Curriculum on research self-efficacy, motivations, and barriers for dermatology residents in Ethiopia

Summary: Research is a requirement of many dermatology residency programs in Africa, with global collaborations offering an opportunity to expand research capacity. The partnership between Emory University and faculty leaders at Addis Ababa University (AAU) has identified a need for expanded resident training in study design and research dissemination. This study aimed to evaluate changes in self-reported research self-efficacy among AAU dermatology residents before and after a four-day curriculum led by Emory University faculty. The curriculum included joint discussions on research design, feedback on resident-led projects, and guidance on writing and publishing. Research self-efficacy was evaluated using the validated Comprehensive Research Self-Efficacy Scale (C-RSES) across six domains, with pre- and post-curriculum scores compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Twenty-eight residents (93.3% response rate) completed both pre- and post-curriculum surveys. Median C-RSES domain scores increased across all domains, including Literature Review and Research Problem (3.9 to 4.5), Conceptual/Theoretical Framework (3.0 to 4.0), Research Plan (3.3 to 4.3), Data Analysis (2.7 to 4.0), Discussion (3.5 to 4.5), and Research Ethics (3.9 to 4.5, each p<0.001). At curriculum completion, the most common motivators for conducting research were contributing to medical knowledge (85.7%) and improving career prospects (85.7%); most common barriers were difficulty obtaining research funding (35.7%) and lacking mentorship (32.1%). Research self-efficacy increased after a structured curriculum for Ethiopian dermatology residents at AAU. This single-center study relied on self-reported outcomes, and further research is needed to evaluate if increased self-efficacy leads to greater research productivity. International collaborations have the potential to expand research self-efficacy among dermatology residents in low- and middle- income countries. Hayley Braun¹, Courtney A. Smith¹, Messay Tesfaye Demissie², Ahmed Mohammed Issa², Tizita Yosef Kidane², Benjamin Stoff¹, Howa Yeung¹ 1. Dermatology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States. 2. Dermatovenerology, Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research