Training and Capacity Building in LMIC for Research in Heart and Lung Diseases: The NHLBI-UnitedHealth Global Health Centers of Excellence Program.
Stemming the tide of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide requires a multipronged approach. Although much attention has been paid to disease control measures, there is relatively little consideration of the importance of training the next generation of health-related researchers to play their important role in this global epidemic. The lack of support for early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries interested in the global NCD field has resulted in inadequate funding opportunities for research, insufficient training in advanced research methodology and data analysis, lack of mentorship in manuscript and grant writing, and meager institutional support for developing, submitting, and administering research applications and awards. To address this unmet need, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-UnitedHealth Collaborating Centers of Excellence initiative created a Training Subcommittee that coordinated and developed an intensive, mentored health-related research experience for a number of early stage investigators from the 11 Centers of Excellence around the world. We describe the challenges faced by early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries, the organization and scope of the Training Subcommittee, training activities, early outcomes of the early stage investigators (foreign and domestic) and training materials that have been developed by this program that are available to the public. By investing in the careers of individuals in a supportive global NCD network, we demonstrate the impact that an investment in training individuals from low- and middle-income countries can have on the preferred future of or current efforts to combat NCDs.
Department of Medicine, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Gerald S
GS
Bloomfield
Department of Pharmacology and Division of Clinical Research and Training, St. John's Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
Denis
D
Xavier
Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: deshiree.belis@nih.gov.
Deshirée
D
Belis
Centre for Global Health Research, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dewan
D
Alam
Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA.
Patricia
P
Davis
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi, India; Center for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), New Delhi, India.
Prabhakaran
P
Dorairaj
Chronic Disease Prevention Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology, University Hospital Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia.
Hassen
H
Ghannem
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Robert H
RH
Gilman
Department of Pharmacology and Division of Clinical Research and Training, St. John's Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
Deepak
D
Kamath
AMPATH, Moi University School of Medicine, College of Health Science, Eldoret, Kenya; Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya.
Sylvester
S
Kimaiyo
Chronic Disease Initiative for Africa (CDIA), and Division of Diabetic Medicine and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Naomi
N
Levitt
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Homero
H
Martinez
INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC), Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Gabriela
G
Mejicano
CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, and Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
J Jaime
JJ
Miranda
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Tracey Perez
TP
Koehlmoos
Office of Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, USA.
Cristina
C
Rabadán-Diehl
INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC), Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Manuel
M
Ramirez-Zea
South American Center of Excellence for Cardiovascular Health (CESCAS), Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Adolfo
A
Rubinstein
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Katherine A
KA
Sacksteder
Chronic Disease Initiative for Africa (CDIA), and Division of Diabetic Medicine and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Krisela
K
Steyn
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Nikhil
N
Tandon
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Rajesh
R
Vedanthan
Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA.
Tracy
T
Wolbach
The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China; Peking University Clinical Research Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China.
Yangfeng
Y
Wu
The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China; Duke Global Health Institute, and Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China.
Lijing L
LL
Yan
D000047:Academies and Institutes; D035843:Biomedical Research; D057191:Capacity Building; D003906:Developing Countries; D014943:Global Health; D006331:Heart Diseases; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases; D054555:National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U.S.); D012108:Research Personnel / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States