Continuing professional education with the University of Washington
Twelve weeks, online, delivered with the University of Washington.
Research arm of SHINE
Sintieh Research Academy
Sintieh Research Academy (SRA) is the research and capacity-building arm of SHINE. Since 2019 it has trained more than 1,000 healthcare professionals in research methods across five African countries, produced more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, and provided research consulting to hospitals, NGOs, universities and development agencies. It became part of SHINE in 2025.
2019Founded in Buea
1,000+Professionals trainedFive African countries
50+Peer-reviewed publications
12 wkCourse with the University of Washington
What Sintieh Research Academy does
SRA exists so that African clinicians and health professionals can turn what they see in practice into evidence that changes practice. It does this in four ways: structured courses, one-to-one mentorship, research services for institutions, and field research with partners. Trainees have come from Cameroon and four other African countries; many go on to publish their first paper within a year of finishing a course.
The academy is built on four values: honesty, humility, discipline and productivity. Its teaching is practical: every course ends with a protocol, an analysis or a manuscript that the participant actually needs.
Sintieh Research Academy in numbers
Sintieh Research Academy (SRA) is the research and training arm of SHINE. We founded it in Buea in 2019. Since then it has trained more than 1,000 health professionals in five African countries. In addition, its staff and fellows have contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. The academy does three kinds of work: courses and mentorship, research services, and field programmes.
Courses at Sintieh Research Academy
The research methodology course runs for eight weeks online. It covers study design, ethics, data collection, analysis and scientific writing. The mentorship programme takes a clinician from research question to published paper in twelve months. Moreover, continuing professional education courses run online with the University of Washington.
Research services from Sintieh Research Academy
For hospitals, NGOs, universities and agencies, the academy provides data collection, proposal writing, data analysis, manuscript writing and institutional training. We answer an enquiry within two working days. Then a scoped proposal follows within five. Full details are on sra.shineltd.org.
Join Sintieh Research Academy
Health professionals can enrol in a course or join the expert network through the careers page. Similarly, institutions can send a partnership enquiry. Finally, recent work is listed in the publications library.
How to reach us
You can write to info@shineltd.org at any time. Alternatively, call +237 680 338 598 during office hours, Monday to Friday. We reply within two working days. In addition, partnership and funding enquiries go to partner@shineltd.org, so that the right person answers. Questions about Sintieh Research Academy are welcome.
Related pages
For example, the publications library lists peer-reviewed work by year and topic. Similarly, the programmes page describes current field programmes and courses. Finally, news and insight carries announcements and programme notes from SHINE and its divisions.
A note on our standards
First, every study has a written protocol and ethical approval before data collection. Second, we report results to the partner as well as to a journal. Third, testimonials appear only with the person’s consent. As a result, partners can rely on what SHINE publishes, and readers can check every claim against its source.
Courses and programmes
Research methodology course
Eight weeks, online. Framing a question, study design, ethics, sampling, data collection, analysis and scientific writing. Participants leave with a draft protocol.
R programming bootcamp
Four weeks. Data management, statistics and visualisation in R for health data, from import to publication-ready figures.
Data analysis workshops
Two weeks. Hands-on analysis in STATA, SPSS or R using participants' own datasets, with interpretation and reporting.
Continuing professional education with the University of Washington
Twelve weeks, online. A partner course delivered with the University of Washington for practising health professionals.
One-to-one research mentorship
Twelve months, remote. An assigned mentor takes a participant from research question to submitted manuscript.
Scholarship and admission support
Guidance for health professionals applying to graduate programmes and fellowships abroad.
Apply for a course or request research support
Courses run in cohorts through the year. Institutions receive a response within two working days and a quote within three to five.
Research services for institutions
- Data collection with REDCap, ODK and KoboToolbox
- Customised data collection protocols and field teams
- Research proposal and grant writing
- Budget development and ethics applications
- Data analysis in STATA, SPSS, R and NVivo
- Journal-ready manuscript writing and systematic reviews
- Peer review and journal selection
- Research methods and grant writing workshops on site
Field research and impact
SRA runs research with hospitals, NGOs and universities. The 2023 Hypertension Awareness project reached more than 5,000 people with screening and education. SRA has supported hospital teams to publish clinical audits that improved care standards, and its research has been used in district health strategies and NGO programming. It holds a certified partnership with the University of Washington.
How a request is handled
- RequestSubmit the form on sra.shineltd.org or the SHINE partnership form.Immediate
- ResponseTriage and discovery questions.2 working days
- Discovery callConfirm scope, timeline and partners.15 to 30 minutes
- Quote and planDelivery plan and budget.3 to 5 days
- Kick-offDelivery against agreed milestones.As agreed
Programmes and courses
All programmes
One-to-one research mentorship
Twelve months, remote. From research question to published paper.
Research methodology course
Eight weeks, online. Study design, ethics, data collection, analysis and writing.
What our laureates say
Join a programme"At SRA, hidden skills of critical and analytical thinking were triggered within me. As the course progressed I could appraise the components and steps of the research topics presented on ideation days."
"Humility, honesty, discipline and productivity, the core values SRA upholds, were one of the motivations that kept me going even when it seemed tough. It has been a rewarding experience."
"SRA is a place where your growth is their priority. They aim at building a sustainable scientific community that can think out of the box and take the actions needed to change the world with an idea."
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions we are asked most. For anything else, contact us and we reply within two working days.
Who can enrol in SRA courses?
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, public health officers, students and anyone working in health who wants to design, run or publish research. Courses are online, so participants join from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.
How long are the courses and what do they cost?
The methodology course runs eight weeks, the R bootcamp four weeks and the data analysis workshops two weeks; the University of Washington course runs twelve weeks. Fees are listed on sra.shineltd.org; scholarships are available for some cohorts.
Can SRA analyse data or write a manuscript for my team?
Yes. SRA provides data collection, analysis, proposal and manuscript services to institutions. Send a request through the SRA site or the SHINE partnership form; you receive a response within two working days and a quote within three to five.
What is the expert network?
A paid network of data analysts, proposal developers, public health researchers, manuscript editors and monitoring and evaluation specialists whom SRA engages by project. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Work with SHINE
We answer enquiries within two working days. Discovery calls take fifteen to thirty minutes, and a scoped proposal follows within five.