title: Collaborative research and research training through the "Family and Children of Ukraine" research program.
abstract: Family and Children of Ukraine, the Ukrainian component of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, is a prospective, geographically-based study to evaluate pregnancy outcomes in 8,000 women in five cities in Ukraine and follow the cohort of births through 7 years of age. Family and Children in Ukraine has been the major collaborative research project for the University of Illinois' Fogarty-funded program, International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health. This Fogarty program includes graduate training, U.S.-based training of visiting scientists, in-country training, and collaborative in-country research. Factors that have contributed to the success of the collaboration include: 1) its focus on the environmental health of mothers and children, which is a priority goal for both countries; 2) the adoption of an internationally-endorsed research protocol with strict quality-control criteria, specifically designed for international collaboration; 3) the establishment of an in-country data management center; and 4) the investment in a long-term research program rather than a short-term study. The major obstacles have been the difficult economic situation in Ukraine, which limits in-country research investment, and the difficulty in obtaining U.S. funding for an international research program.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational Medicine, Cook County Hospital, 720 South Wolcott Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Hryhorczuk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monaghan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lukyanova
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Truchly
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shkyryak-Nyzhnyk
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oliynyk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zvinchuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004782:Environmental Health; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D008297:Male; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012106:Research / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D014455:Ukraine; D014481:United States; D014944:World Health Organization