Guatemala
Guatemala is one of UNC’s newest sites for global health research, and is a priority initiative for IGHID. Collaboration began in 2006 between UNC and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Field Epidemiology Training Program and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) through a cooperative agreement to develop a master’s degree curriculum in field epidemiology. Since then, the collaboration has expanded into other areas.
IGHID is cultivating what it anticipates will be a long-term collaborative partnership with UVG’s multidisciplinary Center for Health Studies. In 2008 the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote friendship, encourage research, facilitate collaboration and build capacity.
UNC’s other major partner is the CDC’s Regional Office for Central America and Panama, located on the campus of UVG. The regional office is a site for several CDC collaborations, including the Global AIDS Program, Field Epidemiology Training Program, International Emerging Infections Program, and All Hazards Preparedness and Response Program.
With UVG and the CDC Global AIDS Program IGHID is currently developing two new projects. The first project is to gather preliminary data for a larger study comparing two methods of sampling hard-to-reach populations (time location sampling and respondent driven sampling) for socio-behavioral HIV surveys The second project is a formative qualitative study to inform the development of a men's reproductive health clinic in Guatemala City.
Areas of Research
Neglected tropical diseases
Emerging infectious diseases
Parasitic diseases (onchocerciasis, malaria)
Influenza
HIV/AIDS
All hazards preparedness and response
Field epidemiology training.
Contact: Pia MacDonald
