title: Increasing capacity for environmental engineering in Salta, Argentina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the United States National Institutes of Health includes the International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (ITREOH) Program. The "International Training Program in Environmental Toxicology and Public Health" Center, funded in 2002 is based at the University of California, Davis, and is part of the ITREOH group of Centers. It has major efforts focused at the public universities in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Salta, Argentina.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Training and research efforts in Salta begun in 2005 in the College of Engineering. A donated used real-time PCR machine was the starting point and the initial FIC support was instrumental to face other problems including physical space, research projects and grants, trainees, training, networking, and distractions/opportunities in order to develop local capacities in Environmental Engineering using modern methodology. After 6 years of successful work, the Salta center has become a reference Center in the field, and is still growing and consolidating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This program has had a significant impact locally and regionally. The model used in Argentina could be easily adapted to other fields or types of projects in Argentina and in other developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química, INIQUI-CONICET, UNSa, Salta, Argentina. vbrajal@gmail.com
authors.forename: Verónica B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Rajal
authors.forename: Alicia G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Cid
authors.forename: Mercedes C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Hugo R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Poma
authors.forename: Dolores Gutierrez
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Cacciabue
authors.forename: Neli
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Norma B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Moraga
authors.forename: Jerold A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Last
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D057191:Capacity Building; D004738:Engineering / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D005380:Financing, Government; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities