Plan for Strengthening Research and Training in Non-Communicable Diseases in Vietnam (PSORT-NCDs-VN) - We are proposing a 1 year planning grant entitled “Plan for Strengthening Research and Training in Non-
Communicable Diseases in Vietnam (PSORT-NCDs-VN)”. Vietnam has been facing an increasing burden
from NCDs over the last several decades, with notable increases in the morbidity and mortality from
cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. To combat this emerging epidemic,
Vietnam urgently needs to strengthen its research capacity in NCDs of clinical and public health importance
and develop a carefully designed research training program in NCDs. This planning grant will create a new
Non-Communicable Disease Research and Training Center (NCD-RTC) in the Department of Epidemiology,
Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, at Hanoi Medical University (HMU) and a plan for novel
research training programs in NCDs with a primary focus on CVD. This program will be designed and carried
out in close collaboration with established investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School
(UMMS), a leading U.S. medical school with well-established research and training programs in NCDs/CVD.
The mission of the NCD-RTC will be to provide a home for clinical investigation and training that consolidates
resources to: 1) recruit, educate, and train physicians, nurses, and biomedical scientists in NCDs/CVD
research; 2) facilitate the design and conduct of clinical research studies in NCD, particularly CVD, by local
independent investigators; and 3) improve the application of evidence-based research to inform the
development and implementation of contemporary prevention and treatment guidelines for NCDs. Our specific
aims include the following: Aim 1. Assess existing research and training programs in NCDs, with a focus on
CVD, at HMU and its clinical partner, the HMU hospital. For this aim we will evaluate the strengths,
weaknesses, and overall quality of current research and training programs in the primary and secondary
prevention of NCDs/CVD to identify present gaps, and opportunities for strengthening research and training in
NCDs/CVD. Aim 2. Establish a new NCD-RTC at HMU .For this aim, we will utilize the strong institutional
commitments of HMU and HMU hospital to provide support to facilitate NCD research studies and we will
define the leadership and organizational structure of the NCD-RTC. We will design the NCD-RTC to facilitate
working relationships with existing departments, institutes, centers, and hospitals in the organization, and
expand upon present strong collaborations with clinical research and training centers at the UMMS to adapt
their research and educational training programs in NCDs/CVD for Vietnam. Aim 3. Develop a research and
training program in NCDs/CVD that fits Vietnam's needs and resources by: (a) developing new research
methods and content courses, focusing on NCDs/CVD, that would be offered to non-degree and degree
students, with access for students, physicians, nurses, and clinical investigators; (b) enhancing current Masters
and Ph.D. Programs with a focus on NCDs/CVD by integrating NCDs/CVD research methods courses in the
existing curriculum; and (c) developing a plan for a new Postdoctoral Fellowship and Clinical Research
Scholars Program, following the existing T32 and KL2 models at the UMMS, which would provide rigorous
research training, together with financial and mentoring support, to junior investigators interested in careers
devoted to NCDs/CVD research. This planning grant
is crucial for Vietnam to prepare a future grant application
which would contribute to long-term teaching and research programs in NCDs for Vietnam in the next several
decades.
