Makerere University 2019 Course Descriptions

Week 1: 20-24 May 2019

[expandable title=”Introduction to Systematic Reviews”]Course conveners: Drs. Akena Dickens and Moses Ocan
Dates: 20-24 May

Course description: This course will be divided in two tracks.

Track 1: The first track will be for individuals who have embarked on conducting systematic reviews and have a protocol, have registered a protocol with PROSPERO, or are in the process of competing their reviews. They will receive guidance on how to take their reviews forward. The capacity for this class will be 10 participants. Individuals will work in groups over the 10 day period with clearly and achievable targets. The course will be delivered over a 10 day period.

Track 2: The second track will be introduction to systematic reviews. The 5 day lecture series will be divided into 30-45min sessions with breaks, group discussions, and assignments. At the end of this course, attendees will be expected to: a) Appreciate the differences between literature reviews (LR) and systematic reviews (SR), and the rationale for conducting the latter, b) Critically appraise a SR/ meta-analysis, and use that knowledge to improve the way they cite literature in their academic routines, and clinical practice, c) and to commence the conduct of a SR. The capacity for this class will be 15 participants.[/expandable]

[expandable title=”Bio-ethics”]Course conveners: Drs. Janet Nakigudde and Erisa Mwaka
Dates: 22-24 May

For this course, participants will be required to appreciate the principles of ethics, and the rationale for conducting ethical research. In the introduction, a You-Tube video on the Tuskegee experiment will be shown to the participants in order for them to appreciate the basis upon which research participant’s rights (informed consent, participant selection) are advocated for. Participants will then be taken through the Belmont Report and the principles in Human Subjects Research including respect for persons, beneficence and justice. Finally, the various informed consent processes will be explored. The Uganda National Council of Science and Technology standard informed consent template will be described in accordance with the principles of Human Subjects Research. All participants will be required to design a consent form for their research based on the UNCST guidelines. Participants will also be taken through the basics of ethics of Genetics Research.[/expandable]

Week 2: 27-31 May 2019

[expandable title=”Qualitative Research Methods”]Course conveners: Prof. Wilson W Muhwhezi and Dr. Andrew Turiho
Dates: 27-29 May from 09:00-13:00hrs

This content is designed to give participants an understanding of qualitative research methods and their applications to health research. By the end, participants should be able to: a) appreciate the importance of qualitative research methods in health, illness and health services research and distinguish it from quantitative research ; b) decide when a research topic requires qualitative research(explaining its rationale) and select the most appropriate qualitative design to address research questions; c) begin to develop skills required to conduct in-depth interviews, facilitate focus groups and undertake ethnographic research including observation; d) begin to understand how to analyze qualitative data and how to employ qualitative methods alongside other methods in health research. The course will expose participants to existing user-friendly qualitative data management and analysis software.

A combination of lectures and participatory teaching approaches will be used. Each topic will consist of a brief formal teaching (lecture) and practical activities such as group discussions, class-room presentations and group presentations. Participants will also receive a compilation of course materials which will consist of course lecture materials, reading lists and copies of relevant articles and book chapters.[/expandable]

[expandable title=”Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and mental health: A developmental perspective”]Course convener: Dr. Catherine Abbo
Dates: 30-31 May from 09:00-13:00hrs

This short course will introduce the participant to child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health. The course starts off with the basics of development to lay ground for the participant to understand the behaviors and presentations of symptoms of abnormal behaviours and psychopathology. The participants will then be taken through DSM-5 classification of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Some common neurodevelopmental disorders will be discussed in detail: clinical features, etiological factors, diagnosis and management. Finally general principles of management of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders will be discussed. Some of the topics that will be discussed will include a) Definition of key mental health concepts, b) Theories of development including normal brain development, c) Abnormal behaviors and psychopathology, e) and Neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intellectual Disability, and Movement Disorders, and finally d) the principles of management of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders

Morning hours: Seminars
Afternoon: Practicals will be at the immunization clinics to demonstrate normal development and mental health clinics to demonstrate Psychopathology[/expandable]

[expandable title=”Gerontology”]Course conveners: Assoc. Prof. Noeline Nakasujja and Faith Nawagi
Dates: 30-31 May from 14:00-17:00hrs

Aging is a multidisciplinary field that integrates information of the aging processes in individuals as they grow from middle age through later life. By attending this course, you will get to learn more of the biology, sociology, and psychology of aging, along with content from many other areas of study such as public policy, humanities, and economics. The course will also cover the investigation of the changes in society resulting from our aging population and the application of this knowledge to policies and programs.
This course will cover the comprehensive health care of older persons and the well-being of their informal caregiver. There will in addition be an online certificate course offered through the Alison’s range of caregiving courses designed to equip you with the skills necessary to provide effective health and safety care to any clients or family members in your care. You will learn the most fundamental roles and responsibilities of carers, legal issues when working with a client, and how to identify aspects of medical conditions and emergencies. The skills you will acquire will ensure that you become a carer/provider with skills of the highest standard possible.[/expandable]