DGHI has signed an agreement with the Federal University of Sao Paulo and its Paulista Medical School to develop sustainable programs to improve health care delivery to underserved populations in Brazil. The two entities will work together to develop a robust research agenda to better understand the burden of disease on underserved populations across the region and in the Amazon, and evaluate the results of interventions to decrease the burden of disease. Particular areas of common strength and research interest include global mental health, cardiovascular disease, oncology, infectious diseases and ophthalmology.
DGHI and Federal University of Sao Paulo will also explore bidirectional visiting scholar exchanges and sponsor a pilot grants program to encourage collaborative research between the institutions.
“This agreement with the Paulista Medical School in Brazil moves DGHI closer toward one of the goals of our new strategic plan which is to expand research and education opportunities into Latin America,” said Michael Merson, director of the Duke Global Health Institute. “I am pleased to work with excellent partners in Brazil from whom we can learn a great deal about disease prevention and treatment.”
Earlier this month, a delegation of Duke faculty traveled to Sao Paulo to speak at the Brazilian Global Health Symposium at which the Brazilian Global Health Center at Paulista Medical School was launched. This event allowed the faculty to better understand the research priorities and education opportunities of both institutions, and to begin developing collaborations.
“The symposium was a great success and everyone in Brazil is excited about the new partnership,” said Renato Lopes, associate professor of medicine at Duke University and director of Brazilian Clinical Research Institute at Federal University of Sao Paulo. “Building upon collaborations between the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute, I believe the Brazilian Global Health Center that was created in partnership with DGHI will make a real difference in decreasing health disparities in Brazil as well as advancing research and promoting academic opportunities for people in Brazil.”
