CDC’s Environmental Hazards and Health Effects Program (EHHE) addresses U.S.-Mexico border issues through collaborative efforts with the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP) [external link], an independent entity supported by Mexican federal funds. The INSP mission is to train students through postgraduate studies in public health, carry out national and international priority public health actions, provide consulting services in health and health systems, and promote the dissemination and use of public health research results.
EHHE helps INSP’s environmental health program identify and fill research or information gaps and increase the number of people working in the environmental health field. Through the collaboration, INSP has conducted several activities such as training environmental health professionals on both masters and doctoral levels, performing environmental health epidemiologic studies and surveillance activities, and conducting a large tobacco survey to help promote a smoke-free environment.
The Center for Population Health Research (CISP) [external link] is part of the INSP and has the specific mandate to develop scientific research and training in population-related environmental and occupational health. As part of its mission, CISP evaluates the health effects from exposure to environmental contaminants and occupational risks, and encourages applied research for making environmental policy and regulation decisions. Because of its regional activities in environmental epidemiology, CISP was named a PAHO/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborative Center for Environmental Epidemiology in 1996. In 1999, WHO mandated CISP to coordinate the Mexican National Center for Environmental Health, to increase INSP’s participation in outbreak investigations related to environmental exposures, and assist the General Directorate of Environmental Health with regulatory activities. CISP also has strong links with other Latin American countries, PAHO’s Environmental Health Division, CDC, and other WHO collaborative centers.
