The Role of an NIH Fogarty Program in Facilitating Career Development for Female TB Researchers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Open Access
Hooper, Abigail (Spring 2023)
Abstract
Background: Ethiopia is one of twelve countries on World Health Organization high burden country lists for both TB and HIV-associated TB. Despite evidence that increasing the number of female researchers yields better science and economic benefits, there is a lack of female TB researchers in Ethiopia. Little research has been undertaken to investigate facilitators of career development for female TB researchers in Ethiopia. This research sought to investigate the role of an NIH Fogarty program on facilitating career development for female researchers.
Methods: We conducted a sequential mixed-method cross-sectional study of an NIH Fogarty program in Ethiopia. We collected ten survey responses and conducted nine in-depth interviews with current and graduated female trainees of the program and conducted three key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics of central tendency and variable distribution were used to analyze the survey data, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.
Results: Trainees were supported via facilitated mentorship, capacity building through coursework, and increased time to work on research outputs due to the protected time stipend. These activities facilitated career development for female trainees as measured by grant submissions and publications, which increased on average since trainees started the program. A major barrier to career development was a lack of time resulting from living in two worlds: professional and home. Female mentorship was identified by participants as more holistic, spanning work-life balance and support of non-professional goals, and the all-female cohort encouraged more women to apply as perceived male advantage was eliminated.
Conclusions: This research supports the use of dedicated all-female training opportunities and female mentorship as qualitative facilitators for career development. Addressing barriers to career development for female TB researchers will reduce attrition from the field and quantitatively increase the number of women in TB research in the long-term.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Introduction and rationale 1
Purpose statement 5
Research Question 5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7
Introduction 7
Tuberculosis 7
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic 9
History and status of TB in Ethiopia 10
Need for culturally and contextually driven solutions 10
Barriers to culturally and contextually driven solutions in Ethiopia 11
Lack of Women in STEM 12
Why do We Need Women in STEM? 12
Causes of the Lack of Women in STEM 13
Barriers to Career Development in SSA 14
Career Development Needs: Ethiopia 15
Role of D43 Programs 16
Fogarty Evaluations 17
Need Statement 17
CHAPTER 3: METHODS 19
Study sample and recruitment 19
Data 21
Analysis 22
Ethical Considerations 22
Limitations 23
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS 24
Participants 24
Living in Two Worlds 25
All female cohort 29
EETB-RTP Mentoring 32
Time as a Resource 38
Increased Scientific Network and Exposure 39
Confidence Building 40
Grants and Publications: Facilitated by Coursework and Mentorship 41
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION 45
APPENDIX A: TB INFORMATION 51
APPENDIX B: DATA COLLECTION TOOLS 54
Key Informant Interview Guide 54
In-depth Interview Guide 57
Survey 61
REFERENCES 75
About this Master's Thesis
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