| NIEHS Extramural Global Environmental Health Portfolio: Opportunities for Collaboration Christina H. Drew, Martha I. Barnes, Jerry Phelps, and Bennett Van Houten Program Analysis Branch, Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA Abstract
Background: Global environmental health has emerged as a critical topic for environmental health researchers and practitioners. Estimates of the environmental contribution of total worldwide disease burden range from 25 to 33%. Objective: We reviewed grants funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) during 2005–2007 to evaluate the costs and scientific composition of the global environmental health portfolio, with the ultimate aim of strengthening global environmental health research partnerships. Methods/Results: We examined NIEHS grant research databases to identify the global environmental health portfolio. In the past 3 fiscal years (2005–2007) , the NIEHS funded 57 scientific research projects in 37 countries, at an estimated cost of $30 million. Metals such as arsenic, methylmercury, and lead are the most frequently studied toxic agents, but a wide range of stressors, routes of exposure, and agents are addressed in the portfolio. Conclusions: The portfolio analysis indicates that there is a firm foundation of research activities upon which additional global environmental health partnerships could be encouraged. Current data structures could be strengthened to support more automated analysis of grantee information. Key words: global health, partnerships, science assessment. Environ Health Perspect 116:421–425 (2008) . doi:10.1289/ehp.11323 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 6 March 2008]
Address correspondence to C.H. Drew, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, PO Box 12233 (EC-28) , 111 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA. Telephone: (919) 541-3319. Fax: (919) 541-4937. E-mail: drewc@niehs.nih.gov Supplemental Material is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/11323/suppl.pdf We thank S. Edelstein for mapping and graphics support, the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training, the global environmental health researchers cited in this article, and the anonymous reviewers. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 1 February 2008 ; accepted 5 March 2008.
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