Summary/Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are over a billion people across the globe who
suffer from disabilities, with injuries and trauma listed as among the leading causes of disability. Most of them
reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Southeast Asia has one of the highest burdens of both
trauma and injuries, and related disabilities (Murray 2013). In Vietnam, while mortality due to injuries has
declined since 2008, the incidence of injuries has been increasing, which has led to significant increases in
Years Lived with Disabilities (YLDs) for most injuries (Nguyen 2020). Addressing this growing burden of post-
injury disabilities and the need for rehabilitation is a key priority area for the government of Vietnam. However,
in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia, there is limited local capacity for conducting research on the
consequences of injuries and post-injury rehabilitation, which would inform national policy and programmatic
responses. The absence of comprehensive training programs in the science of disability and rehabilitation, and
the social and economic impact within the larger public health sector in Vietnam, create a serious impediment
to analytic work in this field. This proposal offers a plan to address the growing need for understanding and
tackling the consequences of injuries and post-injury rehabilitation in Vietnam. The proposed 2021-2026
Johns Hopkins University-Hanoi University of Public Health Research Program on Health, Economic
and Societal consequences of trauma and injuries in Vietnam (JHU-Hanoi HEalS) will build on a strong
existing partnership between JHU and HUPH. Through this proposed program, we will build on existing
research and collaborations between our teams at JHU and HUPH in the larger field of health research and
public health from recent years. The overall goal of the Johns Hopkins University-Hanoi University of Public
Health Research Program on Health, Economic and Societal consequences of trauma and injuries in Vietnam
(JHU-Hanoi HEalS) is to strengthen research capacity to generate data and interventions to address the
rehabilitation needs of individuals post-injury and trauma in Vietnam, as well as the long term health,
economic, and societal consequences of trauma and injuries. Our approach will be based on close
collaboration between two institutions – Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHU),
USA, and Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), Vietnam – each with a great commitment to
understanding the public health impact of trauma and injuries, experience and expertise in research and a
history of collaborative work. Our model will focus on using US expertise to strengthen the Vietnamese
institution, promote a sustainable research enterprise focused on injuries and trauma and their consequences,
leadership, national policy dialogue, and international linkages to Vietnam.
