GSA President Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon Attending STAIRS 2nd Annual Consortium Meeting: Advancing Sepsis Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

From January 13-16, 2025, the Sub-Saharan African ConsorTium for the Advancement of Innovative Research and Care in Sepsis (STAIRS) held its 2nd Annual Consortium Meeting (ACM) in Kumasi, Ghana, hosted by the STAIRS-Ghana team led by Dr John Adabie Appiah at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). The event brought together leading researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and stakeholders dedicated to improving sepsis outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa. Hosted at the Golden Bean Hotel, the meeting provided a platform for insightful discussions, research updates, and strategic planning for the consortium’s ongoing efforts.­­­­­

About STAIRS

STAIRS is one of 6 collaborative networks funded for 5 years by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under its Research Networks for Health Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa (RHISSA) funding scheme. STAIRS comprises ten partners from seven countries across sub-Saharan Africa (Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia and Mozambique) and 2 German universities (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf). By leveraging existing networks and forging new partnerships, STAIRS addresses critical gaps in sepsis epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment in resource-constrained settings of sub-Saharan Africa.

Meeting Highlights

The ACM commenced with a welcome reception at Veronique Heights Hotel on 12 January, where participants networked and set the stage for productive engagements.

The formal sessions began on 13 January with welcoming addresses from key institutional leaders, including:

  • Dr Kwadwo Sarbeng (Medical Director, KATH)

  • Dr Yaw Larbi (Deputy Medical Director, KATH)

  • Dr Evans Ansu Yeboah (Deputy Director of Research & Development, KATH)

  • Dr Fred Adomako Boateng (Ashanti Regional Director, Ghana Health Service)

  • Prof Christian Agyare (Provost, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

The meeting was then officially opened with a STAIRS Director’s Address delivered by Dr Nathan Kenya-Mugisha (Executive Director, Walimu), and followed by two keynote speakers – Prof Richard Odame Philips (Scientific Director, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine), who shared insights on pressing global health challenges and innovations in antimicrobial resistance and sepsis management, and Prof. Niranjan "Tex" Kissoon (President, Global Sepsis Alliance), who delivered a keynote address on advancements in sepsis care and global strategies for reducing mortality.

Participants engaged in panel discussions, interactive Q&A sessions, and collaborative workshops, fostering cross-disciplinary exchange and strengthening international partnerships to advance activities with STAIRS 4 work packages, focused on:

  • Research: Advancing clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and innovative diagnostics for sepsis management.

  • Capacity Building: Strengthening research and clinical capacity through training, mentorship, and infrastructure development.

  • Networking: Enhancing collaboration between African and international partners to promote knowledge sharing and resource mobilization.

  • Policy Exchange & Research Transfer: Translating scientific findings into policy recommendations and improving sepsis care implementation across healthcare systems.

A highlight of the meeting was a session comprising research-in-progress presentations by eight STAIRS Scholars who have commenced PhD programmes at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (Liverpool), Charité – Universitätsmedizin (Berlin), Heinrich Heine University (Düsseldorf) and Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich).

The last day of the meeting included members of the African Research Collaboration on Sepsis (ARCS) and was opened by Dr Shevin Jacob (Chief Scientific Officer, STAIRS; Director, ARCS) who provided an overview of the growing network of sepsis researchers across sub-Saharan Africa. ARCS members delivered presentations on research findings from studies conducted across the sub-Saharan African network over the past 5 years, and STAIRS collaborators, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organisation (UNHCO), co-chaired sessions focused on stakeholder engagement and dissemination strategies. As part of this day, a solemn tribute to Dr Emmanuel Nsutebu (late President, African Sepsis Alliance) was delivered by Prof Kissoon; Dr Janet Diaz (Headquarters, World Health Organization) delivered a keynote speech on the World Health Organization’s initiatives to address sepsis globally and within the African region.

Overall, 53 participants attended the ACM from 14 countries, including the 8 STAIRS partner countries, Canada, Kenya, Malawi, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

Katja Couball