The first cohort of GamREMTI scholars in the Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Health Research Ethics and Methodology (PCHREM) at the University of The Gambia (UTG) made a two-week experiential visit to the University of Ibadan in Nigeria from July 4 – 18, 2025. The scholars come from diverse disciplines. The GamREMTI Programme involves three collaborating institutions: the University of The Gambia (UTG), the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG), and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), in the United States. The program investigators are Associate Professor Jainaba Sey-Sawo (UTG), Associate Professor Thomas Senghore (UTG), Associate Professor Effua Usuf (MRCG), Professor Henry Silverman (UMB), and Professor Veronica Njie-Carr (UMB). The programme consultants and mentors are Professor Ayodele Jegede (University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria), Professor Ebunoluwa Oduwole (Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria), and Professor Adolf Kofi Awua (University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana).
The visit is part of an experiential learning component of the training in research ethics and methodology. Scholars had the opportunity to engage with the International Programs Office and other relevant units, such as the Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, the Director of the Research Management Office, the Molecular Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, and various ethics committees within the university. Scholars also participated in the University of Ibadan/University College Research Ethics Committee (UI/UCH REC) special meeting and received individualized mentoring sessions with faculty experts based on scholars’ areas of interest in bioethics. The Nigerian experts that scholars engaged with were Professor Kayode Osungbade (Health Policy); Professor Tunde Ogunbosi (Infectious Diseases); Professor Ayodeji Matthew Adebayo (Mental Health); Professor O. J. Taiwo (Climate Change, Environment, and Ethics); and Professor Mayowa Owolabi (Chronic Illnesses). These experiences provided the scholars with opportunities to better understand how research governance and ethics oversight are managed at institutional and international levels. Additionally, as part of the experiential visit, scholars toured the UI Zoological Garden, an opportunity to unwind, bond, and gain brief exposure to local biodiversity.
Special appreciation to the hosts, Professor Ayodele Jegede and Professor Ebunoluwa Oduwole, for their immense guidance and support to the scholars throughout the visit to the University of Ibadan.
Funding
The GamREMTI Programme is supported by the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health in the United States (grant number 1R25TW011804).
