# Sustainable Academic Capacity Building of Excellence through Research and Training Program (SACERT) Learning Collaborative

> **NIH NIH D43** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2023 · $149,040

## Abstract

Project Summary
South African researchers have limited access to research resources, including funds to develop valid, reliable,
contextually appropriate measures to utilize in mental health-related research. As a result, a common practice
is to review measures developed in other countries and adapt and validate these measures for local
communities. New measures developed locally are often hampered by small, underpowered samples and
limited funding to establish psychometrics. There is currently no centralized, easily accessible bank of mental
health measures across behavioral and biological disciplines that scholars can access and use to address the
Mental Health National Health Research Priority designated by the South Africa National Health Research
Committee. Funding to ameliorate this constraint will both enhance research capacity in South Africa and
strengthen the parent Sustainable Academic Capacity-Building for Excellence through Research and Training
(SACERT) Program, which encompasses 12 South African universities and health institutions, including five
historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs). We propose to add a theory-guided Learning Collaborative to
SACERT (SACERT-LC) in order to strengthen mental health research capacity particularly in HDIs in rural
settings. The SACERT LC will foster a network of support for scholars from HDIs to have access to research-
related resources, specifically curated measures in the areas of chronic stress, trauma and adversity, and
mental health. The SACERT-LC will develop and deploy an integrated measures bank (IMB) as well as training
in how to use the measures, and most importantly, promote collaboration and co-creation to foster
sustainability and growth of the resources. The Specific Aims are to: (1) with SACERT faculty as well as
national partners in South Africa, establish the SACERT-LC, which will convene bi-monthly during the year-
long supplement period to: (2) create a curated bank of psychological and biological measures (the IMB) that
assess chronic stress, trauma, adversity burden, and chronic mental health disorders throughout the lifespan;
(3) in learning sessions at WSU, train and coach current SACERT scholars and other HDI affiliates in the use
of the IMB and in measures validation, adaptation, and development; and (4) evaluate the SACERT-LC by
interviewing members of the LC about its impacts and potential for sustainability, tracking use of the IMB, and
documenting participation in and satisfaction with the learning sessions. Our goal with this supplement, as with
the parent grant, is to enhance research capacity in South Africa. Scholars and affiliates who are trained by the
SACERT-LC faculty will be certified as “IMB experts” and the four rural universities will also be identified as
IMB co-sponsors, thereby strengthening the visibility of the HDIs and the network across HDIs and other
participating universities. With our well-established network in South Africa, we are well-p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10875302
- **Project number:** 3D43TW012029-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** ALISON B. HAMILTON
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $149,040
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10875302

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10875302, Sustainable Academic Capacity Building of Excellence through Research and Training Program (SACERT) Learning Collaborative (3D43TW012029-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10875302. Licensed CC0.

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