Etiologic and Intervention Research on Heavy Metals, Air pollution, and Pesticide

UAB-南亚ITREOH是与巴基斯坦卡拉奇的阿加汗大学（AKU）、印度马尼帕尔的马尼帕尔大学（MU）和斯里兰卡科隆博的凯拉尼亚大学（英国）合作开展的研究培训工作。 该计划的重点是病因学和干预研究，适用于减轻南亚地区的环境和职业健康（EOH）危害。有限的技术专长和缺乏专门针对EOH问题的大学培训计划是扩大EOH研究范围的障碍。该计划于2001年作为UAB-AKU伙伴关系启动，导致建立了一个研究人员/培训人员核心小组，在重金属，空气污染（室外和室内）和农药领域进行试点研究，AKU正式的EOH证书计划，并扩大了与其他国家的区域合作，包括印度和斯里兰卡。目前计划的主要研究重点包括将试验项目扩大到主要研究项目，扩大研究重点以包括干预研究，以及鼓励新的试验研究计划。 其他主要活动包括在AKU和流行病学/EOH研究生课程在MU和英国的EOH研究生学位课程的发展。 我们在这些研究和培训工作中的主要合作伙伴是疾病控制和预防中心（CDC）和国家航空航天局（NASA）。具体目标包括：（1）进一步提高在国家优先领域开展研究的研究技能和能力;（2）在伙伴机构设立EOH/流行病学研究生学位课程;（3）为能力建设开发更多资源;（4）衡量研究和培训的长期影响。我们的目标包括培养一批训练有素的独立研究人员，他们具有公认的EOH专业知识，将进行研究，这些研究将成为培训计划的基础，并在国家和国际层面制定EOH政策。

The UAB-South Asia ITREOH is a collaborative research training effort with the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Pakistan, the Manipal University (MU) in Manipal, India, and the University of Kelaniya (UK) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This program focuses on etiologic and intervention research, as applied to the mitigation of environmental and occupational health (EOH) hazards in the South Asia region. Limited technical expertise and the lack of university-based training programs specifically designed to address EOH issues are barriers to broadening the scope of EOH research. This program, initiated in 2001 as a UAB-AKU partnership, has resulted in the establishment of a core group of researchers/trainers, pilot research in the areas of heavy metals, air pollution (outdoor and indoor) and pesticides, a formal EOH certificate program at AKU, and the expansion of regional collaborations with other countries, including India and Sri Lanka. Major research highlights of the current initiative include expanding pilot projects to major research projects, broadening research focus to include intervention research, and encouraging new pilot research initiatives. Other major activities include the development of an EOH graduate degree program at AKU and Epidemiology/EOH graduate programs at MU and UK. Our major partners in these research and training efforts are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Aerospace and Space Administration (NASA). Specific aims include: (1) To further enhance research skills and capacity to implement research in national priority areas; (2) To establish graduate degree programs in EOH/Epidemiology at partner institutions; (3) To develop additional resources for capacity building; and (4) To measure long-term impacts of research and training. Our goals include developing a core group of trained, independent researchers with recognized EOH expertise who will conduct research that will form the basis of training programs and set EOH policies at the national and international levels.