology, African Union Commission on February 25, 2021. The theme of the lecture was Science, Technology and Innovation: The Catalyst for Development of the Africa We Want. The annual lecture is often...
Lindiwe Farlane shares her experience of the just concluded Joint Advanced Seminar 3 What opportunities emerged from the virtual JAS 3 sessions and what are the lessons you drew from the whole seminar experience? I found the online seminar to be time-saving and allowed me protected time with facilitators without in-person distractions. I feel that my facilitators...
In this issue, we celebrate ten years of CARTA’s contribution to the development of a vibrant African academy. Who else to reflect on the decade better than a funder who has been with us all along? Besides, we delve into the aspect of going virtual and local and how CARTA adapted to the ‘new normal’...
We had a chance to speak with Akinyinka Omigbodun, former chairman of the management board of CARTA and a coordinator and facilitator of the ongoing Joint Advanced Seminar 3. He weighed in on the benefits and gaps of virtual meetings and shared his opinion on the importance of the Joint Advanced Seminar 3 to the...
Central to the training program for CARTA Fellows is a series of residential Joint Advanced Seminars (JAS), designed to enhance their skills and knowledge, guide and propel them through the research process, and provide a foundation for building networks of researchers, peers, and mentors. This year, the Joint Advanced Seminar (JAS) 3 began on January 11th...
For ages, scientists have dutifully undertaken the task of solving the problems facing humanity through research. However, to no small extent, their findings do not always reach the wider public to which the problem-solving endeavor is intended to benefit. This could be partly due to the scientists’ lack of skills to communicate their findings to...
The CARTA program was developed to address the training and retention of the next generation of academics at African academic institutions. Our fellows—staff of partner institutions—who come from various disciplines, such as public health, demography, anthropology, communication, and economics, among others, are bound by research that contributes to public and population health issues in Africa. Central...