Attachment

From: "Handley, Gray (NIH/NIAID) [E]" <{B@niaid nih. gov> To: "Varmus, Harold (NIH/NCI) [E]" <EOnih.gov> Ce: "Fauci, Anthony (NIH/NIAID) [E]" <{ifniaid.nih.gov>, "Auchincloss, Hugh (NIH/NIAID) [E]" <Q Oniaid.nih.gov>, "Zoon, Kathryn (NIH/NIAID) [E]" )niaid.nih.gov>, "Pineda, Mark (NIH/NIAID) [E]" @niaid.nih.gov>, "Hedje, Judith (NIH/NIAID) [E]" <{if@niaid.nih.gov> Subject: RE: MRTC in Bamako Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:11:52 -0400 Importance: Normal Attachments: History NIAID_USTTB_collaboration_11_Apr_2013.docx; Gates_Foundation_Call_for_Global_Health_Case_Studies_11_28 08 gh edits_no_tracked_ changes-map.doc; LABORATORY_CAPACITY_AND_INFRASTRUCTURE_April2013.doc Dr. Varmus: Attached is background information on the ICER in Mali. I am sending what I have gathered so far -- two documents prepared for different purposes, which describe this long-term engagement. So far, I am still pulling together information about overall funding, although the "History" piece includes some recent information. Gathering this data is challenging because much of the early support was from a variety of sources including Foundations and USAID. I will send at least a ball-park figure next week, Yesterday, the ICER programs all presented on their current studies so I will also try to share the slides related to the Mali program. These well illustrated some aspects of the history and the current breadth of our scientific engagement there. I have also attached a short paper on our ICER in Uganda. Another very productive partnership where many sources of funding have helped build a robust infrastructure used by both extramural and intramural scientists. We also have an NIAID scientist posted there to oversee this program. On the Lahore involvement, I was able to learn a little of the back-story from Dr. Karl Western, our knowledgeable historian. From 1959-1981 the University of Maryland, Baltimore had an International Center for Medical Research (and Training) [ICMR(T)] in Lahore, Pakistan. This program was one of NIAID's earliest tools to help build research capacity overseas. When the International Centers for Infectious Disease Research (ICIDR) program was competed for the first time (it was envisioned as a replacement for the ICMR(T)), none of the ICMR's were competitive and so funding was slated to end for the Lahore program. The UMd Dean and US PI for the Lahore ICMR(T) visited NIAID with a Maryland Congressional Delegation to seek reversal of the decision not to fund Lahore as an ICIDR. This was about the time that the Soviets invaded Afghanistan so the State Department was eager not to have anything offend Pakistan (sounds familiar). The compromise was for UMd to submit the best components of their ICIDR application as individual RO1 applications. One got funded but then later did not re-compete successfully; so the UMd ICMR faded out. On PEPFAR, I would be happy to share my point of view about how NIH researchers formed the foundation for early PEPFAR success, particularly in South Africa and Uganda, if that would be helpful at some point. Hope this is useful; more to come. Gray