Arlene Dent, M.D. Ph.D. received a two-year Thrasher New Researcher Award for her research proposal: "Ultrasound detection of abnormal placental blood flow as an early marker of placental malaria". The research will be conducted in Msambweni District Hospital in Kenya with Chris King, M.D.,Ph.D. as the mentor. Per their website , " The Thrasher Research Fund seeks to foster an environment of creativity and discovery aimed at finding solutions to children's health problems. The Fund awards grants for research that offers substantial promise for meaningful advances in prevention and treatment of children's diseases, particularly research that offers broad-based applications. "
The Center for Global Health and Diseases to lead broad international initiative to promote infectious disease education in Papua New Guinea
The Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health has just awarded a training grant to scientists at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine, Center for Global Health and Diseases to lead an educational program in infectious disease (ID) research training.
This five-year program will be conducted in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a developing country located in the equatorial region of the South Pacific. The work will be done in collaboration with the PNG Institute of Medical Research and the University of PNG
This program, lead by Dr. Peter Zimmerman, extends a 23-year history of productive ID research collaboration with the PNG Institute of Medical Research initiated by Dr. James Kazura. Collaborators of the Fogarty grant include Dr. Cynthia Beall (Case, Department of Anthropology) and ID research experts from Australia and Switzerland. The program will be launched at PNG's National Medical Research Symposium in September of 2005, and will seek to fund short-term projects and Bachelors Honors and Masters level certificates for 75 Papua New Guinean students.
In PNG, malaria and pneumonia are the leading causes of illness and mortality. These infectious diseases are responsible for at least 30% of hospital admissions, and contribute to mortality rates in children under 5 years of age that are 18-24 times higher than those observed in the United States and Australia (UNICEF 2003 statistics; www.unicef.org).
The people of PNG represent extensive cultural and ethnic diversity. With over 850 spoken languages, this presents unique challenges to communication about infection, disease and health care.
To provide educational experiences most relevant to PNG's public health challenges, this ID research training program will emphasize the importance in-country educational experiences. Research training will introduce students to the complicated ID milieu where illness may include multiple pathogens and non-specific symptoms conceal the complexity of infections. Laboratory and field experiences will emphasize the importance of developing diagnostic tools and strategies that are practical for PNG. Clinical field-based experience will emphasize the importance of effective communication, accurate diagnosis and improved specificity of treatment for the most significant infectious pathogens in PNG.