The Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the year 2005 awardees of the FIC/Ellison Overseas Fellowships in Global Health and Clinical Research Program, a training program for U.S. and low- and middle-income country students in the health sciences. FIC selects top notch medical, dental, and public health graduate students from the United States and from the poor countries. These paired student awardees receive one year of mentored clinical research training at an NIH-funded institution in a developing country. (The successful applicants are listed at the end of the release.) The students will obtain a significant experience with clinical research and will work together.

"Increasing the numbers of clinical researchers with practical experience in research-poor settings will enhance our ability to tackle global health challenges," said Sharon H. Hrynkow, Ph.D., FIC Acting Director, on behalf of FIC and its partners. "Projects on AIDS and related opportunistic infections, malaria, sexually transmitted infections and non-infectious disease, issues such as reproductive health, provide new insights for tomorrow's clinical leaders, both in the United States and in low- and middle-income nations."

The FIC, the Ellison Medical Foundation, and sister NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases jointly support the fellowship program. The Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health provide program support for recruitment, review, and matching.

In the program, U.S. students are paired with host country students, creating partnerships and contributing to an international community of research scholars. Twenty-seven fellows were selected from 22 U.S. medical schools and five U.S. schools of public health from a pool of 120 highly-qualified U.S. applicants in the second annual competition. Eleven fellows are pursuing dual degree programs (MD-MPH or MD-PhD). The foreign sites identified 27 foreign fellows at similar points in their careers.

"The first year of this fellowship program was very gratifying. The collaborations among the U.S. and foreign site fellows were active and valuable. The researcher leaders were able to actively carve out parts of on-going research for the fellows, thereby making the experience intense as well as exciting and rewarding," said Aron Primack, M.D., FIC program officer.

The program announcement is located at this URL: http://www.fic.nih.gov/programs/Students.htm.

The FIC, the international component of the NIH, addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs, and supports and advances the NIH mission though international partnerships. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional information about the Fogarty International Center can be found on the FIC website: http://www.fic.nih.gov.

U.S and developing country partners are:

Alon Unger, MD candidate, University of California, San Francisco, will work in Bahia, Brazil under the mentorship of Drs. Warren Johnson, Cornell Medical School, and Mitermayer Galvão dos Reis, Federal University of Bahia. His project will involve tropical disease research. Luiz Henrique Santos Guimarães will be the Brazilian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Joseph Donroe, MD/MPH candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine, will work in Lima, Peru under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Gilman of Johns Hopkins University and Alberto Ramírez-Ramos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, on research that focuses on emerging infections in Peru. Giselle Soto will be the Peruvian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Jonathan Sherman, MD candidate, Mayo Medical School, also will work in Lima, Peru under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Gilman of Johns Hopkins University, and Alberto Ramírez-Ramos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, on research that focuses on emerging infections in Peru. Martin Tapia will be the Peruvian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Anne Griffin, MD/MPH candidate, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, also will work in Lima, Peru under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Gilman of Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Alberto Ramírez-Ramos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, on research that focuses on emerging infections in Peru.

Felicia Chow, MD candidate, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will work in Peru under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Zunt, University of Washington, and Silvia Montano, VAMNRD, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Her research will evaluate the reduction HIV transmission by control of sexually transmitted diseases. Marizabel Rozas Latorre, MD, will be the Peruvian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Carolina Mejia, MD/MPH candidate, University of Washington, will work in Peru under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Zunt, University of Washington, and Silvia Montano, VAMNRD, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Her research will evaluate the reduction HIV transmission by control of sexually transmitted diseases. Mirtha Nuñez, MD, will be the Peruvian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Louis Didié Herold, the Haitian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow, under the mentorship of Drs. Warren Johnson and Dan Fitzgerald, Cornell University, and Jean William Pape, Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO). His research topic will be the study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections in Haiti.

Craig Conard, MD candidate, Tulane Medical School, will work at the Malaria Research Training Center (MRTC) in Bamako, Mali under the mentorship of Drs. Chris Plowe, University of Maryland, and Prof. Ogobara Doumbo, University of Bamako. He will participate in research at the Malaria Research and Training Center of the University of Bamako. Mahamadoun H. Assadou, MD. University of Bamako will be Malian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Kwei Akuete, MD candidate, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will work in Kampala, Uganda under the mentorship of Drs. Christopher Whalen, Case Western University and Moses Kamya, Makerere University, on HIV and tuberculosis, focusing on punctuated antiretroviral therapy. Simon Sekiganda Luzige, post graduate student of Internal Medicine, Makerere University in Kampala, will be the Ugandan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Kyle Luman, MD/MPH candidate, University of California, San Francisco, will work in Kampala, Uganda under the mentorship of Drs. Chris Whalen of Case Western Reserve University, and Moses Kamya, Makerere University. He will work on HIV/TB research. Elizabeth Namukwaya, resident in internal medicine at Makerere University, Mulago School of Medicine, will be the Ugandan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Cameron Page, MD candidate, Yale University School of Medicine, will work in Nairobi, Kenya under the mentorship of Drs. King Holmes, University of Washington, and James Kiarie, University of Nairobi AIDS Research and Training Program. His research will study children with HIV. Anne Mungai, MD/MPH, will be the Kenyan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Ashok Reddy, MD candidate, University of Washington School of Medicine, will work in Nairobi, Kenya under the mentorship of Drs. King Holmes, University of Washington, and James Kiarie, University of Nairobi AIDS Research and Training Program. His clinical research will study HIV and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. John Kinuthia, MD., will be the Kenyan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Jeffrey M. Blander, ScD candidate, Harvard School of Public Health, will work in Tanzania under the mentorship of Dr. Wafaie Fawzi and R. Ferdinand Magusi, Harvard University, on the assessment of The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund Implementation as well as the impact of Psychosocial Interventions on Medication Adherence. Abel Makubi will be the Tanzanian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Paul Drain, MD candidate, University of Washington School of Medicine, will work in Tanzania under the mentorship of Dr. Wafaie Fawzi and R. Ferdinand Magusi, Harvard University, on issues related to nutrition and micronutrient supplementation on HIV seropositive individuals. August Furuha, MD, will be the Tanzanian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Erin McDonald, MD candidate, Stanford School of Medicine, will work in Gabarone, Botswana under the mentorship of Drs. Max Essex, Harvard School of Public Health, and Ibou Thior, Princess Marina Hospital. Her research training will involve HIV- 1C in Botswana. Raabya Rossenkhan will be the Botswanan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Melissa Ketunuti, MD candidate, Stanford School of Medicine, will work in Gabarone, Botswana under the mentorship of Drs. Max Essex, Harvard School of Public Health, and Ibou Thior, Princess Marina Hospital. Her research training will involve HIV- 1C in Botswana. Lemme Kebaabetswe will be the Botswanan Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Sylvia Aparicio, MD candidate, Harvard Medical School, will work in Lusaka, Zambia under the mentorship of Drs. Sten Vermund, Vanderbilt University, and Isaac Zulu and Paul Kelly, University Teaching Hospital Zambia, on PMTCT and abdominal TB in Zambia. Edford Sinkala will be the Zambian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Vanessa Wolfman, MPH, MD candidate, University of Maryland, will work in Pretoria, South Africa under the mentorship of Drs. Brian Forsythe, Yale University, and Prof. Bridget Jeffery, University of Pretoria Kalafong Hospital. Her research focus is psychosocial development and growth of children born to mothers with HIV. Joan Matji, MSc Nutrition, Ph.D. candidate, University of Pretoria, will be the South African Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Lisa Bebell, MD candidate, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, will work in Durban, South Africa under the mentorship of Dr. Alan Berkman at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia and Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, Columbia University, at the HIV/ AIDS Networking Centre at the University of Natal. Her clinical research training will be in the area of acute HIV infection and the characterization of the host immune response. Kogie Naidoo, MD, University of KawaZulu Natal, will be the South African Fogarty/Ellison Fellows.

Richard "Cully" Wiseman, MD candidate, University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine, will work in Durban, South Africa under the mentorship of Dr. Alan Berkman at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia and Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, Columbia University, at the HIV/ AIDS Networking Centre at the University of Natal. His clinical research training will be in the area of acute HIV infection and the characterization of the host immune response. Sibusiso Ntsele will be the South African Fogarty/Ellison Fellows.

Andrea Finkelman, MD/ MPH candidate, Tufts University, will work in Vellore, India under the mentorship of Drs. Kenneth Mayer, Brown University, and Gagandeep Kang, Christian Medical College, on the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidial infections in HIV infected individuals in South India. Kirthi Satyakumar, 2nd year medical student from the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India will be the Indian Fogarty/Ellison Fellows.

Ramnath Subbaraman, MD candidate, Yale University School of Medicine, will work in Chennai, India, under the mentorship of Drs. Kenneth Mayer, Brown University, and Suniti Solomon, Director of the YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research. He will work on a project involving the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidial infections in HIV infected individuals. Narashmhan Padmanesan, MD., will be the Indian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Sonia Singh, MD/MPH candidate, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, will work in Chennai, India, under the mentorship of Drs. Kenneth Mayer, Brown University, and Suniti Solomon, Director of the YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research. She will work on a project involving the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidial infections in HIV infected individuals. Kirti Kabeer will be the Indian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Eric Nelson, MD/Ph.D. candidate, Tufts University, will work in Dhaka, Bangladesh under the mentorship of Dr. Stephan Calderwood, Harvard School of Medicine, on the hyperinfectivity of human cholera at the ICDDRB. Ashraful Islam Khan will be the Bangladesh Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Aaron Samuels, MHS, MD candidate, University of Maryland School of Medicine, will work at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, under the mentorship of Drs. Chris Beyrer, Johns Hopkins University, and Thira Sirisanthana, Chiang Mai University. His clinical research training will be in the area of HIV/AIDS. Phunlerd Phiyaraj will be the Thai Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Jo Nord, MD candidate, Oregon Health & Sciences University, will work at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, under the mentorship of Drs. Chris Beyrer, Johns Hopkins University, and Thira Sirisanthana, Chiang Mai University. His clinical research training will be in the area of HIV/AIDS. Jeerang Wongtrakul will be the Thai Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Charles Lin, MD candidate, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, will work in Wanjing, China under the mentorship of Dr. Myron Cohen, University of North Carolina and Dr. Xiang-Sheng Chen, Chinese National Center for STD and Leprosy Control. His clinical research training will focus on HIV/AIDS and syphilis surveillance. Xing Gao, MD., will be the Zambian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.

Gina Kruse, MD candidate, Baylor College of Medicine, will work in St. Petersburg, Russia under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Heimer of Yale University and Andrei Kozlav, the Biomedical Center, focusing on HIV/AIDS in Russia. Alexey Gorlinsky will be the Russian Fogarty/Ellison Fellow.