STEP - Project and Research Electives

Research and project electives are available to students and residents at any level of training, for a minimum of 8 weeks. Projects are usually specific program-related tasks that the learner will see completed from start to finish, whereas research electives generally involve taking on a specific role in a study that is underway. Students that are coming for long-term electives (6 months or more) are encouraged to work with the research team to develop and conduct new studies.

FACES and its associated research projects currently have ongoing studies focused on sexually transmitted infections and HIV treatment and prevention. Current investigations include HSV-2 suppression with acyclovir to prevent HIV transmission in discordant couples, the acceptability and efficacy of a microbicide among young women and adolescent girls, and the impact of antiretroviral therapy scale-up on sexual risk behaviours. The Nairobi site currently has a research project on ART adherence. Future studies may include immunologic and virological evaluation of ART response, resistance to ART and evaluation of smear negative tuberculosis among HIV infected adults. There are also many operational research questions to be addressed within FACES.

Learners will generally start working on the project or study before arriving on site, and may need to continue their involvement upon return to their home institution. We encourage these electives to be undertaken as a partnership between Kenyan medical students and North American medical students and residents.

Research or project electives can not be combined with clinical electives except for during long-term electives.