Profiling the disease burden in Teso subregion during community-based medical education and research services at Soroti University: a prospective study protocol

Community-based medical education and research services (COBMERS) place medical students in primary health care facilities to strengthen their skills in community health service delivery, teamwork, leadership and professional ethics within limited-resource settings. Beyond training, COBMERS enables universities to generate evidence on local disease epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and control practices, resulting in a tangible, contextualized impact on the communities. There is however limited data on disease profile in Teso subregion, with limited epidemiological research in the area. This prospective study aims to profile the disease burden in the Teso subregion through COBMERS, thereby informing community-level interventions and health policy. The study will employ convergent parallel mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative components will include cross-sectional surveys to determine prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and infectious diseases, complemented by prospective cohort studies to assess temporal trends. Qualitative data will be gathered through focus group discussions and key informant interviews to explore community perceptions, health system capacity, and effectiveness of preventive measures. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach will guide all phases, ensuring that research is co-designed with community members, health practitioners, and local authorities. Medical students, under the supervision of faculty and site mentors, will serve as primary data collectors, integrating research with their COBMERS training. The study is expected to provide evidence on the prevalence, trends, and risk factors of major diseases in the Teso subregion, alongside community perspectives on health priorities and barriers to care. Findings will stir up debates to inform tailored interventions, strengthen primary health care, and guide policy formulation. Additionally, embedding research within COBMERS is expected to build local research capacity among site mentors and students, fostering sustainability and continued community-university collaboration. This protocol therefore provides an integrated framework that combines epidemiological surveillance, community engagement, and capacity building. By leveraging COBMERS and CBPR, the study seeks to provide actionable evidence to reduce the burden of NCDs, infectious diseases, and NTDs while promoting health system resilience in Eastern Uganda.