title: The Road Traffic Injuries Research Network: a decade of research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.
abstract: Road traffic crashes have been an increasing threat to the wellbeing of road users worldwide; an unacceptably high number of people die or become disabled from them. While high-income countries have successfully implemented effective interventions to help reduce the burden of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in their countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have not yet achieved similar results. Both scientific research and capacity development have proven to be useful for preventing RTIs in high-income countries. In 1999, a group of leading researchers from different countries decided to join efforts to help promote research on RTIs and develop the capacity of professionals from LMICs. This translated into the creation of the Road Traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) - a partnership of over 1,100 road safety professionals from 114 countries collaborating to facilitate reductions in the burden of RTIs in LMICs by identifying and promoting effective, evidenced-based interventions and supporting research capacity building in road safety research in LMICs. This article presents the work that RTIRN has done over more than a decade, including production of a dozen scientific papers, support of nearly 100 researchers, training of nearly 1,000 people and 35 scholarships granted to researchers from LMICs to attend world conferences, as well as lessons learnt and future challenges to maximize its work.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health & International Injury Research Unit, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Suite E-8132, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. ahyder1@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Adnan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hyder
authors.affiliation: The George Institute for Global Health, Level 13, 321 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2000. rnorton@georgeinstitute.org.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Secretariado Técnico del Consejo Nacional para la Prevención de Accidentes, Guadalajara 46, tercer piso, Colonia Roma Norte, México Distrito Federal, C.P. 06700, Mexico. ricardo.perez@insp.mx.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Núñez
authors.affiliation: Entornos Foundation A.C., Calle 3 #1, Lomas de Atzingo, 62180, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. fmojarro@fundacionentornos.org.
authors.forename: Francisco R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Mojarro-Iñiguez
authors.affiliation: Unintentional Injury Prevention Unit within the WHO's Department for the Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland. pedenm@who.int.
authors.forename: Margie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peden
authors.affiliation: Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 22864, Kampala, Uganda. okobusingye@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Olive
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kobusingye
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D057191:Capacity Building / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003906:Developing Countries; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*