Collaborations in Minnesota Help Kenyan Scholar Expand STI Research

Mogaka, third from right, with his research team

Why is international collaboration necessary in global health research?

Felix Mogaka knows there are many reasons, but nicely summarized the answer in one, succinct sentence: “Diseases don’t need visas.”

Mogaka’s time at the University of Minnesota as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow exemplifies the benefits that are produced through bidirectional collaboration.

Upon arriving in May, the researcher from Kenya expanded his network and had the opportunity to learn from faculty and practitioners in Minneapolis.

Studying STI Prevalence in Kisumu County, Kenya

During his fellowship, Mogaka studied the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) among men in Kisumu County, Kenya, receiving Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. The men participating in the study were receiving the treatment from public health care clinics, key-population-friendly drop-in centers and retail pharmacies.

Mogaka found a high prevalence of STIs among the men as well as a high prevalence of extragenital STIs, or STIs found in the rectum or throat. In addition, he discovered that many of the STIs were asymptomatic.

The results will be beneficial to further research and STI prevention in Kisumu County, which has high rates of HIV and STIs. 

Mogaka also used a pooled-testing technique, which allowed him to collect multiple samples from subjects and combine them into one sample to be tested; the method was cost-effective and one he hopes other researchers will adopt.

“In Kenya, this is among the first projects using the pooled-testing strategy. It’s not the standard way of testing and something that could be cost-effective for the public health system to adopt,” said Mogaka.

Fogarty Makes Meaningful Study Possible

The Fogarty Global Health Fellowship, known formally as the Fogarty LAUNCH Research Training Program, is a prestigious training program funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Fogarty International Center that offers a year of mentored research training to postdoctoral trainees and doctoral students. 

The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility is part of the Northern/Pacific Global Health Research Fellows Training Consortium, which operationalizes the fellowship program.  CGHSR Executive Director Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, is the principal investigator for the University of Minnesota. Since 2012, CGHSR has supported more than 50 Fogarty Fellows. 

“The Fogarty Fellowship is not only a great opportunity for aspiring researchers to gain field experience, but also offers a chance for them to expand their professional network,” said Prasad. 

“The knowledge share that takes place is an integral part of global health and an important benefit to the program.” 

Fogarty allowed Mogaka to pursue a project he was interested in and provided resources he wouldn’t have had otherwise. Working with his mentors, Elizabeth Bukusi, MMed, PhD, and Jenell Stewart, DO, MPH, Mogaka met new collaborators with similar interests.

“Fogarty helped me do a project that I was passionate about — it wasn’t just me participating in a preconceived project. I designed my project based on things I had seen and learned about and implemented. I ran the project as the principal investigator and answered questions that I wanted to answer,” he said.  

During the first 10 months of Mogaka’s fellowship, he conducted his research in Kenya. His last two months of the fellowship were spent in Minneapolis, shadowing Stewart and taking classes at the University of Minnesota.

Mogaka shadowed Stewart at Hennepin Healthcare, learning how local physicians treat and prevent HIV. Mogaka said the experience offered a glimpse into the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, with physicians, nurses, translators and social workers coming together to provide care.

He also took multiple courses at UMN, including one focused on data analysis at the Summer Public Health Institute.

“Mentorship is Key”

Mogaka met Stewart while pursuing his Master’s of Public Health at the University of Washington. The collaboration has been a meaningful one, leading to new research opportunities.

Mogaka’s past research has focused on STI prevalence among women, and the Fogarty Fellowship allowed him to work with a new population, men. Stewart’s support helped make the project possible.

“She’s a great mentor and very supportive. Working with her has allowed me to be introduced to other people working in global health in Minnesota and has extended my networks and given me an opportunity for growth,” said Mogaka. 

He added that the logistics of the project wouldn’t have been possible without finding the right collaborators. Those introductions didn’t only let him focus on a project he was interested in, but also do more with less.

“I was able to use my collaborations to do a big project using a small budget — and that was due to networking,” said Mogaka. 

“Mentorship is key, and Fogarty is keen on the mentorship aspect. Having great mentors has a big impact on your trajectory.”