In 1979 the Division of Parasitic Diseases (DPD/NCID/CDC) established a research collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Kenya. KEMRI is an organization of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, and is responsible for conducting research into the major public health problems of the country. During the ensuing 30 years, this collaboration has evolved into the KEMRI/CDC Research and Public Health Collaboration which has become a major installation in Nyanza Province in western Kenya with substantial infrastructure and human resource capacity. The KEMRI/CDC Program has also substantially expanded to work in Nairobi and in other parts of the country. The KEMRI/CDC Research and Public Health Collaboration is located near the city of Kisumu next to Lake Victoria on the campus of the KEMRI Center for Global Health Research [CGHR]. The KEMRI/CDC Research and Public Health Collaboration is one of three major elements of CDC Kenya;the other two are headquartered in Nairobi and include the Global AIDS Program (GAP) and the Global Disease Detection Division (GDD)/International Emerging Infections Program (lEIP). The mission of the KEMRI/CDC Program is to promote public health in Kenya, East Africa and beyond, through collaborative research, training, control and prevention activities. There is an urgent need to address the pressing public health needs of Kenya and the eastern Africa region. The Field Research Station is located in an area of western Kenya where P. falciparum malaria, HIV, Diarrheal diseases, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Influenza and neglected Tropical Diseases are endemic. The disease prevention efforts are further stretched by the influx of refugees/internally displaced populations and the need for disease outbreak investigations such as the recent Cholera epidemic found in multiple areas within Kenya. The KEMRI/CDC Field Research Station and the KEMRI/CDC Program is well positioned to fulfill its mission to promote public health in Kenya and East Africa by continuing to: ? Implement evidence-based public health programs addressing the pressing health issues identified above. ? Develop the skills of in-country public health personnel through the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTIP), a hands-on, two-year Master of Science degree training program. ? Providing training to public health professions, students, and select staff in public health programs to build capacity in data collection, evaluation, and laboratory science, financial planning and management. ? Strengthen KEMRI's institutional capacity to plan, implement and evaluate public health programs, conduct surveillance and develop evidence-based public health interventions by developing and placing Kenyan professionals into leadership positions within the KEMRI/CDC program thereby strengthening the organization's infrastructure and providing sound scientific and administrative guidance.
