Mentoring scientific manuscript writing at FHS

"UANDISHI-Building Capacity for Writing Scientific Manuscripts” is an innovative and experiential scientific manuscript writing mentorship and training program that is aimed at building capacity and fostering scientific manuscripts writing skills and publication output at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), University of Nairobi (UoN). The program is hosted by KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research (KAVI-ICR) through a collaborative IAVI grant secured by Dr. Gloria Omosa-Manyonyi (Principal Investigator), of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UoN.

UANDISHI program carries out its mandate through workshops and individualized mentoring sessions. Participants are postgraduate students (mentees) and faculty/researchers (mentors). Mentors-in-training are supported in a structured fashion, to provide mentoring of mentees while developing manuscripts and submitting them for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Supporting this program are faculty from UON-FHS, and collaborators from UCSF, MRC Uganda and IAVI.

We implemented the program at FHS-UON in 2021, with the first cohort of 18 trainees (9 Mentors-in-training plus 9 Mentees) drawn from Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Paediatrics and Child Health, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Biochemistry, KAVI-ICR, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, UNITID, Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Medicine, Human Pathology, and Ophthalmology. From this cohort, 9 scientific manuscripts were developed and submitted to peer-reviewed journals; three of these have been accepted for publication while the rest are under review.

Mentoring and training of the 2022 cohort commenced in March 2022; the participants/trainees are 30 (20 Mentees plus 10 Mentors-in-training) drawn from Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics & Child Health, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Pharmacy, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Clinical Medicine & Therapeutics, Dental Sciences, UNITID, Biochemistry, Diagnostic Radiology, Human Pathology, KAVI-ICR, Surgery, and Nursing Science. Following mentoring and manuscript writing workshops in March and April 2022, and individualized mentoring period, this cohort successfully participated in a peer review and writing workshop in June 2022.