As a member of the Global Health Clinical Consortium (GHCC), MMV is supporting a free course on clinical research operations for study coordinators in low and middle income countries (LMIC), with an African focus.

The course is being provided as a sustainable open access initiative, enabling suitably qualified and motivated participants to join. The course provides study coordinators with the opportunity to gain more skills in order to support investigators and research site staff. They will learn best practice for coordinating the clinical trial process including study design and protocol development, ethics, good clinical practice, data management, regulatory safety monitoring and practical management skills.

“Study coordinators are key to the success of clinical trials,” said Dr David Reddy, MMV’s CEO. “They help ensure the protocol is followed and that quality systems are engaged throughout the clinical trial process. It isn’t possible to develop new medicines for diseases like malaria without these key personnel. We at MMV are delighted to be supporting this initiative.”

Successful participants will be certified in Clinical Research Operations by Strathmore University, Kenya, Universitá di Sienna, Italy and the Faculty of Capacity Development (FCD), Ireland. Once fully trained, certain participants may then take the course back and teach it in their home countries.

The programme began on October 30, 2017 and includes 10 online lessons made up of presentations, tutorials, discussion forums and personalized mentoring. Participants were selected from among current and prospective study coordinators working with members of the GHCC, WHO-TDR fellows and a limited number of other study coordinators working in LMIC.

The programme is funded through grants to the FCD, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and WHO-TDR.