Research

Increasing leadership capacity for HIV/AIDS programmes by strengthening public health epidemiology and management training in Zimbabwe

Donna S Jones¹ , Mufuta Tshimanga² , Godfrey Woelk³ , Peter Nsubuga¹ , Nadine L Sunderland⁴ , Shannon L Hader⁵ and Michael E St Louis⁶

¹  Division of Global Public Health Capacity Development (previously Division of International Health), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

²  MPH Programme, Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Medicine, Harare, Zimbabwe

³  RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

⁴  Global AIDS Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

⁵  HIV/AIDS Administration, DC Department of Health, Washington, DC, USA

⁶  Coordinating Office for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

author email corresponding author email

Human Resources for Health 2009, 7:69doi:10.1186/1478-4491-7-69

Published:	10 August 2009

Abstract

Background

Increased funding for global human immunodeficiency virus prevention and control in developing countries has created both a challenge and an opportunity for achieving long-term global health goals. This paper describes a programme in Zimbabwe aimed at responding more effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by reinforcing a critical competence-based training institution and producing public health leaders.

Methods

The programme used new HIV/AIDS programme-specific funds to build on the assets of a local education institution to strengthen and expand the general public health leadership capacity in Zimbabwe, simultaneously ensuring that they were trained in HIV interventions.

Results

The programme increased both numbers of graduates and retention of faculty. The expanded HIV/AIDS curriculum was associated with a substantial increase in trainee projects related to HIV. The increased number of public health professionals has led to a number of practically trained persons working in public health leadership positions in the ministry, including in HIV/AIDS programmes.

Conclusion

Investment of a modest proportion of new HIV/AIDS resources in targeted public health leadership training programmes can assist in building capacity to lead and manage national HIV and other public health programmes.