PLAN FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH TRAINING IN ADVANCED BIOSTATISTICS, AGING, AND H - Plan for Cardiovascular Research Training in Advanced Biostatistics, Aging, and Health Policy Modeling in India.
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed application aims to develop and refine research training program activities for future pre- and post-doctoral research fellows from the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) in New Delhi, India, in partnership with Northwestern University in Chicago, USA and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, India in 3 target areas: 1) advanced cardiovascular biostatistics, 2) cardiovascular health and aging, 3) cardiovascular health policy modeling in order to apply for the Chronic, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty International Research Training Award (NCD-LIFESPAN) (D43) during Year 2. The Objectives outlined above address strategic needs for CCDC and leverage existing, successful collaborations between CCDC, Northwestern, AIIMS, and their respective partner institutions. CCDC is a leading non-profit research institute India and is led by Dr. D. Prabhakaran (Principal Investigator on current D71 proposal). Dr. Prabhakaran, a cardiologist and epidemiologist, has extensive post- doctoral research training experience and is currently the Principal Investigator of the NHLBI/UnitedHealth- funded Global Center of Excellence in New Delhi. He is also the Site Director of the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars' and Fellows' Programs. The expansion of cardiovascular epidemiology funding and research in India has not been matched with a commensurate expansion of biostatistical training, a gap that will grow as data collection increases from many large epidemiologic studies in which CCDC either leads or participates. Research training in cardiovascular health and aging complements the current D43 grant at CCDC (D43 PI: Nikhil Tandon [consortium PD/PI on current D71 proposal]), which focuses on the role of early life events in the development of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The relationship between cardiovascular health and aging is particularly relevant in light of the predicted demographic transition in India. Cardiovascular health policy modeling research is also limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India. While scientists call for evidence-informed policymaking, there is a dearth of cardiovascular health modeling that can provide guidance to policymakers when critical surveillance data are scarce. CCDC lacks expertise in these 3 target areas, and pre- and post-doctoral research training would address these needs. The Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern has a long track record of research and pre- and post-doctoral research training in these 3 target areas to help address these needs. Northwestern has also demonstrated successful training of post-doctoral fellows from the US, through its ongoing T32 training grant in cardiovascular epidemiology (T32 co-director: Dr. Kiang Liu [co-investigator on current D71 proposal]), and of fellows from LMIC (Dr. Liu). CCDC and Northwestern have demonstrated prior collaborative success through Dr. Mark Huffman's (collaborator) Fogarty International Clinical Research fellowship (co-mentors, Drs. D. Prabhakaran and Lloyd-Jones [consortium PD/PI on current D71 proposal]) and NIH K99/R00 grant. Dr. Robert Murphy, director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Health, has extensive experience in global health training as the PI of two NIH/Fogarty-funded programs: Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in Nigeria (including a supplemental grant for training on the responsible conduct of research), AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) in Nigeria and Mali. Dr. Murphy has a track record of successful international trainee education both in-country and at Northwestern, including support of 7 master's, 9 medium-term, and 223 short-term trainees. His expertise will be very helpful in planning a successful D43 proposal. AIIMS is India's premier medical research institute, and Dr. Tandon's appointments at both CCDC and the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at AIIMS will leverage his role as successful D43 PI with potential research trainees and infrastructure in New Delhi to create a competitive D43 application. Development of the research training components necessary to target these target areas (diverse faculty/trainee recruitment and retention, evaluation of appropriate didactic coursework, research project inventory, quality control/assurance training development, e.g.) will lead to a well thought-out D43 application in Year 2 of this D71 proposal between CCDC, Northwestern University, and AIIMS. The proposed D43 research training program will help fill key gaps in CCDC's current research capacity and further strengthen the collaboration between CCDC, Northwestern University, and AIIMS through the creation of a complementary, cross-connecting research program for Indian research trainees. Relevance Research capacity in advanced cardiovascular biostatistics, cardiovascular health and aging, and cardiovascular health policy modeling is lacking in India and in CCDC, in particular. As such, this proposal aims to strengthen the collaboration between CCDC, Northwestern, and AIIMS by creating an effective research training plan for a future D43 application in Year 2 to address these needs.
