Global Environmental Health

As a public health institute of the National Institutes of Health(http://www.nih.gov/) , the NIEHS has a commitment to the goals of protecting and improving global health. With a strong history of international cooperation on environmental health problems and a research vision aimed at solving the puzzles of environmentally induced human disease, the NIEHS is uniquely poised at the forefront of global environmental health.

The NIEHS global environmental health program encompasses global research, international fellows training, outreach and capacity building, and service to the scientific community.

• Global Research

  The NIEHS has a long history and ongoing investment in international research collaborations that seek to leverage the expertise of NIEHS and global partners toward solving problems in environmental disease and improving human health.

  An analysis of this investment shows that from 2005–2007, the NIEHS supported 57 extramural projects in 37 different countries. These projects range from investigating the effects of heavy metals on children’s development along the U.S.-Mexico border, to elucidating the role of aflatoxin in inducing liver cancer in people in rural China.  

  Similarly, NIEHS intramural scientists are involved in 31 projects and collaborations with researchers in 12 foreign countries investigating such areas as possible genetic risks for preeclampsia in Norway and genetic mechanisms of host response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants in Argentina.

  For US-based researchers interested in global environmental health, a large number of research opportunities(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/funding/grants/announcements/announcements.cfm) exist within the NIEHS Extramural Research Program.

  Global Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP) – R01(http://www.fic.nih.gov/programs/research_grants/grip/index.htm) :  The Global Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP) promotes productive re-entry of NIH-trained foreign investigators into their home countries as part of a broader program to enhance the scientific research infrastructure in developing countries, to stimulate research on a wide variety of high priority health-related issues in these countries, and to advance NIH efforts to address health issues of global import.

• International Fellows Training

  The NIEHS seeks to improve the scientific capacity of countries around the world and increase collaborative efforts in environmental health research through an ongoing training program for international visiting fellows.(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/research/index.cfm)

  As a leader in global environmental health research, the NIEHS is invested in training the next generation of researchers dedicated to reducing the burden of human illness and disability and improving health through understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.

  The NIEHS is committed to training international fellows to capitalize on the diverse perspectives that young scientists from the global community bring with them to the NIEHS, to develop international scientists with the unique skills that a research experience at the NIEHS provides, and to establish an international collaborative network of scientists who specialize in the environmental health research that is fundamental to achieving a positive global impact on human health and disease.

• Outreach and Capacity Building

  The NIEHS supports diverse programs aimed at environmental health science outreach and capacity building in foreign countries(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/od/odd/outreach.cfm), including those in partnership with the World Health Organization and the Fogarty International Center.

• Service to the Scientific Community

  NIEHS scientists and staff provide a wide range of service to science through their participation on international committees, expert review panels, working groups, policy organizations, mentorship, and other activities.

About Global Environmental Health at NIEHS

Background

The NIEHS 2006-2011 Strategic Plan (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/od/strategicplan/docs/strategicplan2006final.pdf)   (1.36MB) specifically identifies global health research, capacity building, training, and partnerships as a priority for our institute. As part of expanding community-linked research, the institute is undertaking to

• develop a program in global environmental health and
• build capacity to pursue research in global environmental health.

In January 2007, the NIEHS gathered a distinguished international panel of scientists in San Francisco, California to participate in the NIEHS Global Environmental Health Conference, a working meeting designed to provide guidance on potential research opportunities and strategies. The final report (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/events/pastmtg/2007/global/docs/GEH-Overview-Summary.pdf)   (158K) details the opportunities in global health within the context of NIEHS' strategic priorities.

NIEHS Global Environmental Health Vision

The NIEHS global health vision is to coordinate research activities, enhance collaborations, and direct knowledge toward improving public health and disease burden outcomes.

Toward this goal, NIEHS plans to:

• provide a venue for communicating the outcomes and value of our GEH investment to the public;
• leverage the research being supported by connecting interested parties around the world looking at the same or similar problems;
• enhance visibility of funding mechanisms for GEH research and training programs;
• eventually, provide a networking space including online collaboration tools and interactive research technologies to connect scientists around the world in real-time.

Future Directions

Recommit to existing global partnerships and establish new collaborative opportunities with the goal of:

• facilitating fundamental basic research involving networked teams in global regions; and
• fostering population-based research (e.g., biomarkers) involving networked teams to address specific diseases

 Back to top