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Dr. Gibbons' Messages: 2013 | 2012

Researchers from around the world convene for global health symposium

Office of the Director - October 31, 2012

Representatives of all 11 Centers of Excellence gather at a conference table

Researchers from around the world gathered at a scientific symposium in Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 14, 2012, to report on their work as part of the NHLBI and UnitedHealth Group Collaborating Centers of Excellence program. The program pairs 11 research centers in low- and middle-income countries with investigators at academic institutions in high-income countries to generate new approaches to reducing the burden of chronic cardiovascular and lung diseases.

"The symposium provided an opportunity to highlight how research collaborations across the world result in scientific discoveries that benefit everyone," said Cristina Rabadán-Diehl, Ph.D., M.P.H., deputy director of the NHLBI Office of Global Health and program director of the Centers of Excellence. "The partnership between international investigators and U.S. scientists builds capacity to prevent and control chronic diseases in all low-resource areas and opens research and training opportunities for a new generation of U.S. investigators."

Man at a podium with PowerPoint slide in background

Dr. Sylvester Kimaiyo, principal investigator of the Kenya (Eldoret) Center of Excellence.

The seventh semi-annual Centers of Excellence steering committee meeting followed on Oct. 15-16. Investigators and trainees from each center discussed the status of their research projects and future directions. The meeting showcased the strides the centers are making in collaborating across borders, working with local communities, training the next generation of researchers, and using innovative methods to share data and work together to combat chronic diseases around the world. A key part of the centers' work is developing research and training infrastructures that enable researchers to conduct clinical and/or population-based research to monitor, prevent, and control chronic non-communicable diseases.