Fogarty International Center, the global arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched a $1.5 million-a-year grant program to fund domestic and overseas training of researchers to fight chronic diseases in developing nations.
The program is intended to build research capacity in cancer, stroke, lung disease, environmental factors, obesity, lifestyle and the relationship of these conditions to the genetics of chronic diseases in countries often thought of only in terms of infectious diseases.
Grantees would receive funding of up to $220,000 a year for up to five years, with planning grants of up to $27,000 allocated each year for up to two years.
Up to seven awards and two planning grants are being made available under the "Millennium Promise Awards: Non-communicable Chronic Diseases Research Training Program," a key part of Fogarty's strategic plan announced last month.
"The Fogarty International Center will encourage programs that prepare researchers and medical workers to address these new challenges provide training across disciplines and bridge gaps among the biological, social and behavioral sciences," said Roger I. Glass, MD.
Officials said the plan amplifies the center's effort to fight infectious diseases endemic to poorer regions of the world and calls for a new emphasis on "implementation research."
About 60 percent of all deaths worldwide are attributable to chronic diseases, and 80 per cent of them occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.
According to the NIH, educating medical workers and gaining compliance from patients is often the biggest barrier to health in underdeveloped regions -including areas where malaria or cholera have been prevalent for a long time and researchers know how to treat patients.
Implementation science could improve communication with people about the causes of malaria and develop training guides to teach medical relief organizations how to set up field hospitals in cases of emergencies.
"The burden of chronic diseases is rising across the world, including in developing countries," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni. "As we continue efforts in fighting infectious diseases we also need to focus on these new challenges."
According to the NIH, the research training program's objectives are:
Training experts to assess the magnitude of diseases such as cancer, cerebrovascular disease (including stroke) and lung disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), along with obesity, genetics, environmental factors, including indoor air pollution, and lifestyle factors related to the onset of chronic conditions in lower- and middle-income countries.
- Supporting training-related research projects that address chronic diseases in a culturally relevant and sensitive manner.
- Strengthening the research training capacity and institutional infrastructure required for success by building on existing research programs on chronic diseases at the foreign sites.
- Developing methods to monitor and understand the causes of chronic non-communicable disease.
- Training researchers who work in chronic non-communicable diseases across a broad range of research areas, including genetics, epidemiology, clinical research and implementation science.
- Training researchers to identify economic factors that influence chronic disease risks and develop evidence regarding the impact of chronic non-communicable diseases on families and communities.
- Training individuals to translate research into public health policy and programs of care.
The program is seeking proposals from scientists who have a broad understanding of or experience in working across disciplines, such as nutrition, business, behavioral health, health law, economics, environmental health and urban planning. Letters of intent are due August 31 and full applications must be submitted by September 29.