Our goal with this application and the linked research application 1/2- Regional Geohealth Hub centered in Peru-Peru, led by Dr. Gustavo Gonzales at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), is to create a research and training center for environmental health based in Lima, Peru, with links to neighboring countries Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile. We bring together an exceptionally strong team of environmental health researchers from UPCH, Emory University, University of Georgia (UGA), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Asociacion Benefica PRISMA (Proyectos de Informatics, Salud, Medicina y Agricultura)(a Peruvian NGO focused on health research) and Universidad de Chile (U. Chile) with extensive training and research experience in Peru. We will build on our GeoHealth Hub planning grant, our previous 15 years of Fogarty-sponsored work in Peru and Chile through the International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health program, and our more than 20 years of strong collaborative research among JHU, UPCH and A.B PRISMA. UPCH and A.B. PRISMA will take primary responsibility for the research projects, with support from Emory, UGA, and JHU. U. Chile will provide important training skills within the South American region, building on their previous success in both research and training. Additional training will be led by Emory, JHU, and UGA, and coordinated by UPCH. We will also work together with key Peruvian governmental institutions, including the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Health. We will coordinate work during annual hub meetings, and via email and Skype contact. . Our training programs will include 1) short courses in Peru and Chile, and 2) one-on-one training in Peru by US and Chilean investigators, 3) involvement of Peruvians, Ecuadorians, and Bolivian students in our research projects Peru, and 4) graduate programs in environmental health in the US and Chile.by US investigators in Peru, training by Chilean investigators in both Chile and in Peru, and graduate training opportunities of Peruvians in the US. Over the project period we anticipate providing short-term training for a minimum of 125 students, medium-term training in research for 25 students, one-on-one training annually by US and Chilean investigators going to Peru, and long-term doctoral training for 3 students. We will also help create a degree-granting program at UPCH, and provide critical one-on-one training for Peruvian researchers. We will evaluate our program by determining whether these goals have been fulfilled during the grant period.
The proposed research training is highly relevant to public health in Peru, as it will enhance capacity to carry out research and provide data useful to policy makers in our three focus areas of research: household air pollution in relation to cardiovascular outcomes, outdoor air pollution in relation to cardiorespiratory disease, and climate change in relation to future predicted health effects. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UCPH) in Lima will submit the linked research application, which is titled `1/2 - Regional Geohealth Hub centered in Peru - Peru'.
