The major goal of the UAB Public Health and Biomedical Research Training Program (UAB MHIRT) is to promote the participation of underrepresented minority students in international biomedical and behavioral research collaborations. The program will recruit and train nine undergraduate, one professional and two masters students annually for four years. Trainees will be matched with a project at one of eight overseas sites in six countries: DMA Diagnostics Laboratory of the AFRO (WHO) Center for Infectious Disease Research in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana; AIDS ALLY, Kumasi, Ghana; Center for the Studies of Sensory Impairment, Aging and Metabolism (CeSSIAM), Guatemala City, Guatemala; Society for Applied Studies in Kolkata, India; Ministry of Health (North-East and Western Regions), Jamaica; and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru. Each trainee will receive pre-departure training and post-training follow-up from a UAB Faculty Mentor and the Program Director. Once overseas, the trainee will perform research under the guidance of a Foreign Mentor. Trainee research projects will be based on collaborative research between the sponsoring institution and UAB; topics include infectious diseases (onchocerciasis, meningitis, HTLV-1, HIV), maternal and child health, nutrition, and chronic diseases such as hypertension and cancer. Students will be trained in scientific methods such as research ethics, experimental design, data collection and analysis and use of scientific equipment. Trainees are expected to produce a final paper based on their project, which may be submitted for presentation at a national conference and for publication. The program covers travel, living and research expenses for trainees, and provides each with a monthly stipend while overseas. UAB Faculty Mentors may travel to the foreign site once a year, and two Foreign Mentors may travel to UAB for collaborative work each year. Trainees will gain experience by conducting research in a different cultural context, and will be encouraged to pursue graduate study and careers in the field of international health research. The program will help to provide a solid cadre of research personnel that will contribute to alleviating the disparities in health experienced by people in developing countries and underrepresented minorities in the US. ? ?
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