In 2020, the University of Washington’s Office of Global Affairs awarded a Global Innovation Fund (GIF) grant to the UW’s Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health. The GIF awards epitomize a commitment to addressing global research inequalities. The awarded project titled “Decreasing research inequalities in global oral health: Let’s publish your thesis!” was a collaborative between UW and the University of Nairobi.
Led by Drs. Ana Lucia Seminario and Arthur Kemoli, the project aimed to enhance research capacity in Kenya by providing mentorship and support to junior investigators, facilitating the publication of their research projects. The goal was to amplify the presence of Kenyan researchers in peer-reviewed articles, thereby increasing opportunities for collaborative scholarly publications, securing additional research funding, and ultimately reducing disparities in global oral health.
The success of this project is evident in its success rate, with four out of ten students achieving the significant milestone of successfully publishing their manuscripts. The investigators, Dr. Maureen Macharia, Dr. Kerre Nduguyu, Dr. Samantha Kachwinya, and Dr. Brenda Okumu, stand as examples of the positive impact this initiative has had on individual careers. Their published works not only contribute to the global body of oral health knowledge but also serve as steppingstones for further collaboration and research endeavors.
Published Manuscripts
- Maureen Macharia, Oral health status and hygiene practices among visually impaired adolescents from a school in Kenya, BMC Oral Health
- Kerre Nduguyu, Comparison of measured and predicted mesiodistal tooth-widths of 13-17 years old Kenyans: a descriptive cross-sectional study to develop a new prediction equation for use in the mixed dentition in a Kenyan population, BMC Oral Health
- Samatha Kachwinya, Oral health status and barriers to oral healthcare among children with cerebral palsy attending a health care center in Kampala, Uganda, BMC Oral Health
- Brenda Okumu, Geospatial analysis of dental access and workforce distribution in Kenya, Annals of Global Health
Reflecting on their achievements, Dr. Kerre Nduguyu expresses, “The course was quite useful to me as it sharpened my writing skills by teaching me to be more analytical and summarize huge amounts of information into cogent knowledge.” Dr. Brenda Okumu emphasizes the broader impact of the course, “Let’s publish your thesis! class left an indelible mark in my research journey. Thanks to this program, my thesis was published in a reputable journal, I am passing on the wealth of knowledge and skills to my students and my expertise as an IRB reviewer has gone a notch higher.” These sentiments underscore the importance of the University of Washington Global Innovation Fund Grant and its role in shaping the careers and contributions of investigators across the globe.