The United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aim to ensure healthy lives and promote overall well-being. Specifically, Goal 3 highlights an expanded set of priority areas that reflect both a continued need for research and progress towards major global health challenges including HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health and nutrition (MCHN), as well as expanding pandemic of non-communicable disease and mental health challenges that increasingly account for significant morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A consortium of institutions, including Harvard University, Boston University, Northwestern University, and the University of New Mexico, proposes to establish the Partnership for Global Health Research Training Program (the Program) to directly respond to this need. In partnership with the Fogarty International Center (FIC), the Program aims to strengthen and extend research programs within a network of 12 sites in Africa and Asia. Each year, the program will support mentored research training for 18 to 20 predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees in LMIC sites including Botswana, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. The proposal aims to cultivate a dynamic network of researchers dedicated to building the capacity of global health research. The Program will focus on four priority health areas that include HIV/AIDS and co-infection comorbidities, NCDs (including cardiovascular disease and diabetes), MCHN, and mental health. HIV/AIDS will be a substantial area of focus with at least 50% of trainee projects in this area. The Program will leverage best practices from current FIC programs while implementing new innovative approaches. The Program will: (a) Enhance research opportunities for participants in diverse global health priority areas, (b) Provide focused mentoring for participants in global health research at established LMIC research sites, (c) Enhance the global health research career trajectory of the participants, and (d) Enhance the capacity of partnering institutions and sites through the implementation of a strategic five-year global health research and education plan to sustain global health research at partnering institutions in LMICs. The Program will be led by Wafaie Fawzi, Chair Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and assisted by three Program Co-Leaders with strong track records in establishing major training initiatives: Davidson Hamer, Professor of International Health and Medicine at Boston University (BU) School of Public Health and School of Medicine; Robert L Murphy, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicines at the Feinberg School of Medicine (Northwestern University); and Douglas J Perkins, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico. There will be three administrative committees (Executive, Selection and Steering, and Mentoring) comprising key program faculty from U.S. and LMIC partner institutions. Program evaluation will be overseen by an independent Training Advisory Committee.
The Partnership for Global Health Research Training proposed by a consortium of institutions, including Harvard University, Boston University, Northwestern University, and University of New Mexico, will contribute to global health research capacity building and the use of research to improve the health outcomes related to priority health areas including HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases (including cardiovascular disease and diabetes), maternal and child health and nutrition, and mental health in 13 low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) throughout Africa and Asia. The Program will strengthen global health research networks and programs at academic institutions to ultimately help sustain global health research in the U.S.and LMICs.
