Three Duke trainees, one medical student and two Duke Global Health OB/GYN Fellows, have been awarded funding through The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program for mentored clinical research training in a low- or middle-income country.  

Duke Global Health OB/GYN Fellows Drs. Erin Dainty and Ayaba Worjoloh are 2011-2012 Fogarty Fellows who will be doing clinical research in East Africa. They are enrolled in the Duke Global Health Residency/Fellowship Pathway, a multidisciplinary postgraduate training program offered through the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health and the Duke Global Health Institute.

"The real value of the Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellowship is the fact that it has a larger focus on career development, not just funding support for research.  It is perfectly suited to the stage I am at in my research career because it is heavily focused on mentorship," said Dainty, whose Duke mentors include Drs. David Walmer and Nathan Thielman.  "I am optimistic this award will lay the groundwork on which I can build my future career in international clinical work and relevant clinical research."  

An Argument for Global Partnerships in Cancer Care
In a new an article published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, lead author and Duke physician H. Kim Lyerly suggests that overcoming barriers to cancer research requires partnerships that are both sensitive and responsive to local and global needs. Early-career oncologists and advanced oncology trainees from Southeast Asia, a region of the world with a significant number of low- and middle-income countries, reported that cancer is an emerging health priority as a result of aging of the population, the impact of diet and lifestyle, and environmental pollution. Although improving health care delivery was seen as a critical local agenda priority, focusing on improved cancer research activities in this select population was seen as the best way that others outside the country could improve outcomes for all.

Cost is Barrier to Quality Health Care among Rural Elderly
A new study co-authored by Bei Wu, professor of nursing and global health, in the journal Geriatrics & Gerontology International examines the impact of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on rural elders' access to health care services. NCMS has improved the health care utilization of rural elders, and they have the highest satisfaction with it among all age groups. However, lack of affordability remained the common barrier for the rural elderly to access quality health care, in spite of the special considerations given to the rural elderly, such as premium remission and free check-ups. Faced with ever-growing health challenges, some impoverished rural elders with poor physical health and functional limitations may lack sufficient access to basic health care services.

Prevention Essential for Geriatric Oral Health Promotion
Professor Wu also published an editorial in Aging Health in which she offers suggestions for how to maintain oral health in the elderly. In addition to the treatment of oral diseases and conditions, Wu argues it is essential for geriatric oral health promotion to increase the focus on interdisciplinary teamwork in preventing oral diseases and conditions as well as enhancement of oral health status and quality of life in older adults. Biological factors likely play a major role in deterioration of oral health in elders, but research shows that social, psychological and behavioral factors may also be important to consider.