A testament to CARTA’s mission of strengthening the capacity of African universities to nurture and sustain a pipeline of high-quality, multidisciplinary early-career researchers who lead world-class research and drive impact across sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2025, CARTA welcomed its eleventh cohort of PhD fellows, marking a renewed investment in the next generation of researchers committed to transforming public and population health in Africa. Through rigorous doctoral training and institutional support, they are developing research that is locally grounded, globally relevant, and focused on generating evidence that improves outcomes and informs policy and programmatic action on the African continent.
Cohort 11 consists of 20 PhD fellowships awarded to faculty members of CARTA partner universities and research institutions, selected through a highly competitive process that attracted a total of 175 applications. The majority of the fellowships are supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), whose sustained investment has been instrumental in advancing CARTA’s mission to strengthen research capacity across the continent. Notably, CARTA has awarded two fellowships to the Somali National University (SNU), coming in through a collaboration with the program’s long-standing partner, Makerere University in Uganda. Makerere will provide mentorship and institutional support as the SNU-based fellows embark on their doctoral journey. This initiative reflects CARTA’s commitment to strengthening research capacity in fragile and post-conflict contexts through strategic partnerships.
Three of the PhD fellowships are supported through CARTA’s growing partnership with the Oak Foundation, with their research focusing on Preventing Sexual Violence Against Children (PSVAC). This support reflects expanding interest in CARTA’s model and its alignment with urgent global and regional priorities.
Cohort 11 fellows are asking bold, timely questions that matter to African communities, with the potential to strengthen health systems, advance equity, and spark innovation. Below is a glimpse of their work that is envisioned to shape Africa’s public and population health landscape.
Adolescents with mental health conditions face an increased risk of oral diseases, primarily due to poor oral hygiene practices and the xerostomia side effects of psychotropic medications.
To assess the oral health status and needs of adolescents with mental health conditions and to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated oral health care plan.
Adverse pregnancy outcomes remain a major public health concern, with increasing evidence linking them to periodontal disease through chronic inflammation.
To understand how periodontal disease contributes to adverse pregnancy outcomes through microbiome-related inflammation, and to support integrating oral health into antenatal care.
Hemoglobinopathies are one of the commonest inherited blood disorders globally, and Nigeria bears a disproportionate burden, yet regional genomic data remains sparse.
To elucidate the genetic and molecular profiles of hemoglobinopathies and hemoglobin variants in Ibadan, Nigeria, for improved diagnostics and precision public health interventions.
Hereditary breast cancer mutation is high in Nigeria (7-10%). The mutation carriers are predisposed to different types of cancers, with about an 80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
To understand the sociocultural factors influencing genetic testing acceptance among asymptomatic relatives of breast cancer patients and assess their willingness to undergo preventive treatments.
Hydroxyurea is Nigeria’s only available disease-modifying medication for sickle cell disease, with high inter-variabilities in responses linked to differences in pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics.
Develop a population-based precision medicine model that would incorporate genetic variabilities and other covariates, to optimise efficacy at minimal adverse effects.
Despite over 90% effective HIV control, hypertension remains a major and poorly controlled health issue, affecting 50% of older people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
To assess how well HIV and hypertension are managed together in older people living with HIV, understanding current care practices and challenges in Uganda.
Despite recurring Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Uganda, the disease’s drivers, virus strains, and transmission patterns remain poorly understood, limiting effective surveillance and control efforts.
Generate data on Rift Valley fever prevalence and virus diversity in humans, animals, and mosquitoes, and develop a predictive model for outbreak detection and prevention.
Preterm birth is a major public health challenge worldwide, closely linked to respiratory distress, neurological disorders, and feeding difficulties.
To explore the practicality of combining kangaroo mother care with essential newborn care, from the perspectives of mothers and healthcare providers.
Limited accessibility of healthcare services and insufficient reporting by health facilities undermines facility-based disease surveillance systems, limiting early outbreak detection.
Evaluate a community-based disease surveillance system in Somalia, assessing its feasibility and impact on improving early outbreak detection and public health response.
There is limited molecular data on the flies causing myiasis in Kenya, insufficient understanding of the disease’s pathology in domestic animals beyond dogs, and a lack of comprehensive information on the socio-economic impact in affected communities. This knowledge gap hinders effective control and management strategies.
Identify the causes of myiasis in livestock using advanced diagnostic techniques, understand the tissue damage it causes, and assess its socio-economic impact in Kitui County, Kenya. The findings will support the development of policies to control and prevent this neglected tropical disease.
Effective control of Rift Valley fever in Kenya remains challenging due to limited surveillance and lack of holistic studies that address the complex interactions between humans, animals, vectors, viruses, and the environment, further complicated by emerging strains, expanding vector ranges, and climate change.
Generate data on Rift Valley fever prevalence and virus diversity across humans, animals, and mosquitoes, and develop a predictive model to support effective prevention and control of future outbreaks.
Assess the effectiveness of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), early Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) identification, and intervention toolkit in improving early detection and management of CKD in hypertensive and diabetic patients at primary healthcare clinics in Kenya.
Assess the effectiveness of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), early chronic kidney disease identification, and intervention toolkit in improving early detection and management of chronic kidney disease in hypertensive and diabetic patients at primary healthcare clinics in Kenya.
In Kenya, and particularly in Uasin Gishu County, Sexual Violence Against Children (SVAC) cases remain alarmingly high despite various prevention efforts. Programs aligned with global frameworks like INSPIRE exist but show limited effectiveness, revealing major gaps.
Assess the implementation, cost, and effectiveness of sexual violence prevention interventions targeting children in Uasin Gishu County.
Although improving house structures to keep mosquitoes out is a powerful way to reduce mosquito-borne diseases, this approach is underused in Tanzania. Many rural houses are poorly built with gaps that allow mosquitoes in, and a lack of funding is a major barrier to making necessary improvements. Therefore, there is a need for a strategy to help finance these housing upgrades.
To integrate the Village Community Banking (VICOBA) platform as a financing source for housing improvements aimed at controlling mosquitoes, reducing malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, and improving community well-being.
Multimorbidity is increasing globally, contributing to over half of premature deaths in people over 45, with the burden greatest in Africa, especially in underserved rural communities.
To identify how patterns of multimorbidity and their risk factors have changed over time and across different locations.
Current International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework core sets focus mainly on single, non-infectious conditions from high-income settings and do not address multimorbidity involving chronic infections like HIV, making them less relevant for the African context.
Develop an ICF core set tailored for African adults living with HIV and multiple health conditions to improve how their daily functioning is assessed and recorded. This will provide a scientific foundation for creating better tools used in clinics and research.
Child sexual abuse in Malawi remains a widespread and underreported issue, driven by cultural stigma, fear, weak legal protections, and ineffective reporting systems, leaving most victims without access to formal support.
To generate evidence on the barriers and enablers of disclosing and reporting child sexual abuse in Blantyre Urban, and co-design survivor-informed interventions that strengthen reporting systems, improve access to support, and guide policy for better child protection.
Street-connected children in Malawi are highly vulnerable to sexual violence due to poverty, social exclusion, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, and weak protection systems, with community-based interventions largely underutilized in addressing the issue.
Explore and strengthen community-based interventions to better protect street-connected children in Malawi from sexual violence and improve their access to support services.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute respiratory infections, especially in children under five and immunocompromised people. Despite available vaccines, their effectiveness is limited by the virus’s high genetic diversity. In Rwanda, there is little data on which RSV strains are circulating, making it difficult to develop effective prevention and vaccine strategies. Gaining insight into the molecular makeup of RSV in Rwanda is essential for designing vaccines that are effective against local strains and for improving overall disease control efforts.
To identify conserved genetic regions of RSV through genomic characterization of circulating strains in Rwanda to guide the development of effective, long-lasting vaccine candidates.
Despite ongoing efforts by the Rwandan government to promote gender equality, child protection, and address sexual violence through various interventions and stakeholder collaborations, a critical gap remains. Children born to teenage mothers, who represent a highly vulnerable population, have been largely overlooked in these initiatives.
Contribute to the prevention of sexual violence against children born to teen mothers and support the development of effective, evidence-based interventions that can be implemented both locally and across Africa.
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