The Centers of Excellence

The UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative and the National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) have established 11 Collaborating Centers of Excellence to enable the development of research and training infrastructures and to foster research on new or improved approaches, programs, and measures to prevent or control chronic cardiovascular and lung diseases in developing countries.

This global health initiative is expected to stimulate clinical, epidemiologic, health services and outcomes; health policy; and translational and behavioral research.

In addition, each Center of Excellence will:

• Consist of a research center in a developing country partnered with at least one academic institution in a developed country to enhance training and research opportunities and to facilitate the growth of the Center of Excellence's research capabilities.
• Conduct research on the prevention and control of cardiovascular or lung diseases, with an emphasis on ways to impact lifestyle factors that can decrease the risk of these conditions, such as increasing physical activity; improving diet; and eliminating tobacco use, reducing exposure to tobacco smoke, and eliminating indoor air pollutants that contribute to lung diseases.
• Train future investigators at multiple levels (e.g., graduate, postdoctoral) and foster the training and mentoring of emerging scientists and community health workers.
• Collaborate with existing health care systems in the communities and regions and foster the sharing of best practices.
• Follow research and training guidelines that are consistent with the NHLBI's ethics and public use dataset policies and procedures.

Administrative Coordinating Center

Westat
Rockville, Maryland, USA
Principal Investigator: Nancy L. Dianis, R.N., M.S.
Nancydianis@westat.com

NHLBI Program Director

Cristina Rabadán-Diehl, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Division of Cardiovascular Sciences
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
rabadanc@nhlbi.nih.gov

UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative Director

Richard Smith, M.D.
UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative
London, England, U.K.
Richard_S_Smith@uhc.com