Tulane-Xavier Minority Training in International Health

描述(由申请人提供)：杜兰大学公共卫生和热带医学院(SPHTM)与路易斯安那州泽维尔大学合作，于2005年在新奥尔良建立了MHIRT培训计划。七个海外站点提供与美国健康差距人群相关的几个研究领域的培训。该计划为来自健康差距人群的合格本科生、研究生和卫生专业学生提供国际研究培训机会，这些学生在基础科学、生物医学、临床或行为健康研究职业领域的代表性不足。杜兰/泽维尔的合作建立在两个机构的优势和传统的基础上，即杜兰SPHTM作为国际公共卫生和热带疾病研究的领导者的调查能力，以及泽维尔大学作为为健康差距群体的少数族裔学生提供高级科学教育的领导者的传统。每年，两所大学的项目主任和研究导师都会从两所大学挑选10名学生参加海外研究体验，其中包括7名本科生和3名研究生或医学生。这些海外网站链接到由参与的杜兰大学教师导师领导的正在进行的合作研究项目。研究机会包括：秘鲁的儿科结核病研究；阿根廷降低母婴发病率和死亡率的干预措施；墨西哥的恰加斯病；马里的抗疟疾新药临床试验；塞拉利昂的拉沙热和热带疾病；中国的心血管疾病；泰国移民的健康行为。参与者在旅行前接受研究方法、伦理和生物安全方面的强化培训，该项目提供旅行前医疗服务和基本语言培训。学员在美国和外国教师导师的共同指导下工作，他们的研究成果在回国后以口头和书面形式进行陈述。我们鼓励学生探索疾病对海外人口的影响及其对美国健康差距人群的影响之间的异同。我们希望这个机会将激励学生从更广泛的角度将美国的健康差距问题视为全球问题，并能够将从一个群体学到的经验应用到另一个群体中。尽管2005年卡特里娜飓风造成了重大障碍，但我们已经成功地完成了该项目的两年，现在正在培训第三批学员，许多早期学员进入了生物医学专业培训(其中一名学员以富布赖特学者的身份在阿根廷继续她的MHIRT研究)。 相关性：杜兰-泽维尔MHIRT项目为来自健康差距人群的学生提供了一个独一无二的机会，让他们参与一个全额资助的国际研究体验，这可能会将他们的专业载体转向国际研究和服务，因此与公共卫生高度相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM), in collaboration with Xavier University of Louisiana, established a MHIRT Training Program in New Orleans in 2005. Seven overseas sites provide training in several research areas relevant to health disparities populations in the U.S. The program provides international research training opportunities for qualified undergraduate, graduate and health professions students from health disparities populations who are underrepresented in basic science, biomedical, clinical or behavioral health research career fields. The Tulane/Xavier collaboration builds on the strengths and traditions of both institutions, i.e., the investigative capacity of the Tulane SPHTM as a leader in international public health and tropical disease research, and the tradition of Xavier University as a leader in advanced scientific education for minority students from health disparities groups. Each year, program directors and research mentors from both universities select 10 students from both universities, including 7 undergraduates and 3 graduate or medical students, to participate in overseas research experiences. The overseas sites are linked to ongoing collaborative research projects led by participating Tulane faculty mentors. Research opportunities include studies of pediatric tuberculosis in Peru, interventions to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Argentina, Chagas disease in Mexico, clinical trials of new antimalarial drugs in Mali, Lassa Fever and tropical diseases in Sierra Leone, cardiovascular diseases in China, and health behaviors of migrants in Thailand. Participants receive intensive training in research methodology, ethics, and biosafety prior to travel, and the project provides pretravel medical services and basic language training. Trainees work under the joint tutelage of U.S. and foreign faculty mentors, and their research findings are organized for oral and written presentation on return to the U.S. Students are encouraged to explore similarities and differences between the disease impact on the overseas population, and its impact on health disparities populations in the U.S. Our hope is that this opportunity will stimulate students to see health disparity issues in the U.S. in a broader perspective as global problems and be able to apply lessons learned from one group to the other. In spite of significant obstacles in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina, we have completed 2 successful years of the program and are now training a third cohort, with many early trainees going into biomedical professional training (and one is continuing her MHIRT research in Argentina as a Fulbright scholar). RELEVANCE: The Tulane-Xavier MHIRT program provides a unique opportunity for students from underserved health disparities populations to participate in a fully funded international research experience that may redirect their professional carriers toward international research and service and thus is highly relevant to public health.