The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) (R24)

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Purpose. This NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), supported by funds provided to the NIH and HRSA under the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, Public Law 110-293 (more commonly known as the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR]), invites proposals from foreign Institutions in Sub-Saharan African countries which receive PEPFAR support (http://www.pepfar.gov/countries/index.htm) and their partners to develop or expand and enhance models of medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa. These models are intended to support PEPFARs goal of increasing the number of new health care workers by 140,000, strengthen medical education systems in the countries in which they exist, and build clinical and research capacity in Africa as part of a retention strategy for faculty of medical schools and clinical professors. The strategy of this initiative is to build human capacity for health in Africa by strengthening the medical education system in an environment that values and nurtures research and which will contribute to the sustainability and quality of the overall effort. These models will also contribute to the sustainability of the PEPFAR investments through the provision of excellence in clinical training and the capacity of medical students and faculty to participate in and carry out multidisciplinary locally driven research (e.g. implementation science and/or clinical, health services, and operations research) that responds to the health needs of their communities and country and improves health outcomes for men, women, and children. In addition to PEPFAR support for strengthening medical education in African institutions, funds are also being provided from the Office of AIDS Research (OAR), located within the NIH Office of the Director, in support of the research capacity building component of this initiative and building on OARs long-term support for NIH efforts to build sustainable research and training partnerships between U.S. and African educational and research institutions. Linked awards that focus on diseases and priority health areas related to and/or beyond HIV/AIDS will also be available through the NIH Common Fund initiative (http://commonfund.nih.gov/), managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC), located within the NIH Office of the Director. These awards are part of the NIH Directors decision to make global health one of the NIHs highest priorities.

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