Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

Tanzania

 

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam is the main medical school in Tanzania. It is involved in both research and the provision of care for patients as the national referral hospital. The college has 175 academic staff in various fields of specialty.

People

• Julie Makani (MalariaGEN Investigator)

How the team are contributing to MalariaGEN

Julie Makani and her team have recruited 30 father-mother-child trios for Consortial Project 3 from a semi-urban community south of Dar es Salaam, on the eastern coast of Tanzania.

Obtaining informed consent for participation in the study proved to be challenging. Most medical research in Tanzania involves answering questions that can be immediately understood by the community or lay person. The role of genetics research in health is more difficult to explain in a way that participants can understand. As part of the process of seeking consent, the team therefore arranged meetings to inform community stakeholders about genetics and genetics research. When seeking informed consent from participants they also allowed enough time to talk through any questions or concerns.