U.S., Canada partner for research hubs in LMICs
The NIH and other U.S. and Canadian partners are investing $20.9 million dollars over five years to establish seven regional research and training centers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth) Hubs will consist of multidisciplinary groups of researchers and partner organizations collaborating on common research and training topics that address environmental and/or occupational health issues.
Pesticide use, household and outdoor air pollution, mining hazards and other occupational and environmental risk factors cause almost a quarter of the world’s deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The greatest burden of disease caused by exposures occurs in LMICs, where there is limited capacity to study the links between risk factors and illness.
Each hub will be supported by a pair of five-year awards—one to a LMIC lead institution for research on key topics of regional importance and another to a U.S. institution to oversee relevant research training. The hubs are intended to become internationally recognized centers for the collection, management, synthesis and interpretation of data on environmental and occupational health. Together, the seven hubs will form the GEOHealth Network, a platform to build research leadership in environmental and occupational health in LMICs, and foster the exchange of knowledge and use of evidence to inform policies.
NIH’s Fogarty International Center is coordinating and partially funding the awards, in collaboration with NIH partners, the National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Also providing support is the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Canada’s International Development Research Centre is contributing to the funding of research led by LMIC scientists. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves also is participating in the GEOHealth program by offering supplemental funding for research and training focused on household air pollution.