April 28, 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya: The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), is leading the education research component in a new phase of the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals (PEP) in Kenya, a four-year initiative to strengthen health professionals’ education for the prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases. The program will position APHRC at the center of evidence-informed transformation of the healthcare workforce.
The program builds on the inception phase of PEP in Kenya, which assessed training needs, reviewed curricula, and identified gaps in cardiometabolic disease education across medical and health training institutions. Pilot short courses in the inception phase provided practical insights that informed the next stage of the partnership. This new phase of the project will embed sustainable improvements within education and training systems while expanding the program's reach to a nationwide scale. The program will be implemented through a partnership consortium involving the Christian Health Association of Kenya, Kenya Medical Training College, Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance of Kenya, and the African Population and Health Research Center, in close collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and relevant regulatory bodies.
Kenya continues to face a growing double burden of disease, with cardiometabolic diseases increasing alongside persistent communicable diseases. Meeting these challenges requires a health workforce that is equipped with relevant, up-to-date competencies and supported by strong education and training systems aligned with national health priorities. The new phase of the PEP project will address these gaps at medical training colleges by integrating evidence-based cardiometabolic disease content into pre-service and in-service curricula, expanding access to targeted short courses, and strengthening faculty capacity through mentorship and training in innovative teaching approaches. By supporting educational research and peer learning across institutions and counties, the program contributes to applied evidence on what improves learning outcomes in health professional education. Over the next four years, the program will reach over 1,910 faculty and 12,862 students.
APHRC’s key role in the program is to strengthen the capacity of MTCs to conduct integrated educational and implementation research. This will be achieved through a series of research activities: system research, implementation research and effectiveness research, all co-designed and implemented with the MTCs. “Cardiometabolic diseases are on the rise, and only about 1 in every 2 Kenyan adults has ideal cardiovascular health. For effective diagnosis and management, teaching approaches for health professionals should be evidence-based.. APHRC is pleased to contribute to PEP’s action research to support teaching approaches.” Moses Ngware,Senior Research Scientist APHRC
The program commences concurrently with the expansion of the PEP program to Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania, led by Amref Health Africa. By connecting Kenya’s work to broader PEP learning networks across East Africa, India, and Denmark, the program will foster cross-regional collaboration and learning exchanges and partners to share experience and accelerate the uptake of effective educational approaches across diverse contexts.
Overall, the partnership aims to contribute to stronger health training systems and a better-prepared health workforce, supporting improved prevention, early detection, and quality management of cardiometabolic diseases as part of routine care.
The PEP Partnership Consortium
APHRC is part of the consortium as the research implementing partner and will work closely with Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK), Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Amref Health Africa, Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Kenya (NCD Alliance Kenya)
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Media Contacts
APHRC
Sarah Munyao Ndonye, Senior Communications Officer
African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
smunyao@aphrc.org
Novo Nordisk Foundation
Nils Eskestad, Senior Corporate Writer
Novo Nordisk Foundation
nes@novo.dk
About the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. The Center is Africa-based and African-led, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a West Africa Regional Office (WARO), in Dakar, Senegal. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish enterprise foundation, whose journey started in 1922. The Foundation’s journey is driven by scientific curiosity and a desire to change the world. Characterized as a non-profit organization, the Novo Nordisk Foundation supports philanthropic purposes using funds deriving from its ownership of and investment in companies and other financial assets.
