China-California Environmental Health Training Program

Kreutzer, Richard

Abstract

This proposal continues and expands the research and training program between the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control (SCDC) and the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Environmental Health Investigations Branch (EHIB), first established under FIC ITREOH sponsorship in 2002. The proposed training program is organized to foster development of environmental and occupational health research capacity and the translation of research into appropriate public policy. It is built around the three core components of our original program: 1) California-based training for selected trainees, 2) China-based conferences to share experiences and information with an expanded network of Chinese environmental and occupational health colleagues, and 3) SCDC research capacity building activities that strengthen surveillance systems and research support facilities. The program expansion includes: 1) increasing the number of trainees coming to California, 2) establishing Chinese-based workshops on laboratory methods and instrumentation, and 3) creating a grant program to fund applications from researchers affiliated with SCDC. We will also create a SCDC Resource Center to bring training and information to district CDCs and local health centers in Shanghai and provinces in southern China. Our training program is aligned with the goals of the sponsoring federal agencies. The training will be organized around modules that build on our experiences and that address the primary objectives of this Request for Applications, namely in-country infrastructure development, research implementation, information dissemination, mitigation of adverse consequences of environmental and occupational exposures, and evaluation of success. It is a unique government-to-government, applied training program that builds epidemiological and allied public health professional skills to implement complex studies that serve the public health needs of Shanghai inhabitants. The training is provided to mid-career researcher/managers who shoulder the responsibility for protecting the public health. Thus, this program is structured to translate environmental and occupational health research to action and policy and thereby be of direct and immediate benefit to Shanghai's 17,000,000 people. The program is also able to leverage FIC funds with in-kind contributions of staff/resources from CDHS. As the California state health agency responsible for community intervention in response to environmental health events or concerns, EHIB is the agency best able to take the lead in providing training on research that emphasizes corresponding health interventions and public health policy. It also acts as a liaison to other CDHS programs. The collaboration, now in its 6th year, is well situated to address the leading municipal and regional environmental and occupational public health threats that now face a rapidly developing China.