Bethesda, Maryland — The Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a new program to address the growing burden of morbidity and mortality in the developing world due to trauma and injury. The program, launched on the occasion of World Health Day 2004, is supported by FIC, seven NIH partners*, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Pan American Health Organization, and the World Health Organization (WHO). It addresses training across the range of basic to applied science, the epidemiology of risk factors, acute care and survival, rehabilitation, and long-term mental health consequences. The current combined financial commitment from FIC and its partners is approximately $7,000,000 over five years.

"This year World Health Day focuses on road safety, an issue that affects men, women and children in the United States and around the world," said FIC Acting Director Sharon Hrynkow, Ph.D. "Our goal in this program, which contributes to raising awareness of the human and economic costs caused by trauma and injury, is to build skills and knowledge on how to most effectively address these daunting problems in resource-constrained settings. Our focus on the people and skills will have pay-off not only abroad but potentially back home as well to the extent that new techniques are transferable."

Though often overlooked, trauma and injury are leading causes of death and disability in the world. The greater proportion of the burden is in the developing world, where resources, both financial and medical, are lacking. Six of the 15 leading causes of death in people 15-44 years of age are trauma-related, according to the WHO. More than five million deaths per year are caused by trauma resulting from both intentional and unintentional injury. In addition, trauma and injury are major contributors to long-term disability.

To gain insight into needs and opportunities for research in this critical area, FIC brought together forty U.S. and international experts in July 2003 to discuss priorities for research training and the development of new technologies to reduce the impact of trauma and injuries in the developing world. The resulting program invites applications in areas such as prevention, treatment at the scene, emergency medical facilities and services, post-acute care, development of low-cost prosthetic devices, and long-term care, including rehabilitation, as well as evaluation of low-cost techniques in diagnostic procedures. Training may also focus on topics in low-cost technologies such as x-ray and ultrasound, ventilators, optimal resuscitation fluids, blood substitutes, and materials to cover wounds in burn victims. Awards will provide up to $150,000 per year in direct costs for up to five years of support.

This program honors the memory of Dr. John "Jack" Furman Finklea, a world leader in the field of injury control research. Dr. Finklea was instrumental in establishing FIC's International Training and Research Program in Environmental and Occupational Health and in launching CDC's extramural injury control research grants program. Dr. Finklea was the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the CDC from 1975-1978.

Applications for the International Collaborative Trauma and Injury Research Training Program are due by August 25, 2004. Applications will be due on this anniversary date through 2006. Letters of intent are due by July 25, 2004. The Program Announcement for this program may be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-04-083.html. Additional information can be found at the FIC Website, http://www.fic.nih.gov.

FIC is the international component of the NIH. It promotes and supports scientific discovery internationally and mobilizes resources to reduce disparities in global health. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Press releases and other FIC-related materials are available at www.fic.nih.gov.