International Health Research Programs
The Center for Global Health coordinates and supports Northwestern University’s research, training and clinical trial projects overseas. Current areas of active research encompass the fields of infectious diseases and HIV, gynecology, bioengineering and community medicine. Further efforts will build on other Northwestern research strengths that may benefit from an international presence such as oncology, endocrinology, neuroscience, microbiology and rehabilitative medicine.
- Northwestern University AIDS International Training and Research Program (NU AITRP). Sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NU AITRP trains and develops international investigators in Mali and Nigeria in HIV-related research techniques. By providing both short- and long-term training to researchers from partner institutions in Mali and Nigeria, NU AITRP is improving the overall capacity of collaborators to address their countries’ national priorities as they relate to the AIDS epidemic.
- U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through a grant awarded to the Harvard School for Public Health, the Center for Global Health participates in the PEPFAR program in Nigeria and Tanzania by providing education and training, supply chain management, and research.
- EraMune 02 HIV Eradication. The EraMune 02 is a clinical trial to investigate the use of a vaccine coupled with the intensification of anitretroviral treatment on the eradication of HIV from an infected individual.
- Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN). A consortium including Northwestern University, six Nigerian teaching hospitals, Harvard School of Public Health, and the AIDS Prevention Initiative Nigeria (APIN) is working together to enhance medical knowledge and skills at the six leading medical schools in Nigeria.
- An Assessment of Liver Disease in HIV/HBV Co-Infected Nigerians. This study is a National Institutes for Health Fogarty supplement that will assess the prevalence of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis among ART naïve, HIV-infected individuals with and without Hepatitis B co-infection who are enrolled in an HIV Care and Treatment Program in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Nigeria.
- Drug Interaction Study: Contraceptive Implant and HIV Therapy in Ugandan Women (R21 Grant). Hormone contraception use poses a significant challenge for the estimated 16 million HIV-infected women of childbearing age, which is due to known drug interactions with antiretroviral therapy (medicines used to treat HIV) that may jeopardize contraception effectiveness. By evaluating the impact of antiretroviral therapy on a levonorgestrel implant, the most widely available hormone implant in low and middle-income countries, this study will translate its findings into an evidence-based approach to co-manage these important medications. As such, this research has significant public health relevance as it may reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in HIV-infected women, thereby improving maternal and child mortality, as well as reducing rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
- Enhancement of Retrovirology and Tuberculosis Laboratory Capabilities in Mali. The National Institutes for Health helped develop the state-of-the-art HIV and tuberculosis laboratories at the University of Bamako in 2005. The goal of the program now is to transition oversight to Northwestern University to enhance the research capacity in Mali.
- Cardiovascular Research Training in Biostatistics, Aging and Policy in India (D71 Grant). A partnership between Centre for Chronic Disease Control and All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India and Northwestern University to plan a pre- and post-doctoral research training program to build local research capacity in fields such as advanced cardiovascular biostatistics, cardiovascular health and aging, and cardiovascular health policy.
- Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement in Kerala (ACS QUIK) (K99 Grant). The ACS QUIK grant is a cluster-randomized, stepped wedge clinical trial that aims to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with ACS in Kerala.
- Improving Neurologic Outcome Measurement For Interventional Research. This MEPI Linked award represents a partnership between neurologists and neuroradiologists from the University of Ibadan/University College Hospital (UI/UCH) in Ibadan and a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and scientists from Northwestern University. Through an intensive educational program in methodologies for neurological research for physicians from Nigeria, we aim to advance research capacity in Nigeria to address serious public health concerns in both adult and pediatric neurology. In this partnered plan, medical physicists from Northwestern University will work on site in Nigeria to advance imaging research capabilities in Nigeria by scaling up capabilities for acquisition of brain imaging data.
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training at University of Ibadan. This project is a Fogarty supplement that aims to revise the RCR curriculum at the University of Ibadan.
Other Feinberg Global Health Activities
- Global Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine. The Department of Emergency Medicine continues to complement Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine missions for global engagement. Global emergency medicine (GEM) initiatives focus on the health of individuals and populations in emergent and dynamic environments. Collaborations focus on inter and intra-university partnerships through research projects, educational efforts and the support of organizations providing health and services in emergency settings. Such efforts include direct provision of emergency clinical care in resource-limited settings, humanitarian assistance training and crisis mapping.
- Section of Global Health, Division of Hospital Medicine. Offers hospitalists who are interested in global health the opportunity to learn about best practices in global health and participate in international programs with the goal of building sustainable relationships. The first partnership is with Hillside Health Care International (HHCI) in Belize and future goals involve participating in global health education for students and faculty at Northwestern.
This page last updated Feb 28, 2013