CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND PEDAGOGY article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1611853
This article is part of the Research TopicCatalyzing Public Health Leadership Research, Practice, Education, and TrainingView all 18 articles
Advancing Public Health Leadership through Culturally Centered and Responsive Research Mentorship Training in Nigeria
Provisionally accepted
Rifkatu Reng1
MANMAK MAMVEN1Fatima Kyari1Elizabeth Christian2Anthony Orji1Roseline Abah1Nanna Ripiye1Gregory Erhabor1
Mark Huffman3
Dike Ojji1
Leah C Neubauer4*
Lisa Hirschhorn2- 1University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
- 2Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
- 3Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- 4School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
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Abstract (250 words, 240) Effective leadership in research and public health is critical to strengthen evidence generation and translation into policy and practice. Mentorship in research and public health is critical to develop leaders, but mentorship training is often ad hoc and may not be effective, particularly when it does not reflect local cultural and academic contextual realities. The Cardiovascular Research Training in Nigeria (CeRTIN) program, a funded partnership between the University of Abuja, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St. Louis is designed to increase cardiovascular research capacity and leadership of Nigerian investigators, including through mentorship training. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a culturally-centered research mentorship training program designed to strengthen mentorship knowledge, capacity, and skills among current and future research leaders. This hybrid workshop, co-developed by faculty in Nigeria and the US using adult learning principles, was conducted in April 2024 with early/midcareer academics, professionals, and mentorship leaders (N=65). 44 participants completed post-workshops surveys. Results demonstrate high degrees of agreement with the workshop's utility, relevancy to the cultural context, and a valuable investment of time. Participants were most engaged during group discussions and interactive sessions which mirrored real-world examples. Significant improvements were reported in self-reported confidence and knowledge in key areas of mentorship. The value and sustainability of culturally responsive approaches to research and public health leadership development through mentoring is critical to plan, execute, and sustain research to improve health in Nigeria and beyond.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease, Nigeria, Mentorship, training, Fogarty
Received: 14 Apr 2025; Accepted: 29 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Reng, MAMVEN, Kyari, Christian, Orji, Abah, Ripiye, Erhabor, Huffman, Ojji, Neubauer and Hirschhorn. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Leah C Neubauer, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, United States
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