Professor Alhousseïni Ag Mohamed, representing the Ministry of Health of Mali, Dr. Isabelle Hardy, Director of the School of Biology – Biochemistry – Biotechnology (ESTBB) at the Catholic University of Lyon, Dr. Josette Najjar, head of training at Fondation Mérieux, Prof. Souleymane Diallo, Director of the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease and the faculty members were among the guests.
A degree program created in 2007 by the Catholic University of Lyon and Fondation Mérieux, BAMS enables healthcare professionals to strengthen both their skills and theoretical knowledge. During a 9-month period, course participants deepen their understanding of good laboratory practices, quality control rules and the logistics of managing a laboratory. The faculty, of which the majority are Malian, is comprised of experts in cellular and molecular biology, immunology, parasitology, bacteriology, epidemiology, virology, hematology and pharmacology.
The BAMS Mali course has been held at the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease in Bamako since 2007, in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank and the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bamako. 130 technicians from 10 African countries have participated in BAMS, making it a reference in training for laboratory technicians. The class of 2013-2014 includes 17 Malians, 4 Nigerians, 2 Senegalese, 2 Guineans, 1 Beninese, 1 Togolese and 1 Mauritanian.
The BAMS Haiti training program was first created in 2011 at the Laboratoire National de Santé Publique (LNSP), in partnership with Fondation Anber and the Ministry of Public Health and the Population. The students from the 3rd BAMS Haiti class, which bears the name « Christophe Mérieux », received their official certificates during a closing ceremony on May 20, 2014. The French Ambassador to Haiti, Mr. Patrick Nicoloso and Mrs. Augustin, representing the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and the Population, participated in the ceremony. 44 laboratory technicians have received a BAMS Haiti degree.