Collaborative cardiometabolic care in Africa on the agenda at global research event
An overview of a major research initiative led by academics from the University of Leicester, in collaboration with researchers in Ghana, to improve diabetes and cardiovascular care in sub-Saharan Africa will be shared at a dissemination event next month.
Taking place on Monday, April 27, at the Accra City Hotel in Ghana, the meeting will showcase outcomes from CREATE – a group focused on reducing the impact of non-communicable diseases in Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique.
Across these three countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the CREATE model has been delivered to 261 participants.
The programme has trained 10 early career researchers from Kenya and Ghana through post-graduate studies, 56 community champions through the train-the-trainer approach and more than 150 healthcare providers and community workers on cardiometabolic disease staging practice and research.
The event will highlight its efforts to create sustainable care models and strengthen local research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as training African researchers in partnership with UK institutions.
The CREATE project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research.
At the meeting, Professor Kamlesh Khunti, UK Principal Investigator for CREATE, Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands and Co-Director of LDC, will provide an overview of the project.
He will also launch the three-paper Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa review series published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, which will promote the development of a collaborative care model for cardiometabolic diseases in this region.
Professor Khunti, also Professor of Primary Care, Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Our aim with CREATE has always been to bridge the gap between research and real-world care.
“By working closely with local partners in Africa, we are exploring practical ways to strengthen health systems and ensure that advances in cardiometabolic care benefit communities on the ground.”
Professor Henrietta O’Connor, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, will also attend the conference and deliver a presentation, contributing to discussions on collaborative approaches to cardiometabolic care in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, LDC’s Professor Sam Seidu, who will become Co-Director of the NIHR ARC East Midlands on April 1, will present an overview of the group’s work and highlight its key achievements at the event.
“This event is an important opportunity to celebrate the dedication and talent of African researchers, whose work is shaping sustainable models of care,” said Professor Seidu, Professor in Primary Care Diabetes and Cardio-metabolic Medicine at the University of Leicester.
He added: “It is inspiring to see how collaboration across continents can drive meaningful change in tackling non-communicable diseases.”
The event is co-sponsored by National Investment Bank (NIB), Ghana, reflecting cross-sector support for advancing cardiometabolic care in Africa.
For more information about CREATE, visit https://www.createafrica.org.uk.
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