Professor Melanie Newport, BSMS

The Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has become a prestigious Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research – one of only five in the UK.

The centre supports researchers working in public health and tropical medicine to develop their careers, and fosters interchange between institutions in the UK and those based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The centre will build capacity for independent research at three LMIC partner institutions, supporting environments that empower scientists to contribute to a wider African research enterprise.

It will focus on supporting research training in genomics and global health for two key groups:

• ‘high-flying’ individuals with the potential to develop into world-class, independent scientific leaders, who will receive tailored support and mentoring to develop their scientific ideas and submit competitive funding proposals;
• and a broader group of academic staff and postgraduate students, in order to build academic research and teaching expertise through a series of workshops and scientific meetings and an online resource centre.

This initiative brings together a number of partners led by BSMS including the University of Sussex, Nowgen, the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (Ethiopia), the Research Foundation in Tropical Diseases and Environment/Faculty of Health Science, University of Buea (Cameroon) and the Institute of Endemic Diseases (Sudan).

It will draw on the applicants’ expertise in public health, epidemiology, genetics and genomics, public engagement, ethics and policy, in partnership with collaborating centres.

It will take a novel interdisciplinary approach where medical humanities are represented alongside basic and clinical science and the importance of fostering cross-cutting research is recognised and exploited.

Professor Melanie Newport, the centre director, said: “BSMS has invested significantly in global health since its first day and our successful bid reflects how much has been achieved.

“Much of this success has stemmed from our multidisciplinary approach, working in close partnership with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines within BSMS and from both parent universities of Brighton and Sussex.

“The BSMS MSc in Global Health, now in its third year, has been pivotal in bringing everyone together, and has also consolidated links with external partners such as the Institute for Development Studies and non-government organisations such as Target Tuberculosis.

“Meanwhile, we have built the foundations of a vibrant international research programme that has attracted significant external funding and supports several PhD students.

“This award gives external recognition that BSMS is evolving as a centre of excellence in global health and will allow us to further develop our contribution towards improving the health of some of the world’s poorest people.”

BSMS is a partnership between the Universities of Sussex and Brighton together with NHS organisations throughout the south-east.