# Building a Cancer Research Training Program in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH D43** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · $247,046

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
East Africa faces unprecedented growth in cancer burden and is inadequately prepared to meet this population
health crisis. In the context of limited resources, it is imperative that policies are evidence-based and target
cancers with highest incidence, morbidity, and mortality rates in the local region. Confronting the growing
burden of cancer in the region requires competent, well-trained African scientists with supportive infrastructure
to generate context-specific evidence to inform cancer control planning. While substantial research
infrastructure already exists in Tanzania, it is predominantly focused on communicable diseases, while cancer
research is nascent. As a regional training hub, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) is
uniquely positioned to play a major role in building capacity for cancer research in Tanzania and the East
Africa region at large. Building upon a shared commitment to improving health outcomes through education
and mentoring, MUHAS and UCSF are poised to expand our ongoing cancer research and training
collaborations to formally establish a Cancer Research Training Program in Tanzania (CRTP-TZ). Our
overarching goal is to train and mentor a cadre of investigators in Tanzania who are capable of
conceptualizing, achieving funding for, implementing, analyzing and publishing original research focused on
cancer. Our hypothesis is that Tanzanian principal investigators can operate effectively and productively if
proper attention is given to selection, provision of high-quality foundational didactic training to learn the theory
and implementation of research, and to the development of a conducive, mentoring environment. The
objectives of the CRTP-TZ will be: (1) to recruit a group of research scholars originating from Tanzania and
other countries in East Africa who are diverse in discipline and who are likely to build successful academic
research careers related to the cancer control science; (2) to provide outstanding, interdisciplinary training in
research methodology in collaboration with faculty from MUHAS, Ocean Road Cancer Institute, and UCSF;
and (3) to provide each scholar with sustained mentorship that fosters scientific advances and career
development. We propose a training model which leverages existing resources in Tanzania and supplements
with rigorous, high-quality coursework and sustained mentorship from UCSF. Specifically, we propose a
training program with three unique pathways, which avail flexibility to build upon pre-existing competencies and
the need to align training opportunities with individual career goals. We will provide sustained mentorship for
scholars in each of the three training pathways as well as training in the principles and practice of good
mentorship for both mentors and mentees. We intend to train a cadre of cancer researchers who are also
future mentors capable of supporting broader initiatives to foster the upward mobility of scholars in Tanzania,...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246512
- **Project number:** 5D43TW011598-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** ELIA JOHN MMBAGA
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $247,046
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-15 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246512

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246512, Building a Cancer Research Training Program in Tanzania (5D43TW011598-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246512. Licensed CC0.

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