Makerere University, through the Directorate of Research & Graduate Training , held a one-day final research dissemination workshop for the Supporting Early Career Academics Project (SECA) 2019-2022.
The eventful session was held on January 12, Senate Building where 15 Post-Doctoral research projects supported by Carnegie Corporation were unearthed in detail.
The university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor UmarKakumba opened the final dissemination workshop remarking that research is beyond publications. He challenged universities to change communities through research and not be ‘glorified’ secondary schools.
The Director of Research & Graduate Training Prof. Edward Bbale congratulated the fellows for completing their researches and urged them to target policy makers so that research can inform policy. He added that the directorate is working on a policy to retain more post-docs at Makerere.
Dr Kabagenyi Allen, one of the researchers, debriefed the congregation on the topic: “Adolescent Motherhood, pre and postnatal New-born care practices, perceptions and barriers in Eastern Uganda.”
The main objective was to develop and test adolescent motherhood vulnerability assessment tool and to examine the knowledge, behavioral practices and perceptions of maternal and new born care among adolescent mothers in Luuka District.
Dr Kabagenyi pointed out the major discrepancies in the health care system marred by beliefs that result into pregnant girls seeking medical attention late or not at all.
According to her findings, for every 5 adolescent mothers in Luuka, 2 do not attend antenatal care up to the four required times and for every 10 adolescent mothers in Luuka, 1 gives birth either at home or at the traditional births attendants home.
The dissemination workshop for the Supporting Early Career Academics Project had other breathtaking presenters with outstanding topics as shared beneath.
The Supporting Early Career Academics (SECA) at Makerere University project was implemented under the Research and Graduate Training Directorate at Makerere University and supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The SECA project was implemented between 2019 and 2022.
The SECA project was designed to expand Makerere University’s community of research leaders and doctoral supervisors. This goal was to be achieved through four key specific objectives that included;
- To consolidate the capacity of the fellows to conduct quality research with appropriate mentorship at Makerere University.
- To strengthen the enabling environment to encourage the retention of fellows at Makerere University.
- To strengthen research management and research leadership capacity at Makerere University
- To increase the capacity for scientific communication of research outputs into publicly accessible writing.
Beyond supporting the attainment of doctoral degrees, the project was funded to enhance the research capacities of doctoral researchers at the University.
Henceforth, the project provided a postdoctoral research fellowship grant for 17 fellows at Makerere University.
The 17 fellows were able to conduct research projects under the mentorship of senior researchers, attend international capacity training workshops and conferences, publish journal articles in peer-reviewed journals, attend capacity training seminars at Makerere University, and supervise Master’s students.
According to the project heads, the programme also supported improvement in the research environment within the departments that host each of the fellows. This lifted the structural barriers that would hinder the development of quality researchers.
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