In this final episode of our mini-series on research capacity strengthening, we explore how pursuing a PhD, using the PACTS programme (Patient-centred Sickle Cell Disease Management in sub-Saharan Africa), as a real-world example—can enhance, rather than compete with, clinical practice.

Our guests reflect on what it means to balance research with clinical care, teaching, community outreach, and academic responsibilities, and share honest insights about the challenges and opportunities that come with embedding a PhD within a larger programme. From learning by doing to mentoring the next generation, this episode looks at how research can be a powerful tool for real-world impact in health systems.

In this episode:

Dr. Mmamulatelo Siame Mumba - PhD Student, SBA lead, Project coordinator, Zambia

Dr. Mmamulatelo Siame Mumba is a paediatrician and implementation researcher based in Zambia. She is undertaking a PhD with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and leads the Standards-Based Audit teams across PACTS sites while coordinating research activities on the ground.

Dr. Hezekiah Isa Albarka - Lecturer at University of Abuja, Nigeria

Dr. Hezekiah Isa Albarka is a senior lecturer at the University of Abuja and a haematologist with a long-standing interest in sickle cell disease. He is currently pursuing a PhD through the PACTS project, building on years of experience in clinical care and academic teaching.

Dr. Eunice Agyeman Ahmed - PhD Student Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Ghana

Dr. Eunice Agyeman Ahmed is a haematologist at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana and a PhD student at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Her research supports adolescents with sickle cell disease transitioning into adult care, alongside her wider advocacy and training work across Ghana and Africa.

• Patient-Centered Sickle Cell Disease Management in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Patient-centred sickle cell disease management in sub-Saharan Africa (PACTS) | LSTM

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health.

The podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental health and wellbeing, vector-borne diseases, climate change and co-production approaches.

If you would like your project or programme to feature in an episode or miniseries, get in touch with the producers of Connecting Citizens to Science, the SCL Agency.

In this second episode of our mini-series on Research Capacity Strengthening (RCS), we explore what it means to widen the focus of capacity strengthening, beyond researchers and clinicians, to include media, programme managers, community leaders, teachers, caregivers, and more.

Hosted on location at the PACTS Year 3 Partners Meeting, this episode shows how the PACTS programme (Patient-centred Sickle Cell Disease Management in sub-Saharan Africa) has embedded a more inclusive and cyclical approach to RCS. You’ll hear how strengthening media capacity, using content analysis, and co-developing strategies with non-clinical stakeholders can make health systems more responsive and sustainable. We also look at how information itself, when shared in the right way with patients and communities, can be a powerful form of capacity strengthening.

In this episode:

Dr. Motto Nganda – Global Health Researcher: Collaborative Implementation Research for Health Systems Strengthening, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Motto is a medical and public health professional from the University of Douala and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He brings over six years’ experience in participatory implementation research, focusing on person-centred care and health system strengthening in the Global South. In PACTS, Motto supports implementation research across all three countries, coordinating participatory action cycles, standards-based audits, and realist evaluation.

Bernard Appiah - Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Falk College, Syracuse University

Bernard is a pharmacist, journalist, and Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health, Syracuse University, USA. He is also Director of the Centre for Science and Health Communication in Ghana. With expertise in media, health communication, and public engagement, Bernard leads the media content analysis and communication work for PACTS. His work connects journalists and researchers, builds capacity through joint training, and strengthens how sickle cell disease is communicated across public platforms and policy.

Reuben Chianumba - Programme Manager for the PACTS Project, Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Research and Training (CESRTA), University of Abuja

Reuben is the Programme Manager for PACTS in Nigeria, with a background in Medical Biochemistry and extensive experience in research coordination, stakeholder engagement, and community mobilisation. He supports the delivery of PACTS objectives at CESRTA and plays a key role in integrating newborn screening, capacity-building workshops, and local advocacy efforts.

Useful Links:

• Patient-Centered Sickle Cell Disease Management in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Patient-centred sickle cell disease management in sub-Saharan Africa (PACTS) | LSTM

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health.

The podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental health and wellbeing, vector-borne diseases, climate change and co-production approaches.

If you would like your project or programme to feature in an episode or miniseries, get in touch with the producers of Connecting Citizens to Science, the SCL Agency.

Welcome to our new mini-series on research capacity strengthening, produced in partnership with the Centre for Capacity Research at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. In this first episode, we explore the design of a Research Capacity Strengthening (RCS) component within an implementation research project, and why it is crucial for sustainable, patient-centred healthcare. Our conversation draws insights from those actively embedding RCS into their work, demonstrating how improving research skills and systems drives real impact in global health.

In this episode:

Dr. Justin Pulford - Reader at the Centre for Capacity Research, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Justin Pulford is Deputy Head of the Centre for Capacity Research (CCR) at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). A behavioural scientist by training, he has extensive experience developing, implementing, and evaluating research and health systems strengthening initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa and the South Pacific. Dr Pulford also convenes the ‘TROP 703: Public Health Programmes, Policies and Strategies’ module for LSTM’s MPH programme.

Professor Obiageli Nnodu - Co-lead of the PACTS programme, University of Abuja.

Professor Obiageli Nnodu is Professor of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at the University of Abuja, Nigeria, and Director of its Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training. She leads multiple NIH-funded sickle cell projects and chairs Africa’s largest SCD network. Professor Nnodu also advises the Nigerian government on non-communicable diseases and serves on WHO AFRO committees dedicated to improving sickle cell care.

Professor Alex Osei-Akoto - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana

Professor Alex Osei-Akoto is Principal Investigator for PACTS in Ghana. A Professor of Child Health at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Consultant Paediatrician at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, he has focused on sickle cell disease for over two decades. Professor Osei-Akoto led key newborn screening initiatives, advised Ghana’s Ministry of Health on SCD, and co-authored numerous publications. He now spearheads PACTS implementation in Ghana, building on his extensive clinical and research leadership in paediatric haematology.

Dr. Catherine Chunda-Liyoka - University of Zambia

Dr. Catherine Chunda-Liyoka is Head of the Paediatric Haematology Department at Zambia’s University Teaching Hospitals–Children’s Hospital. She provides specialised care in sickle cell disease, haemophilia, aplastic anaemia, HIV, and TB, while leading multiple research initiatives. As an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Zambia and an Honorary Fellow at LSTM, she mentors health workers nationwide. Dr. Chunda-Liyoka also advises the Zambian Ministry of Health on paediatric haematology and infectious diseases, and plays a key role in major SCD networks—including SPARCO and PACTS—to strengthen national guidelines and clinical practices.

Useful links

• Centre for Capacity Research | LSTM
• Patient-centred sickle cell disease management in sub-Saharan Africa (PACTS) | LSTM

Want to hear more podcasts like this?

Follow Connecting Citizens to Science on your usual podcast platform or YouTube to hear more about current research and debates within global health.

The podcast cuts across disciplines, including health systems strengthening, gender and intersectionality, tropical diseases (NTDs, TB, Malaria), maternal and child healthcare (antenatal and postnatal care), mental...