Speaker: Annette Fitzpatrick, Alfred Osoti, Biraj Karmacharya, and Archana Shrestha

Title: The Cardiometabolic Research Training Program: Building Capacity for CVD Research in Nepal and Kenya

Cardiometabolic risk factors, which increase the risk of and promote onset of CVD related to mortality and disability, include a combination of metabolic dysfunctions primarily characterized by hypertension, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and central adiposity. This crisis has led to a call for strategic investment in research including regional development, networking across countries, and expanding cross-sectoral partnerships to improve translation, innovation, and patient care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this collaboration with Kathmandu University and University of Nairobi, we aim to increase high-impact research on cardiometabolic disease and risk factors by building research capacity in Nepal and Kenya via PhD and Master’s level degree training in the US as well as mid- and short-term training in Kenya and Nepal focusing on essential research and leadership skills.

In this presentation, we will describe work that has been done to recruit and accept both MPH and PhD students to study at the University of Washington to obtain their degrees in the Departments of Global Health or Epidemiology. Efforts to provide graduate-level degrees and advanced certificates in non-communicable disease (NCD) research in Nepal and Kenya will also be described.

Annette Fitzpatrick is an epidemiologist and Research Professor in the Department of Family Medicine with additional joint appointments in Epidemiology and Global Health at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has been working on studies of aging with a focus on cardiovascular disease and dementia for over 30 years. She has led the coordination of large multi-site studies of CVD as the first Program Director for the NHLBI-sponsored Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and co-Investigator in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) coordinated by the Collaborative Health Studies Coordinating Center (of which she is a founding member). Fitzpatrick’s expertise spans a wide range of methodologies including the development, conduct, and analysis of multi-site observational cohorts as well as clinical trials. She has been the PI or co-PI of 22 NIH/CDC funded studies and co-investigator of an additional 20 more. She is passionate about studies of non-communicable disease (NCDs) in low-resource countries  and has led projects in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile and Peru and, together with colleagues at Kathmandu University, was one of the early developers of the Dhulikehl Heart Study in Nepal.