The Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI): Innovations and Lessons for Health Professions Training and Research in Africa.

MEPI was a $130 million competitively awarded grant by President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to 13 Medical Schools in 12 Sub-Saharan African countries and a Coordinating Centre (CC). Implementation was led by Principal investigators (PIs) from the grantee institutions supported by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), NIH and the CC from September, 2010 to August, 2015. The goals were to increase the capacity of the awardees to produce more and better doctors, strengthen locally relevant research, promote retention of the graduates within their countries and ensure sustainability. MEPI ignited excitement and stimulated a broad range of improvements in the grantee schools and countries. Through in-country consortium arrangements African PIs expanded the programme from the 13 grantees to over 60 medical schools in Africa, creating vibrant South-South and South-North partnerships in medical education, and research. Grantees revised curricular to competency based models, created medical education units to upgrade the quality of education and established research support centres to promote institutional and collaborative research. MEPI stimulated the establishment of ten new schools, doubling of the students' intake, in some schools, a three-fold increase in post graduate student numbers, and faculty expansion and retention.Sustainability of the MEPI innovations was assured by enlisting the support of universities and ministries of education and health in the countries thus enabling integration of the new programs into the regular national budgets. The vibrant MEPI annual symposia are now the largest medical education events in Africa attracting global participation. These symposia and innovations will be carried forward by the successor of MEPI, the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth). AFREhealth promises to be more inclusive and transformative bringing together other health professionals including nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.

Use of mobile learning technology among final year medical students in Kenya.

INTRODUCTION: Mobile phone penetration has increased exponentially over the last decade as has its application in nearly all spheres of life including health and medical education. This study aimed at assessing the use of mobile learning technology and its challenges among final year undergraduate students in the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among final year undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi, College of Health Sciences. Self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were issued to all final year students in their lecture rooms after obtaining informed consent. Data on demographics, mobile device ownership and mobile learning technology use and its challenges was collected. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS(®). Chi-square and t-test were used for bivariate analysis. RESULTS: We had 292 respondents; 62% were medical students, 16% were nursing students, 13% were pharmacy students and 9% were dental surgery students. The majority were female (59%) and the average age was 24 years. Eighty eight percent (88%) of the respondents owned a smart device and nearly all of them used it for learning. 64% of the respondents used medical mobile applications. The main challenges were lack of a smart device, lack of technical know-how in accessing or using apps, sub-optimal internet access, cost of acquiring apps and limited device memory. CONCLUSION: Mobile learning is increasingly popular among medical students and should be leveraged in promoting access and quality of medical education.