This project will establish an International Collaborative Trauma and Injury Research Training (ICTIRT) program between the University of Iowa (Ul) and the Stampar School of Public Health in Zagreb, Croatia that will build the capacity of investigators to conduct human trauma and injury research relevant to the health needs of Croatia and surrounding countries in the Central/Eastern European region. This region has higher rates of injuries than surrounding countries from motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle crashes, interpersonal violence, falls, residential fires, and drowning.
Our aims are to: 1) identify trends in fatal and non-fatal injuries in Central and Southeastern Europe for causes such as road traffic, interpersonal violence, repercussions of war, residential fires, and childhood injury; 2) strengthen surveillance efforts to identify injury trends in partner countries; 3) enable researchers in partner countries to develop injury prevention programs and evaluation research; and, 4) build capacity for injury prevention in the region by teaching epidemiological and public health approaches. This project builds on ten years of collaboration between the University of Iowa and regional institutions focused on occupational health. Project goals will be reached through collaborative academic training in epidemiologic methods of surveillance and trauma registries, risk factor and hazard assessment, development and implementation of public-health based prevention and intervention programs, and evaluation methods. Training will encourage multidisciplinary approaches that bring agencies together to meet common goals. Training will be focused on mid-career professionals who will have opportunities for long-term, short-term, and degree-focused training. Long-term trainees will begin the program with 6 months of distance education and communication with an established mentor, followed by five months of training in the US. While in the US, trainees will work with a mentor to get research experience and develop a research plan and proposal. Upon returning to the country, trainees will undertake a planned research activity and conduct a distance-learning symposium to share their findings. Trainees will also be eligible for return US short-term training and degree programs.
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