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Weekly News and Notes
From the Duke Global Health Institute
Greetings!
Looking for funding to support your research or student summer fieldwork projects? This week is your last chance to apply for grants offered through the Duke Global Health Institute. See Faculty and Student Funding sections below for details.
Don't miss this week's events focused on health and social justice. On March 3-4, John Dittmer, author of "Good Doctors: The Medical Committee for Human Rights and the Struggle for Social Justice in Healthcare" will be on campus for a number of talks and panel discussions.
Check out Video Corner, a new feature of Weekly News and Notes, which highlights the latest in DGHI videos. See the lower righthand column for recordings of recent seminars from DGHI guest speakers Harley Feldbaum, Elizabeth Bradley and Jeffrey Sonis.
Until next week,
Geelea Seaford and Everyone at DGHI
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Duke Researchers Find Metabolites Are Good Predictors of Cardiovascular Disease Risk
From Duke Medicine News and Communications
Tiny bits of molecular "trash" found in circulating blood appear to be good predictors of cardiovascular disease and untimely death, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
The discovery, published online in the April issue of the journal Circulation Genetics, comes from the largest study of its kind for cardiovascular disease, and is the first to identify specific metabolic profiles associated with coronary artery disease, heart attacks and death among patients who have undergone coronary catheterization.
 The Duke study analyzed metabolites, the molecular debris left over after the body breaks food down into energy sources and building blocks of cells and tissues.
Scientists believe metabolites may be useful in diagnosing disease, said Svati Shah, MD, MHS, a cardiologist in the Duke Heart Center, the Duke Center for Human Genetics and the lead author of the study. But the tiny molecules are notoriously hard to identify, quantify and characterize.
Shah, a member of the Duke Global Health Institute, has been studying metabolic signatures in heart disease for several years and led earlier research showing that metabolic profiles associated with early-onset coronary artery disease can be inherited.
Shah and William Kraus, MD, professor of medicine at Duke and the senior author of the study, wanted to know if they could isolate and identify particular metabolites associated with coronary artery disease.
They began their investigation with information in Duke's CATHGEN biorepository which holds health records and blood samples from nearly 10,000 patients who had come to Duke over the past eight years for catheterization.
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New and Noteworthy
DGHI Receives Ronald McDonald House Charities Grant to Expand Access to Clean Water in Uganda
The Duke Global Health Institute has been awarded a grant in the amount of $180,074 from Ronald McDonald House Charities ® (RMHC ®) to implement a rainwater harvesting project in Southwestern Uganda.
It is one of 15 new grants awarded by RMHC totaling nearly $3 million to support its mission of improving child health in vulnerable populations around the world through health prevention and promotion, clinical treatment and education.
 The DGHI project in Uganda, co-led by Duke faculty member Alex Cho and Ugandan physician and Duke researcher Christopher Kigongo, will involve the installation of rainwater harvesting tanks on 76 public buildings throughout the sub-county of Kashongi. The goal of the project is to improve water quality and accessibility in Kashongi, where clean water is scarce and disease is prevalent. The team will also carry out an evaluation to assess the program's impact during the rainy and dry seasons.
The project in Kashongi grew out of an effort involving several partners both on campus and in Uganda. The program has greatly benefited from the initiative of Progressive Health Partnership (PHP), a student organization founded by Duke undergraduate students in 2008. DGHI has also partnered with DukeEngage for the second consecutive year to fund ten undergraduate students to help implement the project over the summer. The principal partner in Uganda is the Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation (MMHF), a local NGO founded by Benon Mugerwa, an obstetrician and gynecologist in the southwestern Ugandan city of Mbarara.
"The program has exceeded anything that I could have reasonably expected, and this success has everything to do with the participating students' engagement in, ownership of, and ongoing commitment to the partnership with Dr. Mugerwa and MMHF," said Cho.
Read the full story.
Global Health Study Abroad Program Launches in China, India
 The program represents a new study abroad model at Duke as it combines classroom experience with hands-on, community-based research and learning.
International program sites are in Udaipur, India and at the Beijing University Health Sciences Center in China. They were chosen for their expanding sphere of world influence.
Students will spend half of the semester in India and the other half in China studying common themes of global health and development. Two courses will be taught in each country. These courses will count toward a Duke undergraduate degree or certificate program.
An information session was held today for students who are interested in the program. For those who could not attend, contact amanda.kelso@duke.edu for additional information. There are no pre-requisites for the program, but an introductory course in global health is recommended.
For more information and to apply, click here. Application deadline for Spring 2011 is April 16.
Former US Vice President Al Gore to Speak at Duke
Former Vice President Albert A. Gore Jr., who received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy of environmental causes, will give the 2010 spring Duke Environment and Society Lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8. Sponsored by Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, the free public lecture will take place in Page Auditorium on Duke's West Campus. Tickets are required for admittance.  "Since the beginning of his career, Al Gore has been relentless in his quest to bring the truth about global warming to the world, even when the world wasn't listening," said William L. Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School. "But the world can hear him now. We are fortunate and thrilled to have him bring his message to Duke."
Duke Surgery Global Health Symposium, April 24
On April 24, 2010, the Duke Department of Surgery and the Duke Global  Health Institute will host a daylong symposium on global health issues in surgery at Duke University. Thought leaders will address important issues related to providing surgical care to underserved populations including public policy, funding, governance, and disparities in access to care.
Keynote speaker will be Haile Debas, Professor of Surgery, University of California- San Francisco; Executive Director, Global Health Sciences, University of California System.
Click here for an agenda and to register.
Physicians, allied health professionals, trainees, and medical students are encouraged to attend. Free and open to the public, though registration is required.
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Faculty News and Funding
DGHI Request for Proposals: Gender, Poverty and Health Research
The Duke Global Health Institute invites proposals of up to $25,000 a year for up to two years, for pilot research on the intersection of gender, poverty/class, and health.Deadline is March 5. Read more >>
DGHI Request for Proposals: Small International Travel Grants
The Duke Global Health Institute will offer small international travel awards of up to $5000 each to Duke graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty to pursue global health research opportunities in low or middle income countries. Deadline is March 8. Read more >>
DGHI Request for Proposals: Transition Award
The Duke Global Health Institute is offering transition awards of up to $20,000 to encourage continued scientific development of international trainees at Duke who are from low-and middle-income countries and will be returning to their home countries, and encourage ongoing collaborations between the returning trainees and their DGHI collaborators. Deadline March 8. Read more >>
NEW! NSF - Innovation through Institutional Integration
Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) challenges faculty, students, and others in institutions of higher education, including two- and four-year colleges, to think strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards, with particular emphasis on awards managed by programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Duke internal deadline is March 8. Read more >> Prevention of Sexual Transmission of HIV/AIDs in Haiti
This program aims to increase the adoption of safer sexual behaviors among sexually active youths and adults in Haiti, in order to contribute to reduced incidence of HIV infections from sexual transmission. Deadline is March 22. Read more >>
NEW! Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan (R01)
This Funding Opportunity Announcement encourages grant applications proposing the development and conduct of innovative, collaborative research and research training projects, between High Income country and low- to middle-income country scientists, on nervous system function and disorders throughout life, relevant to LMICs. Deadline is May 14. Read more >>
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For additional faculty opportunities, click here. |
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Deadline for DGHI Fieldwork Funding is Friday
The Duke Global Health Institute will be accepting grant funding applications for DGHI fieldwork projects, or projects developed independently, through 5pm on Friday, March 5th. Grant amount is up to $5000. Priority is given to first-time applicants and students enrolled in a DGHI education program, working with a DGHI faculty member, participating in a DGHI project, or working on a topic within the DGHI Signature Research Initiatives.
Students may also apply for the Aalok S. Modi Global Health Fieldwork Fund, which will be awarded to an undergraduate student for global health fieldwork/research. The scholarship honors the legacy of Aalok S. Modi who passed away in February of 2008. Modi, who was studying to become a doctor, led the Duke Global Health Student Action Committee, in which he advocated for greater student involvement in the field. This scholarship is in the amount of $2500 and also has an application deadline of 5pm on Friday, March 5th.
DGHI MSc-GH program - Call for Applications
The Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), in collaboration with the Duke Graduate School, is currently accepting applications for the second cohort of the Master of Science in Global Health (MSc-GH) program, which will begin in August 2010. The interdisciplinary program features courses in research methodology, and seminars on global health challenges, bioethics, and health systems in the developing world. Deadline is March 29. Read more >>
ASPH Graduate Training Programs: Request for Applications
The Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellowship Program provides international training opportunities for recent graduates of ASPH member accredited schools of public health (MPH and Doctoral level). The fellowship is an outstanding training opportunity to learn from leading global health experts in CDC headquarters in Atlanta as well as various international posts. Deadline is March 30. Read more >>
Funding Opportunity
Students Serve: Funding Ideas that Change a Community
Got an idea to change your community? All undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply for funding through Students Serve, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization run completely by volunteers. This enables nearly all donations to go directly to students so that they can make a difference in communities. Deadline is March 15. Read more >>
DGHI Research Assistant Opportunity
Looking for an RA to work with Manoj Mohanan (DGHI) on a new project on improving delivery of maternal and child health services in India. The main task of the RA would be to conduct literature reviews on measures of perinatal morbidity, with a focus on methods and tools that have been employed in large population based studies. Read more >>
Research Assistant Positions in Global Health and Technology Access Program
The Program on Global Health and Technology Access at the Sanford School of Public Policy is currently looking for two to three student research assistants to assist with various projects this spring and this summer. The GHTA Program explores issues of globalization and health equity, particularly regarding how to maximize the impact of health technologies in resource-poor settings. Read more >>
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March 3, 2010 » 12 - 1 pm
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March 3, 2010 » 7 - 9 pm
John Hope Franklin Center, Room 240
March 4, 2010 » 5:30 - 7 pm
John Hope Franklin Center, Room 240
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March 4, 2010 » 11:30 am- 12:45 pm
John Hope Franklin Center, Room 240
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March 5, 2010 » 8 am- 2:30 pm
Durham Marriott Convention Center
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March 11, 2010 » 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Stedman Nutritional & Metabolism Center
March 16, 2010 » 12 - 1 pm
Trent Hall, Room 124
March 17, 2010 » 4:30 - 6 pm
John Hope Franklin Center, Room 240
Duke South Green Zone, M224
View more upcoming events
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Video Corner
"Health Diplomacy and the Politics of Global Health"
Director Global Health and Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
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Other recent Global Health Seminar Videos:
Elizabeth H. Bradley,
Yale University
Jeffrey Sonis,
UNC-Chapel Hill
To watch more DGHI Videos, visit us on YouTube
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Olympic Sponsors Go For The Golden Image
NPR's Morning Edition
"I'm concerend about the potential, particularly for children, that they too can be an olympian by having a happy meal."
- Gary Bennett, DGHI member, obesity researcher and associate professor of psychology and neuroscience.
WUNC Public Radio
The Duke Department of Romance Studies, with the support of CLACS, DGHI, and the Franklin Humanities Institute, is offering the course to prepare current and future participants in the Haitian recovery following the earthquake.
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