Collaboration between Developed and Developing Countries Offers Opportunities to Amplify Global Health Research

Slides for Ms. Omollo's portion of the panel are available at http://openmi.ch/sts13ahon.The complexity, scope and intensity of global health challenges demand international collaboration. Collaboration between developing and developed countries can be an effective strategy for tackling shared health issues. In recent years, government agencies and foundations have increased financial and human resources for international collaborative projects for health research and education. However, these international partnerships often encounter barriers such as resource, capacity, political and cultural differences which affect the motivations, balance of benefits, regulation of research, and ultimately outcomes of these programs. The current literature is resplendent with anecdotal reports, editorials and thematic introductions about attitudes and structural factors impacting partnerships between developing and developed countries. There is little research or documentation regarding systematic analysis of the social and technical factors that foster efficient, effective and sustainable international collaboration. The panelists will present three unique models of collaboration between developing and developed countries. They will examine the social, scientific, technological and organizational dynamics of these collaborations that must be aligned to effectively address challenges resulting from resource, capacity and power differences in the interaction of multiple organizational and national cultures. The lessons learned from these collaborations are intended to inform institutions and researchers who are engaged in multicultural and multinational health networks. The findings may also be a useful reference for policy makers and funding agencies for predicting and evaluating success of collaborative projects. The first panelist will present on the National Heart Lung and Blood – United Health Global Health Centers of Excellence (COE) Program (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/globalhealth/centers/index.htm). Each COE collaborates with a research organization in a developed country to develop research and training infrastructure and to build capacity to conduct population based or clinical research to monitor, control or prevent cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases (CVPD). The program includes an Administrative Coordinating Center that coordinates and manages network communication, tracks COE research, training and capacity building activities, and offers consultations related to methodology, outcome measures and data management for collaborative studies. The panelist will discuss mid-point process evaluation and how findings from the evaluation are guiding the direction of the program through the end of the funding period. The second panelist will present on University of Michigan Health Systems-Peking University Health Science Center Joint Institute for Translational and Clinical Research (JI) (http://www.puuma.org/). The JI is a virtual cross-institutional research platform destined to facilitate high-impact, collaborative research to advance global health. The panelist will focus on how to develop shared and individual institutional management structures, processes and technical infrastructure that supports and sustains successful cross-institutional collaboration. The third panelist will discuss the African Health OER Network (“the Network”) (http://www.oerafrica.org/healthoer), a collaborative project between University of Michigan, an NGO in Africa, two universities in Ghana, and two universities in South Africa. The objective of this project is to advance health education in Africa by creating and promoting free, openly licensed teaching materials by African academics to share knowledge, address curriculum gaps, and support health education communities. The panelist will present a collaboration model that involves an iterative process of action, assessment, and reflection. She will summarize the communication and management practices developed through the interactive process that enabled the Network to implement the shared values of transparency, collaboration, and active participation, to foster South-South as well as North-South exchanges, and to ultimately achieve project goals and sustainability.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102597/1/2013_Luo-et-al-SciTS_Cross-Cultural and International Team Science.docxhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102597/2/2013_Luo-et-al-SciTS_Cross-Cultural and International Team Science.pd

Training and capacity building in LMIC for research in heart and lung diseases

Stemming the tide of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) worldwide requires a multipronged approach. Although much attention has been paid to disease control measures, there is relatively little consideration of the importance of training the next generation of health-related researchers to play their important role in this global epidemic. The lack of support for early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries interested in the global NCD field has resulted in inadequate funding opportunities for research, insufficient training in advanced research methodology and data analysis, lack of mentorship in manuscript and grant writing, and meager institutional support for developing, submitting, and administering research applications and awards. To address this unmet need, The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–UnitedHealth Collaborating Centers of Excellence initiative created a Training Subcommittee that coordinated and developed an intensive, mentored health-related research experience for a number of early stage investigators from the 11 Centers of Excellence around the world. We describe the challenges faced by early stage investigators in low- and middle-income countries, the organization and scope of the Training Subcommittee, training activities, early outcomes of the early stage investigators (foreign and domestic) and training materials that have been developed by this program that are available to the public. By investing in the careers of individuals in a supportive global NCD network, we demonstrate the impact that an investment in training individuals from low- and middle-income countries can have on the preferred future of or current efforts to combat NCDs