Discovery Research

PTBi-EA invests in discovery research through a competitive request for proposal (RFP) approach and supports principal investigators from Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. We adapted our review and submission processes to foster research capacity strengthening and new partnerships. Since 2015, we have completed 3 RFP cycles, received a total of 89 submissions, and awarded 13 pilot and 2 team-science grants. Capacity strengthening activities, such as methods and writing workshops, travel to obtain hands-on training, and inclusion of mentors or students, are often included. In addition to these RFP grants, we also support projects focused on gestational age innovation led by UCSF researchers.

2015 RFP Recipients

The prevalence of chorioamnionitis and Group B Streptococcus among HIV infected and uninfected pregnant Ugandan women and its association with preterm birth

John Ategeka, Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration

Kangaroo mother care in Eastern Uganda: A feasibility study to assess the factors influencing uptake, adherence, and acceptability into routine healthcare

Doris Kwesiga, Makerere University

Feasibility and acceptability of NoviGuide: a mobile health device for the management of neonates

Mary Muhindo, Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration

2016 RFP Recipients

Understanding knowledge and perceptions about menstruation, preterm birth and related care seeking practices to inform new health interventions in rural Bondo, Western Kenya

George Ayodo, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology

Evaluation of the utility of CRP among preterm infants with sepsis in a resource-limited setting: a retrospective study

Victoria Nakibuuka, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya

Nutrition and infection in relation to preterm delivery and other pregnancy outcomes in Rwanda

Etienne Nserko, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

Maternal periodontal disease, bacterial pathogens and leukocyte telomere length as predictors for preterm birth among women in Kisumu County, Kenya

Linus Ndegwa, Kenya Medical Research Institute; Julius Oyugi, University of Nairobi; Janet Wojcicki, UCSF

Exposure mapping of household and environmental toxicants associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in Migori County, Kenya

Lydia Olaka and Margaret Oluka, University of Nairobi

2017 RFP Recipients

Newborn complications and outcomes within the neonatal period following preterm birth - Uganda

Joseph Akuze, Makerere University

Is the association between ambient air pollution and perinatal outcomes causal? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Rakesh Ghosh, UCSF

Genetic associations with preterm birth in Rwanda

Leon Mutesa, University of Rwanda

Maternal lead exposure in pregnancy and risk of preterm birth among women attending Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda

Fatuma Namusoke, Makerere University

Newborn outcomes following preterm birth in the post-neonatal period in the first year of life, Uganda

Charles Opio, Makerere University

Prospective phenotyping of preterm birth in Busoga Region, Uganda

Phillip Wanduru, Makerere University

Periopathogenic bacteria serotypes and the association with preterm birth in Kenya

Veronica Wangari, University of Nairobi

Gestational Age Innovation

Placental proteins as a clock for gestational age

Susan Fisher, UCSF

Gestational dating at birth by metabolic profile: Testing and adaptation in African settings

Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski, UCSF (co-funded with GCE)

Gestational dating at birth by metabolic profile: Translation into hospital settings in Uganda

Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski, UCSF