The Fogarty International Center, the international component of the National Institutes of Health, has selected Emory University to participate in a network of US academic institutions training the next generation of global health researchers.  

The Fogarty Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars program will award approximately $20.3 million over the next five years to 20 partner institutions to provide 400 early-career health scientists with nearly yearlong research fellowships in 27 low- and middle-income countries.  

A total of five consortia will be funded under this award. Emory is part of a consortium that includes Vanderbilt University, Duke University and Cornell University.  This group will work together to develop and support global health research training programs that provide focused mentoring and diverse clinical research experiences for the participants, which include early-career physicians, veterinarians, dentists and scientists.

"This is a tremendous honor that bears the great responsibility of helping shape the future of global health," says Carlos del Rio, MD, professor and chair of the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH).

"By joining forces with other leading global health institutions and sharing our diverse experiences and relationships in developing countries and beyond, we have a unique opportunity to train the next generation of researchers who will continue our common goal of improving global health for many years to come," says K.M. Venkat Narayan, MD, MSc, MBA, the Ruth and O.C. Hubert Professor of Global Health. 

Narayan and Del Rio will serve as program directors of the award and lead Emory’s participation in the network.

In addition to Fogarty, 15 other NIH institutes and centers plan to contribute funds to the effort.

"In combining the enthusiasm of today's young scientists with the knowledge and wisdom of America's global health leaders, we are forming a powerful network to produce a new generation of stellar researchers capable of working in the global arena," says Fogarty’s director, Roger I. Glass, MD, PhD.   

According to the NIH, participating institutions were required to demonstrate they possess the capacity to provide outstanding mentored global health research education experiences, existing robust research and training activities at a developing country site, and established relationships among participating members.