The Military Advanced Research for Capacity in Health-Security (MARCH) Fellowship is a collaboration between the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme (MODHIP), the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research – Africa (WRAIR-A), Nigeria, the Institute of Genomics and Global Health, Ede, and the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. 

 The MARCH Fellowship Programme is aimed at producing Masters in Public Health (MPH) graduates to meet the critical shortfall of clinical researchers in the Nigerian military setting. 

1. To create a self-sustaining cadre of military clinical investigators capable of mentoring future cohorts and securing research funding (National/International).
2. To equip the Armed Forces of Nigeria with advanced competencies in designing, conducting, and analyzing clinical research studies aligned with the AFN health priorities.
3. To build a rapid-response research capability that can generate actionable evidence during emerging and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks, bio-threat events, and conflict-related health emergencies. 
4. To integrate clinical research into military medical planning, enabling data-driven decisions for force health protection, casualty care, and medical logistics system.
5. To create a sustainable interface between military researchers and civilian health systems during public health emergencies.
6. To foster proficiency in Research & Good Clinical Practice (GCP) within the military health system.
7. To establish a peer-reviewed publication and policy-brief pipeline, elevating Nigeria’s military contribution to global health security literature.

The Laboratories to be used for the MARCH Fellowship Programme practical field work are as follows:

1. Defence Reference Laboratory (DRL), Abuja – An Association of American Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) certified laboratory in the fields of Haematology, Serology, Clinical Chemistry, and Molecular Diagnostics.
2. A dedicated diagnostic laboratory located within the Clinical Research Centre (CRC) in Abuja for first-line Study Participants’ profiling and monitoring.
3. Institute of Genomics and Global Health (IGH), formerly known as the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID). It specializes in human genomics research and is located at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

The MARCH Fellowship Training Programme operates within a collaborative ecosystem that includes:

• Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-Africa, Nigeria (WRAIR-A, N)

• Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

• Institute of Genomics and Global Health, Ede

Our primary targets are medical personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce, and Ministry of Defence civilians.