EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. This five-year competitive renewal application represents an integrated effort to assist the further development of environmental and occupational health (EOH) infrastructure and human resources in Southern Africa, with a particular emphasis on improving research training and capacities. The specific elements of a regional situational analysis which drivethe program plan include: a) the high level of development of occupational medicine and occupational epidemiology in South Africa, with occupational hygiene less so, and with environmental health notably underdeveloped; b) the existence of well-established South African diploma and degree programs in occupational health; c) the weak development of human resources in the EOH in most of the other Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) nations; d) the lack of readily accessible funds in the region to supportjunior to mid-level of EOH researchers;e) the relatively high cost of supporting degree candidates in the United States as compared to supporting such candidates in South Africa; f) the wide geographic dispersion of the country's represented in SADC, together with the demonstration of the effectiveness of technology-based, distance learning degree programs in EOH elsewhere in Africa; and, g) the convergence of strong interest in supporting EOH in Southern Africa among several key international and regional actors (WHO/TLO, Swedish National Institute for Working Life, SADC Employment & Labor and Health Sectors). Based on an analysis of these factors, the program plan emphasizes: 1) capacity building in the SADC nations outside of South Africa with more than half of program funds expended toward this end; 2) the use of regionally available resources, mostly found in South Africa, including high-qualitydegree programs to increase program cost-effectiveness; 3) development in the region of new, high-quality master degree programs, e.g., occupational hygiene; 4) the sequenced development of technology-based, distance learning degree programs to substantially increase access for citizens of SADC nations; 5) highly focused use of resources for training at the Universityof Michigan of a) PhD and Masters degree candidates, and, b) post-doctoral and masters level senior researchers; 6) funding of short courses led by University of Michigan faculty, in disciplines and areas for which sufficient expertise is lacking in the Southern African region (occupational hygiene, environmental health, etc.); 7) substantial support for the regionally based research endeavors of persons'iri both South Africa and other SADC nations early in their professional careers, with a special emphasis on intervention and control research projects; and, 8) regional consensus-building through periodic meetings of key stakeholders and actors in EOH to review progress and adjust research and training prioritiesfor the region and for this project in response to developing conditions. PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================
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