SUMMARY OF THE OVERALL COMPONENT Although non?communicable diseases (NCD) represent over 80% of the disease burden in South America, most health resources in the region are still dedicated to infectious disease and maternal and child health. As the region completes its epidemiological, demographic and nutritional transition, there is an urgent need to improve strategies to reduce the increasing burden of NCD. This application describes the design and development of the South American Center of Research Excellence in Chronic Non?communicable diseases (SACREN) to establish research activities related to cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prevention and control. The Center will be hosted by two former National Heart, Lung Blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI) Centers of Excellence (COE): The South American Center of Excellence for Chronic diseases (CESCAS) at the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS) in Buenos Aires, Argentina which covers the Southern Cone of Latin America (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) and the CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), in Peru , both thriving research and providing a rich environment for research capacity building in the region. In fact, both teams, which are currently supported by NIH and other international and national funders, have a remarkable track record of successful research in terms of publications and grants. More importantly, taken this to the next level to establish SACREN, both CESCAS and CRONICAS will partner with the Division of Population Sciences at Dana?Farber Cancer Institute, (DFCI) and Harvard Medical School (HMS), where both will contribute their world?class expertise and leadership in building capacity for cancer research that spans the spectrum from prevention to treatment. SACREN will taking advantage of the capacity building experience of the three partners and establish shared resources and facilities to allow enhancing innovative population, translational (T4), clinical, implementation and policy research to counter cancer and CVD. For this planning grant, SACREN will develop two research programs in cancer and CVD epidemiology, building on the integration of the population?based cohorts in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. In addition, it will undertake a pilot collaborative project on geo?mapping of GBC and GC in South America, based on GIS technology. SACREN will develop its initial activities in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, and will later expand to Bolivia and Paraguay. In this regard, our proposal has been endorsed by the current Ministers of Health of Argentina and Peru and the authorities of the national cancer institutes and/or the Ministries of Health of all countries involved " |