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Shambrook teaches research basics in Nigeria, Russia

by Heather Woolwine
Public Relations
As members of the fast track, sometimes it’s difficult for MUSC researchers to remember what taking those initial baby steps into research was like. It’s hard to remember that even the simplest of research protocols were once unknown and had to be learned.

Researchers all over the world, especially in developing countries, are in the act of taking those baby steps and MUSC Institute of Psychiatry’s Jennifer Morgan Shambrook is there to help.

“The people that we taught in Russia and Africa are starting from scratch,” said Shambrook, associate chair for research administration and co-director of the division of public psychiatry. “In Russia, a student asked me ‘what do you consider a human?’ when we were discussing the proper protocols in dealing with human research subjects. Keep in mind, these are senior level faculty members, deans, and provosts that were in this class. I explained that any sponsoring agency would expect them to abide by their standards in dealing with human subjects or they would not receive funding for any research they would try to conduct.”

“It was quite shocking to me that there are still people in the medical and research communities who still see the potential for a difference in using mentally insane or mentally handicapped individuals in research. It was a huge cultural difference from the students in Africa, also of similar professional stature, who were concerned about things like the rights of trees and vegetation in research. I suppose it really highlights the differences in all our cultures,” she said.

Shambrook worked in research administration for 20 years, with past experience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at the University of Pittsburgh. She also served as a fiscal reviewer for various institutes of the National Institutes of Health for almost 10 years. With the help of grants, Shambrook traveled with colleagues interested in research capacity building last summer first to Nigeria, then Russia where she taught students for a week each time.

Shambroook, in Nigerian attire, congratulates a student upon completition of the course.

The class she taught in Nigeria began with 30 students and ended the week with 70 students as word spread about the group and their teachings. They even received a personal invitation from Nigeria’s king of tribal kings, Ooni, to come to the palace so that they could be personally thanked for their efforts. 

Official vehicles transported them to the palace and Shambrook looked at the numerous peacocks, ostriches and other wildlife running free throughout the grounds. She sat with her group in ornately decorated chairs and conversed with the king.

“It was incredible how different an environment it was,” she said. “He had a man kneeling before him and every time the king said something, this man’s job was to say to the king, ‘everything you say is good and just’ or ‘wise and true’. I think I’d like someone to do that for me,” she joked.

After her time in Nigeria, Shambrook would once again cross the globe to another destination, this time, Russia. 

“Although Russia is obviously not considered a developing nation in many ways, indeed, because all research was done at the Academy of Science during communist rule, young people were not exposed to research in the traditional sense,” she said. “Through the Civilian Defense and Research Foundation and the Putanin Foundation, we were able to conduct a weeklong seminar in Atlas Park. It was quite interesting and enlightening to discuss the differences in our research administration and theirs.”

Shambrook and other members of the Society of Research Administrators southern section hosted six fellows from Russia at institutions and funding agencies in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, and California, in addition to the SRA’s annual conference in Tampa.

“It’s becoming more apparent that we are truly turning into a global society so if we share what we know with others, then we’ll all benefit,” Shambrook said.

Shambrook’s return also sparked research help for those here at home. She began a peer review grant writing seminar using the framework she’d constructed for students overseas. Open to everyone at MUSC, it deals with topics including preparing a NIH budget, IRB issues, electronic submissions reports and using resources.
 

Friday, April 15, 2005
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