Practicum faculty, Ms. Sualeha Shekhani (sitting, second from left) and Dr. Aamir Jafarey (sitting, second from right) with CK-BTI program director, Professor Elizabeth Bukusi (sitting, center) and participants in Nairobi, Kenya.
Strengthening Research Capacity through CK-BTI
Hybrid Practicum Research in Bioethics
4 Online Sessions 3-day physical workshop, Nairobi, Kenya
In an exciting new development for the CBEC–KEMRI Bioethics Training Initiative (CK-BTI), a hybrid practicum was conducted this year. The CK-BTI program has consistently adapted itself to meet the needs of participants. In previous years, the program had innovated itself through an increased focus on bioethics education. This time, the objective was to develop the skill set of the faculty involved in bioethics teaching within the CK-BTI program, and others supervising Master’s theses at two Kenyan universities, AMREF and Mount Kenya.
This practicum, conducted by Ms. Sualeha Shekhani and Dr. Aamir Jafarey, covered a wide range of topics. The sessions were focused on providing normative frameworks for bioethics research, understanding the importance of conceptual frameworks, and navigating the often-confusing terrain of methodologies versus methods in research.
The feedback was enthusiastic. Participants shared that, for the first time, they clearly understood the distinction between primary versus secondary research. They believed they were better equipped to support students through the entire research journey—from research question formulation to methodological alignment. Many described the practicum as a “missing piece” added to their supervisory toolkit. The added advantage was working on bioethics-related research questions, which were then mapped across the entire research lifecycle.
Certificate Course Scientific and Ethical Dimensions of Human Subject Research
7 Sessions (2 hours each), SIUT, Karachi
Recognizing the strong influence that scientific methods have on the ethical quality of a study, this course, under the CK-BTI program, targeted these interconnected areas. The catalyst for this course was based on gaps identified during Ethics Review Committee (ERC) proposal evaluations at SIUT, where residents often struggled with core research concepts, misused technical terminology, and encountered difficulties completing the ERC application form.
The course included trainees from different departments including Urology, General Surgery, Gastrointestinal Medicine, and Physiotherapy. The small group format of 24 learners created an engaging environment in which participants were encouraged to directly apply newly acquired concepts to their own research ideas. The course topics included developing original research questions, identifying independent and dependent variables, and constructing measurable objectives and hypotheses. Strong emphasis was placed on demonstrating how methodological choices shape ethical dimensions of research projects.
Participants asked thoughtful questions, discussed uncertainties, and often stayed back after sessions to explore their research ideas further. Participants appreciated the consistent feedback provided to them by the faculty. This initiative reflects CBEC’s ongoing commitment to strengthen the capacity for scientifically robust and ethically sound research within SIUT.