Who we are
The MRC Unit The Gambia (MRCG) is one of two research units established in sub-Saharan Africa by the Medical Research Council UK and is the MRC's single largest investment in medical research in a low and middle income country. MRC Unit The Gambia at the LSHTM represents an outstanding concentration of scientific expertise and high quality research platforms in West Africa. The Unit's investigator-led research is underpinned by the combination of excellent laboratory facilities and easy access to the field with well-defined populations that are highly supportive of our research. It provides excellent clinical services, upholds rigorous ethical procedures and has been delivering GCP-compliant clinical trials. Our portfolio covers research and evaluation of interventions for disease control among populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
What we do
MRCG has been in The Gambia for more than 75 years delivering research aimed at reducing the burden of illness and death. The research portfolio is structured into three broad themes - Disease Control & Elimination, Nutrition & Planetary Health and Vaccines & Immunity. Each of these three themes has specific objectives, areas of research and expertise.
MRCG also brings world-class career development opportunities to Africa for early and mid-career professionals, training and nurturing the next generation of scientists in the region to improve health and save lives through research. It covers specialised areas such as data science technology, genomics, biomedical engineering and medical statistics among others.
Vision
The Unit's vision is to lead health research in West Africa to save lives and improve health across the world.
Our scientific vision is to contribute to the post-2015 sustainable development agenda by producing evidence-based research to improve health in West Africa and beyond.
More specifically, the Unit will:
contribute to the control of infectious diseases of public health importance in West and sub-Saharan Africa;, address the unacceptably high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality;, design and implement next generation interventions against nutrition-related diseases through discovery science; and, strengthen research on non-communicable diseases.
I am a Project Officer with the Medical Research Council, The Gambia at LSHTM since September 2022. I graduated with BSc degree in Economics from the University of The Gambia in 2019. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in business administration with the same University and I expect to complete it in 2026. I was also conferred the global credential Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in March 2024.
I have had several opportunities for professional development from MRCG during my time with the institution. This includes my PMP certification and master’s degree program both funded by the institution. I also earned a certificate in Leadership and Management in health course from the University of Washington, USA, facilitated by MRCG in December 2023. I also participated in several in-house departmental training sessions in relation to research management.
My primary role with MRCG is to manage/administer research grants. This involves provision of research/grants management support and implementation of the grants in coordination with the research team and principal investigator (PI). The role also includes collaborating with other research institutions at the level of research management and implementation.