U.S. Department of Health Seeks continued Partnership With KEMRI

The Institute this week played host to a high-level delegation from the United States headed by the Assistant Secretary, Office of the Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences (HHS), Loyce Pace who was accompanied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Mandy Cohen.

The 26th March, 2024 visit that saw the US delegation received by the chairman of the KEMRI Board of Directors, Dr. Abdullahi Ali and the Ag. Director General, Prof. Elijah Songok. The two delegations discussed at length the KEMRI NIH funded research programmes and took time to interact with key researchers and the Institute leadership.

During the meeting, it was demonstrated how the collaboration continues to provide impactful public health research interventions that support disease prevention and mitigation efforts with the goal to reduce morbidity and mortality.

The US government has been instrumental in the growth of the institute through collaborative ventures such as KEMRI/CDC and KEMRI/ WRAIR partnerships, positioning the Institute as a voice in the African Region. Additionally, the partnership has birthed results in infrastructural development, particularly in the Western Kenya Region.

Addressing the team, Prof. Songok proudly acknowledged KEMRI’s remarkable achievement of being ranked as the premier human health research Institute in Africa. “Over the last couple of years, KEMRI has been ranked as one of the leading human health research Institutes in Africa by Schimago. This prestigious recognition is not solely attributable to the exceptional caliber of scientists at KEMRI but also to collaborative partnerships like HHS,” Prof. Songok stated.

The NIH has supported various research projects in HIV, Antimicrobial Resistance, Cancer, COVID, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Mental health research, Reproductive Health, schistosomiasis, Chikungunya, child health, Dengue and Yellow fever and Training on research and research ethics among others.

“The US Government through the NIH, has been a valued funding partner to the Institute for over 4 decades, to date, the NIH has funded 81 projects through 31 Principal Investigators, in turn creating a workforce of 834 project staff, from these statistics, it is clear, that not only have the grants been instrumental in doing the science but also in building capacity,” intimated Ag. Director Research and Development, Prof.
Nelly Mugo.

The two also explored areas of further collaboration in the Institute’s Research priority areas and fellowship opportunities to strengthen the scientist’s grant writing skills. Prior to the meeting at KEMRI headquarters, the delegation had toured the KEMRI/ CDC centre in the Western Region. In her remarks, Ms. Palm expressed the U.S. government’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and improving the health of the Kenyan people and the broader region. She underscored the importance of collaborative initiatives that bring about tangible improvements in people’s lives and expressed eagerness for future impactful ventures.

“We are pleased to be contributing to the advancement of the science of disease, cure and health of the Kenyan people and the region, through capacity building, research and infrastructure development, we are thrilled to be part of initiatives that change people’s lives. We look forward to more impactful collaborative ventures,” elucidated Ms. Andrea Plam. The key meeting was also attended by all Directors, Deputy Directors, Heads of Departments and NIH affiliated PIs.