Participants will be trained on core competencies with a focus on genomics and data analytics
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a public health agency of the African Union has launched the Africa PGI – Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics Fellowship Programme, a continental workforce development programme targeting public health laboratories in the African Union Member States to improve the use of pathogen genomic data for outbreak detection and disease surveillance.
Building on existing efforts and to further expand genomics capacity beyond COVID-19, the Africa CDC in partnership with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), and regional centers of excellence has developed and launched the Africa PGI Pathogen Genomics & Bioinformatics Fellowship Programme.
The Africa PGI – Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics Fellowship Programme has 3 tracks; a wet-lab track (Next-Generation Sequencing of pathogens), a dry-lab track (Public health bioinformatics data analytics, interpretation, and reporting), and a track on genomic epidemiology to be included at a later stage. Overall, the fellowship programme aims to support technical experts and future leaders in public health pathogen genomics and bioinformatics in Africa.
Over the course of the fellowship, participants will be trained on core competencies with a focus on genomics and data analytics for outbreak detection, viral and bacterial disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, and malaria surveillance. The fellowship will also provide opportunities for alumni and institutional networks to foster future collaborations across Africa.