Laboratory Training

Improving Laboratory Systems and Services in Africa

In 2006, Accordia Global Health Foundation, with generous support from BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), created the BD Laboratory Training Program at the Infectious Diseases Institute of Makerere University. The objective of this partnership is to build regional laboratory capacity, by improving technical and management skills among laboratory personnel throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Laboratory capacity is a critical component of any successful strategy to address the infectious disease crisis in Africa: quality laboratory testing is crucial to confirm clinical diagnoses, conduct accurate infectious disease surveillance, and direct public health policy. The current laboratory infrastructure in Africa is insufficient to meet the needs of a population with increasing access to medicines and other therapies.

The Laboratory Training Program is currently training leading African laboratory personnel in advanced techniques and quality assurance methods. By the end of 2008 the program graduated nearly 50 trainees from the intense 2-week course and supervised laboratory placement. Those trainees receive on-site support once back in their own laboratories, enabling them to more effectively build capacity and mentor others.

In 2008, Accordia once again partnered with BD to strengthen laboratory systems in Africa in support of a major public-private partnership between BD and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Accordia developed a program in which IDI provided technical assistance, curriculum development assistance, and support for BD PEPFAR volunteers and partners during their inaugural laboratory training program in Uganda. Together this partnership is working to improve overall laboratory systems and services in African countries severely affected by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

For more information on the Laboratory Training Program and other Accordia programs please contact [email protected].