# Developing research leaders at the intersection of malnutrition and tuberculosis in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH D43** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2024 · $248,288

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
This application for a new Global Infectious Diseases Research Training program (GIDRTP) at the University of
Virginia (UVA) extends decades of training global leaders in diseases of poverty and infectious diseases through
cycles of support of International Training and Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Actions for Building
Capacity, Minority Health International Research Training, and Fogarty GIDRTPs. These prior experiences
provide lessons learned and tested mechanisms for developing trainees into independent public health
scientists. Despite the prior focus on early stage trainees such as undergraduate, Masters or doctoral students,
we have noted unique barriers in progression through postdoctoral training to research leadership in Tanzania.
We performed a needs assessment among Tanzanian postdoctoral scientists in 2021 which confirmed this
observation and outlined gaps and opportunities with which to structure a postdoctoral focused GIDRTP. UVA,
the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, and the Center for Global Health Equity have been
at the forefront of research and training in malnutrition and its infectious consequences for decades. In non-
pandemic periods, tuberculosis (TB) is the leading killer from a curable infectious disease. COVID-19 has further
disrupted TB care and is projected to increase deaths from TB by 20% over the next five years. Malnutrition,
both undernutrition and poor nutrition leading to conditions such as diabetes mellitus, is the most important driver
of TB disease globally. Therefore, this GIDRTP aims to strengthen existing educational and research linkages
with the UVA and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College/ Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute
(KCMUCo/KCRI) in Tanzania, to support Tanzanian postdoctoral trainees' growth to research leaders working
at the intersection of malnutrition and TB.
We aim to train 6 postdoctoral scientists with 3 years of support each through an individualized research
leadership plan based on the framework of the Path to Research Leadership in Africa Report (2020). In addition
to matching postdoctoral fellows to Tanzanian and UVA mentors, the individualized research leadership plan will
include assessment by Lead Educators and core programmatic faculty including a biostatistician to design
personalized coursework and skills building toward the metric categories of research team management,
communication, grant writing, professionalism and career trajectory. We will harness the current infrastructure
of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, European and Developing
Countries Trials Partnership, World Health Organization and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for TB and
malnutrition research in Tanzania, and we expect to launch the careers of junior scientists and content leaders
that will compete for independent funding, set research agendas, make policy and benefit...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10795104
- **Project number:** 5D43TW012247-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Scott K Heysell
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $248,288
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10795104

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10795104, Developing research leaders at the intersection of malnutrition and tuberculosis in Tanzania (5D43TW012247-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10795104. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*