Principal Investigator(s):
Bonnie Miller, M.D.
Troy Moon, M.D. M.P.H.
Marie Martin, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research Liberia (PEER-Liberia) program under PEER sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
In the aftermath of the Western Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-2015, hundreds of Ebola survivors have developed a range of ocular conditions from persistent Ebola virus in the eye’s aqueous humor — fluid that fills space between the lens and cornea — for months following the initial hemorrhagic infection. Care and treatment of these individuals requires specialized medical expertise, and more research is need to understand ocular diseases among survivors.
PRIMER-Liberia will focus on developing institutional capacity for a new, fully accredited Ophthalmology residency training program through the Liberian College of Physicians and Surgeons (LCPS) in Monrovia, Liberia; as well as providing technical assistance towards medical curriculum reform and overall research capacity of the AM Dogliotti College of Medicine (AMD). This initiative will also compliment Liberia’s preclinical sustainability plan, and help to strengthen the health system more broadly. Training and education activities include, curriculum development, in-county workshops, distance learning, training for community-based and ancillary health care providers, mentoring of faculty and residents, apprenticeships and clinical rotations.
While the primary outcome is to enhance medical school training that will develop a pipeline of faculty in Ophthalmology with the requisite skills to ensure Ophthalmology Residency Programs meet accreditation standards of the West African College of Physicians, this initiative will also compliment Liberia’s preclinical sustainability plan, and help to strengthen the health system more broadly. Training and education activities include, curriculum development, in-county workshops, distance learning, training for community-based and ancillary health care providers, mentoring faculty and residents, apprenticeships and clinical rotations.