The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM), in collaboration with Xavier University of Louisiana, is applying to continue the highly successful Tulane-Xavier MHIRT Training Program that began in 2005 and was renewed in 2008. Four overseas sites (including a site in Peru with 3 distinct opportunities in different research areas) provide training relevant to health disparities populations in the United States, including cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, perinatal maternal and infant mortality, and emerging infections. The program provides international research training opportunities for qualified undergraduate, graduate and health professions students from health disparities populations who are underrepresented in basic science, biomedical, clinical or behavioral health research career fields. The Tulane/Xavier collaboration builds on the strengths and traditions of both institutions, i.e., the investigative capacity of the Tulane School of Publi Health and Tropical Medicine as a leader in international public health and tropical disease research, and the tradition of Xavier University as a leader in advanced scientific education for minority students from health disparities groups. Each year, program directors and research mentors from both universities select 10 students from both universities, including 7 undergraduates and 3 graduate or medical students, to participate in overseas research experiences. The overseas sites are linked to ongoing collaborative research projects led by participating Tulane faculty mentors. Research opportunities include studies of pediatric tuberculosis, behavioral aspects of dengue control, and pandemic influenza surveillance in Peru, interventions to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Argentina, Chagas disease in Mexico, and cardiovascular diseases in China. Participants receive intensive training in research methodology, ethics, and biosafety prior to travel, and the project provides pre-travel medical services and basic language training. Trainees work under the joint tutelage of U.S. and foreign faculty mentors, and their research findings are organized for oral and written presentation on return to the U.S. Students are encouraged to explore similarities and differences between the disease impact on the overseas population, and its impact on health disparities populations in the U.S. Our prior experiences suggest that these opportunities will stimulate students to see health disparity issues in the U.S. in a broader perspective as global problems, and be able to apply lessons learned from one group to the other. The program overcame significant initial obstacles in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina, but we have now completed 8 successful years of the program and are beginning to train of our ninth student cohort. Eighty percent of early program trainees (through 2010) have entered biomedical professional careers or advanced training programs. The Tulane-Xavier MHIRT program provides a unique opportunity for students from underserved health disparities populations to participate in a fully funded international research experience that is likely to encourage and facilitate professional carriers in global health research and service.

Public Health Relevance

The Tulane-Xavier MHIRT program provides a unique opportunity for students from underserved health disparities populations to participate in a fully funded international research experience that may redirect their professional carriers toward international research and service and thus is highly relevant to public health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Type
Minority International Research Training Grants (FIC) (T37)
Project #
2T37MD001424-10
Application #
8638746
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMD1-RN (06))
Program Officer
Berzon, Richard
Project Start
2005-07-08
Project End
2018-11-30
Budget Start
2013-12-01
Budget End
2014-11-30
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$267,621
Indirect Cost
$16,794
Name
Tulane University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
053785812
City
New Orleans
State
LA
Country
United States
Zip Code
70118
Weldon, Caroline T; Riley-Powell, Amy R; Aguerre, Ines M et al. (2018) ""Zika is everywhere"": A qualitative exploration of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards Zika virus among women of reproductive age in Iquitos, Peru. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12:e0006708
Pham, Diana; Cormick, Gabriela; Amyx, Melissa M et al. (2018) Factors associated with postpartum depression in women from low socioeconomic level in Argentina: A hierarchical model approach. J Affect Disord 227:731-738
Olofindayo, Jennifer; Peng, Hao; Liu, Yan et al. (2015) The interactive effect of diabetes and central obesity on stroke: a prospective cohort study of inner Mongolians. BMC Neurol 15:65
Kyerematen, Victoria; Hamb, Averine; Oberhelman, Richard A et al. (2014) Exploratory application of the Ages and Stages (ASQ) child development screening test in a low-income Peruvian shantytown population. BMJ Open 4:e004132
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Peng, Hao; Tan, Anna; Han, Shuhai et al. (2014) Blood pressure components and stroke in Inner Mongolians--a prospective cohort study. Int J Cardiol 176:1339-40
Paz-Soldan, Valerie A; Alban, Rebecca E; Dimos Jones, Christy et al. (2014) Patient Reported Delays in Seeking Treatment for Tuberculosis among Adult and Pediatric TB Patients and TB Patients Co-Infected with HIV in Lima, Peru: A Qualitative Study. Front Public Health 2:281
Rosecrans, Kathryn; Cruz-Martin, Gabriela; King, Ashley et al. (2014) Opportunities for improved chagas disease vector control based on knowledge, attitudes and practices of communities in the yucatan peninsula, Mexico. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8:e2763
Martinez, Leonardo; Collazo, Gisela; Cabrera, Lilia et al. (2013) Free-ranging chickens in households in a periurban shantytown in Peru--attitudes and practices 10 years after a community-based intervention project. Am J Trop Med Hyg 89:229-31
Liu, Nancy H; Mazzoni, Agustina; Zamberlin, Nina et al. (2013) Preferences for mode of delivery in nulliparous Argentinean women: a qualitative study. Reprod Health 10:2

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