AWARDS & MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Introduction

In line with the constitutional requirements, KEMRI has developed a comprehensive framework under which the Institute has devolved its research activities and through seven regional clusters that serves the forty seven counties under the strategic pillar of health research in the context of devolution The Institute out performed its contemporaries, the Medical Research Council (MRC) of South Africa, University College Hospital of Ibadan, Nigeria and the National Medical Research Institute (NIMRI) of Tanzania in the just released 2019 rankings by Scimago Lab carried out in conjunction with Elsevier, technologically-based company offering innovative solutions to improve the Scientific Visibility and Online Reputation.

 

KEMRI Ranked Top in Africa

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is ranked the top health research institution in Africa in terms of health research output, according to the authoritative global information analytics giant, Scimago Lab.

The Institute out performed its contemporaries, the Medical Research Council (MRC) of South Africa, University College Hospital of Ibadan, Nigeria and the National Medical Research Institute (NIMRI) of Tanzania in the just released 2019 rankings by Scimago Lab carried out in conjunction with Elsevier, technologically-based company offering innovative solutions to improve the Scientific Visibility and Online Reputation.

On receiving the news, Director General, KEMRI, Prof. Yeri Kombe said that the KEMRI Board of Management and the staff were humbled at the same time privileged to have received this encouraging revelation. He congratulated all the staff, the management team and the Board for this outstanding performance. “We at KEMRI are truly humbled and privileged to be ranked as one of the top institution in the World.This is living our vision of being the Leading Center of Excellence in Research for Human Health,” said Prof Kombe.

In the report available on the firms’ website www.scimagoir.com MRC is placed, a distant fourth, after NIMRI in third position, and College Hospital of Ibadan is 10. A total of 6,454 Institutions are ranked globally among them the Harvard University, National Institute of Health, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Stanford University from the US.

Overall in all sectors in Africa, the Institute still registers an impressive showing by being ranked position seven, a head of MRC (9), NIMRI (8) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) 11. Globally, KEMRI is ranked 89 out of 1,252 institutions in health research output worldwide.

Scimago Lab works closely with international partners from the publishing realm, scientific information suppliers, universities and government agencies. Scimago Lab and Elsevier developed a cutting-edge analysis tools, and evaluation concepts which analyses institution research performance across the world based on comprehensive and authoritative data including high-level disambiguation procedures. It operates what is known as the Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR), a classification of academic and research-related institutions ranked by a composite indicator that combines different sets of indicators based on research performance, innovation outputs and societal impact.

SIR reviews every dimension of the scholarly communication carried out at an organization providing valuable information about research performance, efficiency and effectiveness of the institution’s research policies and programs. In addition, the SIR provides a friendly interface that allows the visualization of any customized ranking from the combination of sets of indicators and compares the trends before arriving at a conclusion.

The SIR includes both, size-dependent and size-independent indicators; that is indicators influenced and not influenced by the size of the institutions. In this manner, the SIR provides overall statistics of the scientific publication and other output of institutions, at the same time that enables comparisons between institutions of different sizes.

Some of the score Indicators include Research Factor, Normalized Impact, Excellence with Leadership Output, Scientific Leadership, High Quality Publications, International Collaboration among others. Others are Knowledge Patents, Technological Impact, Societal Factor etc.

Major Regulatory Function

 KEMRI is the Medical Research arm of the Government and provides advise to the  Ministry on various aspects of healthcare and delivery.

  • National diseases surveillance and rapid response capacity for major disease outbreaks such as:
  • Cholera,
  • Chikungunya Virus,
  • H1N1 Flu,
  • Yellow Fever,
  • Rift Valley Fever,
  • Malaria ,
  • Tuberculosis
  • Aflatoxicosis among others.

KEMRI has several clinical research sites in Western Kenya, the Rift Valley and Coastal Regions of the country with laboratories that handle overall research component among them:

  • Arboviruses and Hemorrhagic Fevers Unit.
  • Influenza and other Respiratory Viral Diseases Unit
  • Viral Diarrhea Unit
  • Viral Hepatitis Unit
  • EPI Disease
  • Polio and Measles Eradication Programme
  • HIV and AIDS and
  • Human Papilloma Virus

Outstanding Achievements

Landmark achievements include in the following areas:

  • Demonstrated that Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases (PID) in HIV positive women can be treated as out-patients
  • Influenced Global policy on the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among discordant couples and placed KEMRI on the global platform among the top 10 innovations of the year.
  • Established Shamba Maisha as a study which is addressing the dilemma faced by those affected and infected with HIV/Aids in Africa in terms of stigma and food security.
  • Transformed lives and economic status through simple small loans that has ensured food security and health of HIV-infected patients.
  • Provided a platform for conducting clinical and implementation research.

Contribution to National Development

In line with the constitutional requirements, KEMRI has developed a comprehensive framework

under which the Institute has devolved its research activities and through seven regional clusters

that serves the forty seven counties under the strategic pillar of health research in the context of devolution.

Guideline and Development

  • Technical and research support for the Emergency Care of  Critically Ill Children (ETAT) guidelines
  • KEMRI provided Technical Facilitation in development of National Guidelines for Prevention of Cervix, Breast and Prostate cancers
  • Developed a curriculum and guidelines on biosafety and biosecurity for Health Care Workers in collaboration with MOH
  • Rationalization and regulation of traditional medicine
  • Human resource capacity development for research though attachments and in the KEMRI-JKUAT INTROMID collaboration

 

Research Products:

Through painstaking research ,KEMRI has over a period  developed various diagnostic kits and other health products that include:-

  • Hepcell Rapid – A chromatographic immune-assay for direct qualitative detection of Hepatitis B
  • KEMCOM Rapid – A chromatographic Immuno-assay for dierect qualitative detection of HIV 1 & 2.
  • KEMTAQ (TAQ Polymerase kit)
  • KEMPAC Rapid among others.
  • TBcide- A standardized disinfectant
  • KEMrub, a hand sanitizer and
  • KEMpreg Rapid, a pregnancy test kit
  • KEMRI Ready-to-Use Culture Media

And in recognition of its outstanding accomplishments KEMRI has been honored internationally as follows:-

  • Regional Laboratory Capacity Building in operation research under the East African Public Health Laboratory Networking Project-EAPHLN
  • WHO designated Centre of Excellence in Malaria, Nutrition and Virology
  • WHO Collaborating Center for HIV/AIDS Tropical Diseases Research, Polio Immunization Viral Hemorrhagic Fever and Microbial Résistance -WHO-NET
  • USA National Research Council Recognized Training Institute for Post- Doctoral
  • The Africa Regional Headquarters for Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)
  • Africa Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing and Development of Diagnostic Kits
  • ANDI Centre of Excellence for HIV Operational Research.
  • A Designated “Good Clinical Practice Centre for Clinical Trials”.
  • Global Centre of Excellence in Parasite Control under Hashimoto Initiative Programme.
  • Regional Headquarters for Emerging & Re- merging Diseases and Climate Change & Health