In courses that finished in June 2012 in Paris and Luxembourg, 22 participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the South Pacific completed the final module and submitted their papers (23 in total) to peer-reviewed journals within four weeks, as required by the course. The topics of their papers varied with 11 on TB or TB-HIV, 8 on maternal and child health, and 1 each on HIV/AIDS, sexual violence, village registers and smoking. Twelve of the papers have already been accepted for publication.
160 people applied for 24 places in the subsequent courses that started in Paris and Luxembourg in July 2012. Those accepted come from 18 different countries, and all completed the first and second module milestones within the allocated time frame. Of the 24 research protocols developed, 11 were on TB or TB-HIV, 4 on HIV/AIDS, 3 on health systems, 2 on Visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) and 1 each on Chagas disease, childhood care, malaria and cervical carcinoma. The final module will be held in June 2013.
The Pacific Operational Research course is being attended by 12 participants from the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. They completed their first module in September and have developed research protocols on TB, diabetes, other non-communicable diseases and leprosy. The facilitation team for the course comprises health experts from The Union, SPC's Public Health Division, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Auckland, the University of Sydney, the University of Otago, the Fiji Ministry of Health, and Fiji National University. The Pacific course has been organised jointly by The Union and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), with funding by SPC through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the World Diabetes Foundation.
The final milestone for the Fiji course, which started in September 2011, was on the 1 October 2012. Of the original 12 Fijian participants, all 9 who qualified for module three submitted their papers by the 1 October deadline. Topics included tuberculosis, congenital rubella syndrome, maternal health, cervical cancer, nursing human resources, and nutrition. The Fiji course was jointly run by the Fiji School of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, the Fiji National TB Control Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, France, Medecins sans Frontières and supported by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.