Neonatal sepsis remains one of the leading causes of newborn death in sub-Saharan Africa. Tackling it requires not just better diagnosis and management, but a generation of clinicians and researchers who can find the evidence, evaluate it critically and apply it in the real world.
The SNIP-AFRICA Neonatal Sepsis Course was created with this goal in mind. With the completion of its inaugural cohort, the programme has already begun to demonstrate its value in strengthening research capacity across the consortium.
Fifteen healthcare professionals and researchers from Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda completed the inaugural course, which ran from January to April 2026. Across eight weeks of live sessions and a preceding phase of self-paced clinical modules, participants deepened their understanding of how neonatal sepsis is diagnosed and treated, and developed practical skills in scientific literature search, critical appraisal and research communication.
The course culminated in a Journal Club assessment, where participant groups presented structured critiques of peer-reviewed research articles to a faculty panel. This provided an opportunity to apply newly acquired skills in evidence appraisal, scientific discussion, and presentation.
The feedback from participants speaks for itself. Over three quarters said the course had significantly improved their knowledge and skills. Almost 90% found it highly relevant to their work. These are not abstract gains: the participants who completed this course are embedded in clinical research teams across the consortium’s study sites. The skills they have built feed directly into the quality of the research being conducted under SNIP-AFRICA, and ultimately into better outcomes for the newborns at the heart of this work.
As we celebrate the achievements of Cohort 1, planning is already underway for the next intake. The second cohort of the SNIP-AFRICA Neonatal Sepsis Course is expected to launch later in 2026, so watch this space.
