NIH sets new global health research goals for noncommunicable diseases

The NIH has set new international goals for researching the “growing epidemic of noncommunicable diseases” such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and mental illness.

NIH researchers point to the model used to address HIV/AIDS in areas with few resources as a way to branch out and increase research and training.

“It is critical that we leverage the existing HIV research and care delivery platform to build the capacity needed to stem the tide of these new disease epidemics,” Roger I. Glass, MDS, PhD, director of the Fogarty International Center and NIH associate director for global health research, said in a press release.

The goals outlined in the plan also include the conversion of scientific discoveries into practical application and the coordination of international research.

“Our concept of investing in training outstanding young investigators, both US and foreign, and linking them early in their careers in research partnerships between their institutions has been a winning strategy that has had a major impact on the research enterprise for global engagement,” Glass said.

The Fogarty International Center, which funds approximately 400 health research and training projects, intends to recruit more researchers across a variety of specialties, including cardiology, bioengineering, oncology and other fields that historically have not been included in global health initiatives.

“Today, global health and local health are becoming one and the same, and research anywhere can help people everywhere,” Glass said in the release.

The incorporation of communication and information technology into research and training is a significant component of the plan, which seeks to effectively capitalize on the “ubiquity of cell phones” throughout the world to share information and further the goal of stimulating innovation in global health research and treatment.

“By taking science to where the problems are, and by supporting research and research training in areas where the burden of disease is greatest, Fogarty investments will continue to build the health research workforce of the future,” Glass said. “This will ensure scientific methods are brought to bear on some of the world’s most complex health problems, which are affecting populations both at home and abroad.”