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Cancer centers are beginning to emerge in low- and middle-income countries despite having relatively few oncologists and specialists in related fields. Uganda, like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has a cadre of highly motivated clinician-scientists-in-training who are committed to developing the capacity for cancer care and research. However, potential local mentors for these trainees are burdened with uniquely high demands on their time for clinical care, teaching, institutional development, advocacy, and research. Facilitated peer mentoring helps to fill skills and confidence gaps and teaches mentoring skills so that trainees can learn to support one another and regularly access a more senior facilitator/role model. With an added consultant component, programs can engage limited senior faculty time to address specific training needs and to introduce junior investigators to advisors and even potential dyadic mentors. Two years after its inception, our facilitated peer mentoring career development program at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala is successfully developing a new generation of researchers who, in turn, are now providing role models and mentors from within their group. This program provides a practical model for building the next generation of clinical scientists in developing countries.

The Cell-Dyn 1800 is a new automated hematology analyzer that provides an 18-parameter blood count and operates at a throughput of 60 specimens per hour. (Clinical significance has not been established for plateletcrit and platelet distribution width; therefore these parameters are not reportable in the United States.) The instrument is smaller than its predecessor and offers a variety of enhanced features, including increased patient data storage, availability of a bar code reader, and a cyanide-free reagent system. Our study comprehensively assessed the analytical characteristics of the instrument in a variety of areas. When applicable the requirements of appropriate NCCLS guideline documents were followed. Instrument background and carryover were shown to be consistent with the performance specification. Accuracy was demonstrated by linearity studies and by comparison of results from the automated blood count parameters of the Cell-Dyn 1700 and from the manual differential method. The instrument-generated results and morphology flags were found to be effective in screening for abnormalities demonstrated by manual morphological assessment. Precision of the Cell-Dyn 1800 instrument was studied over the short term (with fresh blood) as well as the long term with stabilized quality control material. In either case, the instrument exhibited satisfactory performance. The blood count parameters showed acceptable stability during storage experiments, although in the case of mean platelet volume, the Cell-Dyn 1800 results increased during the first 6 hours of storage, reflecting the morphological changes expected of platelets from EDTA-anticoagulated specimens.