Global Health Research and Training in malaria and cholera: opportunities for nov

Weill Medical Coll Of Cornell Univ, New York NY

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the current proposal is to provide mentorship for fellows, medical students and undergraduates for careers in global health through participation in patient-oriented research. The research will be conducted with firmly established collaborators at international sites of research excellence in Ghana and Haiti. The projects will stem from research funded by an NIH R01 and two Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenge Exploration Awards. These projects will provide experiences in highly innovative clinical translational research in transition from the bench to the bedside. The specific projects are: (1) Endothelial progenitor cells and the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (2) Re-wiring enteric signaling for preventing cholera (3) A noninvasive cell phone imaging probe for diagnosing malaria. The collaborative research teams for these projects involve scientists from disparate fields such as stem cell biology and engineering working in concert with physician-scientists. The individuals are united in common goals of understanding basic mechanisms of malaria pathogenesis or the development of novel diagnostics and prophylactics for malaria and cholera, respectively. The experiences of trainees participating in these projects will prime them for futures in multidisciplinary collaborative global health research. Combined with complementary didactic studies they will be well prepared to make major advances in this field. In addition, the proposal will provide vital funding to permit me to continue to teach and train those in the global health pipeline for these types of careers.