Planning for A GEOHealth Research and Training Hub in Uganda - United States

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请的目标是在两年内开发一个全球环境和职业健康（GEOHealth）计划，该计划将作为东非环境和职业健康（EOH）研究和培训中心。在乌干达和东非，EOH问题特别严重，由于缺乏政治和公众意识，该领域远远落后于大多数中等收入国家。食品污染和卫生、水污染、工伤以及卫生专业人员接触生物危害都与重大的健康和疾病负担有关。迫切需要EOH专业人员来解决乌干达和东非地区日益增长的问题，包括了解疾病和污染物的基线水平。此应用程序将协调格鲁吉亚（UGA）和Makerere大学（MakU）之间。在公共卫生（UGACPH）的UGA学院的教师有一个与乌干达调查人员在公共卫生（MakSPH）的MakU学校工作的长期跟踪记录。UGACPH和MakSPH都有一支优秀的教师队伍从事EOH教学和研究。该应用程序还建立在现有的UGACPH-MakSPH传染病预防和控制合作研究和培训计划的基础上，由Fogarty资助 国际中心，NIH。我们会集中讨论三个范畴：1）食物卫生（食物安全及 污染），2）水质（水卫生，供水中的化学品和微生物污染），以及3）职业健康和安全（与工作有关的伤害和卫生专业人员接触生物危害）。我们之所以选择这三个重点领域，是因为它们被确定为乌干达和东非的迫切需要。具体目标包括：（1）对乌干达和东非地区的EOH优先事项进行需求和机会评估;召集网络合作伙伴，以建立培训中心;并确定EOH专业人员和实验室的能力建设需求;（2）制定和评估研究优先事项议程，并在三个重点关注领域开展试点研究项目。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this application is to develop a global environmental and occupational health (GEOHealth) program in two years, which would act as a center for environmental and occupational health (EOH) research and training in Eastern Africa. EOH problems are particularly acute in Uganda and Eastern Africa, where the field has lagged far behind most middle income countries due to a lack of political and public awareness. Food contamination and hygiene, water pollution, work-related injuries, and health professional exposures to biological hazards are associated with significant health and disease burdens. EOH professionals are critically needed to address to growing issues, including the understanding of baseline levels of disease and contaminants, in Uganda and Eastern Africa region. This application will be coordinated between University of Georgia (UGA) and Makerere University (MakU). Faculty at UGA College of Public Health (UGACPH) has a long track record of working with Uganda investigators at the MakU School of Public Health (MakSPH). Both UGACPH and MakSPH have a good team of faculty members engaged in EOH teaching and research. This application is also built on an existing UGACPH-MakSPH collaborative research and training program in infectious diseases prevention and control, funded by Fogarty International Center, NIH. We will focus on three areas of interest: 1) food hygiene (food safety and Contamination), 2) water quality (water sanitation, pollution with chemicals and microbes in water supplies), and 3) occupational health and safety (work-related injuries and health professional exposure to biological hazards). We have chosen these three areas of focus because they are identified as urgent needs in Uganda and Eastern Africa. The specific aims include: (1) to conduct needs and opportunities assessment of EOH priorities in Uganda and Eastern Africa Region; to assemble network partners for development of a training hub; and to identify needs for capacity building for EOH professionals and laboratories and (2) to develop and evaluate research priorities agenda and to conduct pilot study projects in the three focal areas of interest.