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. 2020 Dec 31;13(1):1846904.
doi: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1846904.

Strengthening research capacity in LMICs to address the global NCD burden

Arianne Malekzadeh  1 , Kathleen Michels  1 , Celia Wolfman  1 , Nalini Anand  1 , Rachel Sturke  1
Affiliations

Strengthening research capacity in LMICs to address the global NCD burden

Arianne Malekzadeh et al. Glob Health Action. .

Abstract

The burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) continues to rise across the globe, and the risk of dying prematurely from an NCD in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) is almost double that in a high-income country. Confronting this crisis requires a critical mass of scientists who are well versed in regional health problems and understand the cultural, social, economic, and political contexts that influence the effectiveness of interventions to address NCDs. Investing in research capacity strengthening in LMICs is critical to effectively combating disease, and local researchers are best poised to address the health challenges in their home countries given their understanding of the unique culture and context in which they are working. The Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health has a set of programs focused on building individual and institutional NCD research capacity in LMICs. The Programs provide models for sustainable scientific research capacity strengthening, innovative funding mechanisms and partnership-building approaches. Investing in the training and scientific capacity of LMIC individuals and institutions not only helps foster a research culture and solidify local ownership of research, but it also ensures that the most appropriate solutions are developed, increasing the likelihood that those solutions will sustain over time. In addition, the Programs' investigators have advanced the science across a range of NCDs and associated risk factors. This article describes key lessons and compelling cases from the Programs that can be harnessed by other health researchers and funders to further the global response to the NCD burden.

Keywords: Noncommunicable diseases; capacity building; global health; research training; scientific research.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Awards by Country of Focus
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Research Topics of Funded Awards, 2001–2017.Grants can focus on more than one research area, and thus a grant can be counted in more than one NCD category
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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