Perspectives of the inaugural medical research and mentorship symposium for medical students and junior doctors in Zambia, Southern Africa: planning, outcomes and lessons learnt

Abstract

Africa is the second largest continent, with about 13% of the world's population yet bears 24% of the global disease burden.1 Despite this  unacceptably high disease burden, only less than 1% of healthrelated research originates on the continent.2 In a cross-sectional study of six sub-Saharan African countries with 424 participants, Ngongalah et al explored the challenges faced by African researchers2. Their results showed areas of weakness including lack of training and awareness of the importance of research, inadequate support and collaborations amongst researchers in Africa. Thus, initiatives are needed to build a foundation for research that are home grown. In another study of medical schools in Sub-Saharan  Africa, 168 medical schools were identified, 145 surveyed, 105 responded, reporting that of the approximately 10,000 medical student graduates on the continent, 68% leave the African continent workforce.1 Some of the challenges reported were lack of mentorship and career structure. Mentorship is an integral part of our educational structure and career development. Mentorship can be formal with pairing of the mentee/mentor or informal by mentees seeking out a mentor. Mentorship provides an opportunity for trainees to gain constructive criticism, develop career goals and an opportunity for overall support through the learning process.3 With this background in mind we sought to organize a medical research and mentorship symposium targeted towards both medical students and junior resident doctors. This was a collaborative event by the Pan-African Organization for Health, Education and Research (POHER), Young Emerging Scientist Zambia (YES Zambia), and Copperbelt University School of Medicine (CBU-SOM) Mentorship Program. POHER is a non-governmental organization (NGO), co-founded by Drs Asombang and Mazimba, with a focus on the soundness of the health sector as the cornerstone of social and economic development of all African countries. YES Zambia is an  initiative by Drs Kabwe and  Lubeya, which has envisioned the creation of a renowned career and research hub for the young scientists that is cardinal in underpinning their career progression and leverage science to solve global challenges. CBUSOM mentorship program is a formal program co-founded by medical students and faculty at CBUSOM whose core value is to culture a pool of medical personnel that can receive and
impart knowledge for academic and professional excellence.