Tsegaye Yohanes (MSc, Assi. professor medical parasitology)
Director, collaborative research and training center for neglected tropical diseases (CRTC-NTDs)
Arba Minch University
Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 0912098

The Collaborative Research and Training Center for NTDs was established in 2015 at Arba Minch University. Since its establishment, the Center has made tremendous progress and has attained remarkable achievements.   

The vision of the center  

To be a center of excellence in research, training, and consultancy on NTDs in east Africa by 2025

The mission of the center  

The center is committed to conducting problem-solving and demand-driven research, training, and consultancy services to produce a pool of experts and to generate clinching clinical evidence benefiting for policy formulation and designing standard programs at regional and national level  

OBJECTIVE

• Conduct research, mapping, impact assessment and generate timely and reliable information to serve as potential facts for policy formulation
• Build expertise by imparting need-based training to UG and PG students
• Organize in-service training for healthcare providers with emphasis on surveillance, prevention, case management, control, and elimination of NTDs
• Foster strategic alliances with health service providers, organizations, professional associations, academic and research institutions within Ethiopia and abroad
• Services on prevention, treatment, and control of NTDs including the development of IEC/BBC materials  

CRTC-NTDs operates in three areas 

• Research and development training and consultancy service 

Research 

• The center conduct research, mapping, and impact assessment of interventions on NTDs under its thematic and sub thematic areas

Training Services 

• It provides training on NTDs and delivers different relevant services to its catchment community and national level 

consultancy service 

• The center offers services on NTDs to all of its collaborators 

Strategies 

• Partnership
• Collaboration
• Community participation

Achievements of the center 

Since its establishment, the Center has made tremendous progress and has attained remarkable achievements.  Just to mention a few;

1. Conducted five-round nationwide Independent Monitoring Exercises on NTDs (mainly on STH and SCH) in collaboration with Evidence Action, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), and supported by the Federal Ministry of Health. 
2. Participated in various national and international NTD conferences and workshops. 
3. The team from the center in collaboration with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) conducted validation surveys and coverage evaluation assessments in various regional states of Ethiopia. 
4. Besides this, the center conducted demand-driven research and short-term training on NTDs for health care workers and health systems managers, primary school teachers, and students.
5. To date, staff members of the CRTC/AMU in collaboration with partners have conducted relevant operational research on Skin NTDs like scabies and Leishmaniasis, STH, SCH, Trachoma, onchocerciasis, and other NTDs prioritized by the FMOH and have published more than 30 articles on peer-reviewed journals.