The Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research, one of just five Wellcome Trust Centres in the UK, official was officially opened last night. The event celebrated investment in global health research.
The centre is a partnership between Brighton and Sussex Medical School, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Research Foundation in Tropical Diseases and Environment which is allied with the Faculty of Science at the University of Buea, Cameroon, and the Institute of Endemic Diseases at the University of Khartoum, Sudan.
It promotes interdisciplinary research and supports researchers working in public health and tropical medicine to develop their careers, and fosters interchange between institutions in the UK and Africa.
The centre will build capacity for independent research at the three African partner institutions and will specifically support research training in genomics and global health for two key groups:
- high-flying individuals with the potential to develop into world-class, independent scientific leaders who will receive tailored support and mentorship to develop their scientific ideas and submit competitive funding proposals
- a broader group of academic staff and postgraduate students, helping to build academic research and teaching expertise.
Three speakers will focus on investing in global health research, including Professor Melanie Newport, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research, Professor Jimmy Whitworth, Head of International Activities at the Wellcome Trust and Professor Chris Whitty, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development who will give the keynote address.
Professor Newport said: "BSMS has invested significantly in global health since its first day and our successful bid reflects how much has been achieved. Much of this success has stemmed from our multidisciplinary approach, working in close partnership with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines within BSMS and from both parent universities of Brighton and Sussex. BSMS is evolving as a centre of excellence in global health and will allow us to further develop our contribution towards improving the health of some of the world's poorest people."