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International Highlights

Summary of NIH International Highlights

  November 2001 –January 2002

Program Developments

 

 

 

 

 

Fogarty International Center

In conjunction with World AIDS Day, the Fogarty International Center announced the new International Clinical, Operational, and Health Services Research Training Award for AIDS and Tuberculosis (ICOHRTA-AIDS/TB).  This new capacity building program will provide extended support for collaborative, multidisciplinary, international clinical research training in developing countries where AIDS and tuberculosis are significant problems.  FIC worked closely with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Office of AIDS Research, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, and Office of Research on Women's Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop this effort.  The ICOHRTA-AIDS/TB complements the international research and prevention efforts of the co-sponsors, for example NIAID's Comprehensive International Program for Research on AIDS (CIPRA), the NIMH Collaborative HIV/STD Prevention Trial, the NICHD African Partnerships Program, and the CDC Global AIDS Program.  Planning grants will be given in FY 2002, and the first full program awards will be made in 2003.  The current combined financial commitment from FIC and its partners is approximately $20 million over the first five years of the program.

  Dr. Gerald Keusch, Director, FIC, presented a paper at the “Pan-American Health in the 21st Century: International Cooperation and Development of Human Capital” conference, sponsored by the Mexican National Institute of Public Health, the Association of Schools of Public Health in Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Europe, and the Rockefeller Foundation.  The goal of this meeting was to develop an agenda for action and associated priorities in public health education, by defining the objectives and modalities of organized international cooperation to reduce poverty and improve equality in health.  The meeting was held December 6-8, 2001 in Cancun.

  Dr. Keusch and FIC staff contributed several working papers to the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, including on the topic of IPR, global public goods for health, and the culture of ethical conduct.  Papers may be viewed at http://www3.who.int/whosis/menu.cfm?path=whosis,cmh&language=english.

  Dr. Keusch represented FIC/NIH at the 15th meeting of the Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program Joint Working Group in New Delhi, December 9-11.  The JWG discussed the new strategic plan and reviewed the reports of the three expert advisory groups in TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria.

 

On December 3, Dr. Keusch was a guest on "Talk to America," a Voice of America (VOA) daily international call-in talk show, broadcast live on radio, TV, and the Internet.  It has a daily worldwide audience of approximately 80 million people.  Dr. Keusch gave an overview of FIC and NIH efforts to improve global health by supporting research and building research capacity internationally.  In addition, as part of its effort to commemorate World AIDS Day, VOA invited Dr. Keusch to participate in an interview on “Scene Setter for Word AIDS Day: Global Fight Against AIDS.”  The show was taped on November 29.

  FIC Deputy Director, Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, joined by representatives of ORWH and OIR, hosted a special session on “Challenges and Opportunities at NIH for Scientists from Developing Countries” on December 11 in the Stone House.  This meeting, a follow-on to a consultation held in March, provided an opportunity to inform the scientists of activities and programs that may help advance their careers upon return to their home institutions and enhance their experience on campus.  Mr. Jim Alexander, Office of Education, and Dr. Kenneth Bridbord, FIC, made presentations on specific opportunities.  In addition, Dr. Hrynkow announced the soon to be released “Global Health Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators” (GRIP), a mechanism that will provide support to NIH-trained foreign investigators upon their return home.  Dr. Hrynkow gave a presentation on the GRIP to the Career Development Subcommittee of the Coordinating Committee on Research on Women’s Health on December 13. 

  Dr. Hrynkow and NICHD’s Gray Handley briefed the US-designate representative to the UNICEF Executive Board on NIH domestic and international programs on children and women’s health on January 7.

  Dr. Hrynkow participated in the Selection Committee interviews of the 20 finalists for the George Mitchell Scholarship.  The U.S.-Ireland Alliance, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, established the Scholarship to educate future American leaders about Ireland and to consolidate and further the existing relationships between the U.S. and Ireland.  Each year 12 scholarships are awarded.

 

Bilateral meetings 

 

Norway/Germany:  FIC and IC neuroscience staff met with the Norwegian Science Counselor posted in D.C. and representatives of the Norwegian university system to discuss closer collaboration between U.S. and Norwegian scientist in the neurosciences.  FIC also met with representatives from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) on December 7.  In addition to discussing mutual research collaborations, this was also an opportunity to introduce Dr. Walther Klofat, who will head of the new DFG Liaison Office in Washington.

  Vietnam:  The first meeting of the U.S.-Vietnam Joint Intergovernmental Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation met in Hanoi, November 14-16.  This committee was established by a bilateral agreement signed in December 2000.  The U.S. delegation was led by Dr. Norman Neureiter, S&T advisor to the Secretary of State.  Dr. Allen Holt represented NIH in the Committee meeting and sessions of the Public Health Working Group.  It was agreed that the joint committee will review and assess the progress of cooperative S&T activities; define new areas for bilateral S&T cooperation; and discuss other issues related to S&T cooperation and implementation of the agreement.  The joint committee is scheduled to meet each year, alternatively in Vietnam and the U.S.

  The Public Health Working Group made cooperation in HIV/AIDS epidemiology, prevention, treatment and preparation for vaccine trials its top priority, citing a range of cooperation in this field already underway between academic institutions and government research institutes in both countries.  The Working Group recommended stronger cooperation in research related to maternal and child health, including vaccines; nasopharyngeal, hepatic and pediatric cancer; emergency services; tropical diseases; metabolic diseases; traditional medicine; and toxicology.  Progress in cooperation in a study of the human health and environmental effects of dioxin was cited and the leaders in these efforts for both countries were commended.  The Working Group identified public health genetics, bioethics in human subjects research, technology transfer (particularly in vaccinology), mental health and clinical research as promising areas for future collaboration.

  The Vietnam Education Fund, established by Congress, will channel $5 million annually from 2002 to 2016 into programs of graduate science and technology education, enabling Vietnamese to study in the United States and U.S. faculty to teach in Vietnam.  CDC recently signed an agreement with the National AIDS Standing Bureau of Vietnam for a $2 million annual program in HIV/AIDS.

 

Africa:  Dr Pierce Gardner, Senior Advisor for Clinical Research and Training, FIC participated at the 9th Symposium of the Harvard AIDS Institute "HIV Vaccines for Developing Countries: Establishing Networks for HIV Vaccine Trials in Southern Africa," held in Gaborone, Botswana, November 27-30.  He presented a paper "Capacity Building for HIV/AIDS Research in Developing Countries," in which he highlighted the recent program announcement of the International Clinical, Operational, and Health Services Research Training Award for AIDS/Tuberculosis (ICOHRTA-AIDS/TB).  On December 1, he attended World AIDS Day observances, including the dedication by President Mogae of a 25,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art HIV reference laboratory and training center which will support HIV vaccine trials and clinical research.

  Dr. Gardner also visited the Africa Center for Health and Population Studies in Mtubatuba, South Africa to review the FIC supported programs in Maternal and Child Health, Information Technology, and the ABC program.  The Africa Center has established a well demographed population of 80,000 people in the KwaZuluNatal area and is conducting detailed field epidemiology studies and training programs related to AIDS and issues related to breast feeding.

  Japan:  The Osaka University-NIH Forum on Immunity and Inflammation was held in Wilson Hall on January 8.  The President of Osaka University, Professor Tadamitsu Kishimoto, and Dr. William Paul, NIAID, were the lead organizers.  FIC’s Deputy Director served as moderator for one of the sessions.

 

Russia and NIS:  Within the U.S. Civilian R&D Foundation’s (CRDF) 2001 Cooperative Grants Program competition, CRDF received a total of 1,630 proposals in all areas of science and engineering, an increase of 30% over submissions received in 2000.  Of these, 370 were in biomedical and behavioral sciences.  All proposals were sent out for external review to at least two experts, and then brought before a discipline-specific review panel that evaluated and ranked each proposal.  Several high-ranking projects were selected for funding in the priority areas identified by several ICs at the beginning of the competition: bioengineering (5), alcohol research (1), and medical rehabilitation research/development of prosthetic devices (1).  As a result of the review, 37 proposals in biomedical and behavioral sciences have been selected for funding, with an average award size of $60,000 for a two-year period.  The country breakdown is: Russia (22), Ukraine (8), Armenia (4), Georgia (1), Kazakhstan (1), and Uzbekistan (1). 

 

In summary, the $1.4 million contributed by NIH institutes with FY 2002 funding has enabled CRDF to leverage funds from the U.S. Department of State and other agencies in order to fund approximately $2.3 million in awards (another $1.4 million from NIH was committed for FY 2003). 

  An additional 107 biomedical proposals were rated highly by the panels, but there were insufficient funds to support them at that time.  There is an opportunity for ICs which did not contribute to the aggregate NIH pool for CRDF this year to review the list of projects and determine their interest in contributing funding for CRDF to support and administer any specific meritorious projects.

 

  Dr. Rachel Nugent of the Division of Training and Research (DITR) participated in the 3rd annual meeting of the Global Development Network (GDN) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, December 9-13.  The GDN is a worldwide network of researchers on economic development that was created to build research capacity and knowledge about subjects of importance to the developing world. FIC has spearheaded the inclusion of health research and policy into the GDN activities.  The meeting included panel presentations on local health care delivery, a research award competition on HIV/AIDS, and FIC-organized workshops on health, environment and economic development and health and economics research.

 

Dr. Jeanne McDermott, FIC/DITR, attended the 6th International Congress on AIDS in Asia (October 5-10, 2001) and the Global Research Network (GRN) Meeting (Oct 11-12, 2001) in Melbourne Australia.  She participated on a panel at the AIDS meeting, sponsored by the GRN, and discussed funding opportunities within NIH for researchers interested in HIV/AIDS and drug use.

 

Dr. Aron Primack, FIC/DITR, participated as panel member at the WHO Non-Communicable Disease meeting December 10 -13 in Geneva.  The meeting was attended by about 150 people from all over the world to help set priorities and write a "white paper" with these findings to the Director General.

 

Dr. Jim Lavery of FIC’s Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis (DASPA) organized and chaired a symposium on international research ethics at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in Atlanta GA, November 14. 

  Dr. Lavery also gave a keynote presentation at the Department of Defense Human Subjects Research Review Board Conference: Ethics of DOD International Research in Frederick MD, November 19-20, and assisted in the planning, organizing, and case study preparation.

  Additional presentations by Dr. Lavery: Toward cultures of ethical conduct: A proposal for progress in international collaborative research (University of Toronto, Joint Centre for Bioethics, November 21; and Is the Declaration of Helsinki truly applicable in the developing world? (Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) Annual Meeting, Boston MA, Dec 2); and chaired several sessions on international research ethics at PRIM&R conference workshops.

  Dr. Lavery represented FIC/NIH at a meeting of the Strategic Initiative for the Development of Ethics Review Capacity (SIDCER), held in Bethesda December 5-10.

 

FIC/DASPA staff participated in a preliminary meeting organized by the Office of Refugee Health together with representatives from other HHS agencies, the World Bank and other international organizations to discuss U.S. response to issues of Global Burden of Preventable Injuries including road traffic accidents, drowning and burns.

 

UN General Assembly Human Cloning Resolution: FIC/DIR and OD Office of Science Policy representatives attended intra- and interagency meetings, respectively, on December 7 and 11 to discuss a UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution on Human Cloning which is set for adoption this December.  Among other things, the Resolution calls for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee process at the UN in 2002 for the purpose of considering an international convention against the reproductive cloning of humans.  The first meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee will be from February 25 to March.

 

 

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

 

Indo-U.S. Joint Program on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development Research.  This new program was officially launched in New Delhi, India, December 12-14, 2001, with the first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development (MCH) Research, and a workshop on low birth weight.  Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Acting Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Deputy Director, NICHD, and Dr. Robert Goldenberg, Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, serve as co-chairs of the U.S. contingent of the JWG-MCH.  Dr. Goldenberg also represented the NIH on behalf of Dr. Maddox, who was unable to attend the meeting because of other pressing duties.  Other NICHD staff participants included Dr. Gilman Grave, Chief, Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth Branch, Center for Research for Mothers and Children, Mr. Gray Handley, Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs (PRIP), and Dr. Daniel Raiten, Health Scientist Administrator, PRIP.  Mr. Handley and Dr. Raiten, who serve on the U.S. Secretariat, helped to plan and coordinate the meeting and associated workshop.  The JWG finalized the terms of program administration and reviewed 38 pre-proposals received in response to a published program announcement.  Eleven pre-proposals were selected for further development.  

 

DHHS International Health Attaché in Southern Africa:  In response to a request from the Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Institute will assign Mr. Gray Handley, Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs, to the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, where he will serve in the newly created position of Health Attaché and Regional Representative of the Public Health Service.  This detail is for two to four years and will begin in February, 2002.  In this position, Mr. Handley will facilitate DHHS-supported activities in South Africa and other countries in southern Africa.  He will assist the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural and extramural programs, extramural grantees and contractors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and other DHHS programs.  Upon completion of this assignment, Mr. Handley will rejoin the NICHD.

 

NIH Sub-Committee on International Nutrition Research:  The NIH Nutrition Coordinating Committee (NCC) has established a new trans-NIH Sub-Committee on International Nutrition Research (SCIN).  Dr. Daniel Raiten, NICHD, and Dr. Rachel Nugent, Fogarty International Center, will serve as co-chairs of the SCIN, and Dr. Pamela Starke-Reed, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, will act as liaison from the NCC to the sub-committee.  The goal of the SCIN will be to inform and coordinate international nutrition research and training-related activities at the NIH.  The subcommittee will include representatives with a background in nutrition research and international health from across the NIH Institutes and Centers.  SCIN members plan to conduct an inventory of current NIH international nutrition efforts, identify potential areas of programmatic activity, and assess how NIH might expand its role as a scientific resource in this area to the international health community.

 

Partnerships for HIV/AIDS Research in African Populations:  In co-sponsorship with the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Fogarty International Center, the NICHD released the Partnerships for HIV/AIDS Research in African Populations  (HD-02-003), on November 6, 2001.  The deadline for applications is April 16, 2002.  Scientific review will occur in June/July 2002, with Council review set for September 2002.  This RFA will support resource-related grants to develop research infrastructure and to strengthen the capacity of African scientists to conduct behavioral and social science research relevant to HIV/AIDS prevention and care needs of women, children, and families in Africa.  The RFA encourages research partnerships between skilled African investigators and U.S. and/or other developed country scientists.  It will also support developmental studies that address and take into consideration local African needs, challenges, priorities, and realities.  It can be accessed at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-02-003.html.  The RFA was developed in response to the recommendations that emerged at the March 2001 Botswana “Consultation to Explore a Research Agenda to Improve the Care and Management of Mothers and Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.”  Hard copies of the Botswana Consultation Report, Research for HIV/AIDS Care, are available from the NICHD Office of Prevention Research and International Programs.

 

 

 

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

 

The Americas:  The Pan-American Hypertension Initiative (PAHI), launched by NHLBI and PAHO, has been endorsed by seven international scientific organizations.  This initiative is designed to develop collaboration between national programs in hypertension in the Americas.  PAHI will focus on the health problems of an estimated 140 million hypertensives in the region, emphasizing the need to prevent and control this condition, and its sequelae of heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, disability and premature deaths.  In follow-up of PAHI activities, Ministers of Health of countries of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean unanimously endorsed a joint resolution at the Directing Council meeting at PAHO Headquarters on September 29, 2000.  The resolution gives increased attention to CVD in future public health strategies in the Americas, with particular emphasis on hypertension.  A joint blood pressure measurement standard has been developed with partners in the Americas, and tested by PAHO in its public health programs in Costa Rica.  A meeting with PAHO and country representatives was held in April 2001 at NIH to discuss further joint plans for implementing the PAHI initiative in the region.  A follow-up meeting in FY 2002 is being planned.

 

Europe:   NHLBI participated in an international conference held in Washington in May 2001 on "Women's Health in Menopause: New Strategies for Improved Quality of Life."  The conference covered a number of areas related to the health of women, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.  Several European organizations are also participating under the leadership of the Giovanni Lorenzini Foundation in Milan, Italy.  A joint international document addressing "Women's Health in Menopause" is being developed by participants in the meeting.

 

Italy:  NHLBI is co-sponsoring a US-Italy Joint Symposium of prominent US and Italian scientists in March 2002 on Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Approaches for Vascular Remodeling.  This is a cutting edge topic in international research, aimed at exploring new strategies for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.  The meeting will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in conjunction with the annual meetings of the American College of Cardiology.

 

 

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

 

NIDCR staff attended the second global summit on dental infection control in New York City, November 29-30.  This meeting was sponsored jointly by the CDC and the Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures (OSAP), an organization that works to provide training and education in the areas of infection control and occupational safety in the dental clinic setting.  Staff participated in a research working group, which helped establish research goals and implementation steps for OSAP, and continued development of an infection control research agenda.

 

NIDCR staff participated in the World Health Organization (WHO) Meeting on Registry of Craniofacial Anomalies, held in Bauru, Brazil, December 4-6, 2001.  This meeting was part of a broader project to develop an international collaborative network for research on craniofacial birth defects.  Discussions during the three-day workshop included the global epidemiology of craniofacial birth defects, global coverage of existing registries, mechanisms of data collection, confidentiality and ethics, research potential of registry data, and the development of a common set of shared data for inclusion in a centralized, publicly-accessible data base.  This meeting brought together representatives of several different registries and groups of registries, including the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (ICBDMS), the European Registration of Congenital Anomalies and the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations.  Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also attended to discuss birth defects ascertainment and registration in the US.  Also present were representatives from developing countries that are in various stages of birth defects registry design and implementation, as well as people with computer and database design skills.

 

The Associate Director for International Health presented a lecture to oral medicine residents and faculty on December 11, at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Her talk was entitled, “Building Global Partnerships For Research: the Role of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.”

 

NIDCR’s International Health Officer was a guest lecturer as part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ graduate level International Health course.  The lecture, “International Dental Public Health,” was given on December 10 to students in the University’s Masters of Public Health program.

 

NIDCR’s international video, “Science Knows No Country,” won the top award in the "Dentistry" category for the Freddie's – the International Health and Medical Media Awards.

 

 

National Institute on Mental Health

 

On November 5 and 6, 2001, a NIMH-Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting was held at PAHO headquarters. A conference report with recommendations is expected to follow.

 

On November 7, 2001, the WHO World Health Report with an emphasis on Mental Health was released.

 

 

National Library of Medicine

 

In December NLM staff traveled to Accra, Ghana, to meet with researchers from Noguchi Memorial Research Institute and Navrongo Health Research Center regarding their use of the vsat system NLM installed at both sites as part of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria.  The MIMCom system is helping scientists gain access to medical literature and databases through NLM's Pub Med as well as to each other for the purpose of constructing proposals and writing papers. 

 

 

 

 

Information Items:

 

U.S. graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply for either the laboratory internship (July 11- September 13) or the lecture course (July 23-August 2) sponsored by the Japanese Brain Science Institute to train advanced students in brain function.  Applications must be completed by February 28, 2002.  Application forms may be accessed at http://summer.brain.riken.jp/.   E-mail inquiries may be sent to info02@summer.brain.riken.go.jp

 

 

Updated May 2003

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News, Events and Information International Services Programs and Initiatives Regional Activities