The Afriwon Research Collaborative (ARC) Program

Bridging the Research Evidence Gap in Primary Care in the Africa Region

Family medicine and primary care are fundamental components of health systems globally, and their importance in the African context is increasingly recognized. Despite the growing recognition, the development and implementation of these practices face significant challenges across the continent. Family medicine in sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by diverse implementation models tailored to local contexts, reflecting the region's unique health challenges and resource constraints. Studies have highlighted the need for robust frameworks and guidelines to enhance the effectiveness of primary care teams, especially in low-resource settings (BMC Human Resources for Health, PHCFM).

In Africa, family medicine and primary care play a pivotal role in addressing the healthcare needs of the population. Despite significant progress, there remain substantial gaps in research evidence to inform and optimize these practices. Family medicine in Africa has been recognized for its potential to improve health outcomes through comprehensive community-oriented care, yet challenges such as limited resources, varying healthcare infrastructures, and diverse health burdens necessitate tailored approaches to primary care. Recent studies highlight the need for robust frameworks and evidence-based practices to support the formation and operationalization of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) within primary care settings across the continent (PHC Research, SAFPJ).

The ARC Program aims to address these gaps by fostering research and generating contextual research evidence suited to the African context. By bridging these gaps, the ARC Program seeks to enhance the effectiveness of primary care and support the broader goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa.

About the ARC Program

The Afriwon Research Collaborative (ARC) program is an online six-month research training and mentorship program designed to build research capacity among trainee and early career family physicians in sub–Saharan Africa (SSA). The program started as the brainchild of Dr. Chelsea McGuire, a past Beyond Afriwon Theme Lead in 2019, and has had a total of three cycles successfully. It is presently being funded by Primafamed, the education arm of WONCA Africa.

The research training curriculum component is delivered through Google Classroom and is made up of 10 modules (short didactics, supporting reference materials, quizzes, and assignments or “deliverables”). These modules and deliverables guide participants systematically through each step of the research process, culminating in a fully developed research proposal. The mentorship component of the program consists of both peer and faculty mentorship and is grounded in the spirit of motivational interviewing. The third cycle of the program, which had 22 mentees, eighteen peer mentors, and twenty faculty mentors, was concluded in June 2023.

Some ARC participants' comments on their overall experience:

‘It was extremely helpful in making me more comfortable with research.’ - ARC Mentee GA

‘It has enlightened me about research, it has simplified how to carry out research and the faculty mentor was very supportive. I would recommend it to other people.’ - ARC Mentee WK

‘It was awesome. I really benefitted a lot.’ - ARC Mentee NG

Participants completed research protocols for masters and fellowship in Family Medicine. Following the completion of the third cycle, ARC has continued to host monthly research work-in-progress meetings, which help support a growing family medicine research culture.

The program is currently being administered by the working group members under the supervision of advisory group members, who are faculty mentors from different countries within Sub-Saharan Africa. The working group members are:

• Dr. Pius Ameh (Program Director and Research Modules Lead)
• Dr. Fatusin Bolatito Betty (Mentorship Arm Lead)
• Dr. Patrick Ntontolo (Assistant Research Modules)
• Dr. Stephen Engmann (Assistant Mentorship Arm)
• Dr. Araba Buadu (Member)
• Madison Kassar (MPH Practicum student, Boston University)
• Michael Hagen (MPH Practicum Student from Boston University)