- Participating Agencies and Institutes
Leadership for this effort was vested in a Joint Working Group (JWG) whose lead agencies are CDC/ATSDR for the U.S., and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for India. U.S. and Indian partner agencies represented on the Joint Working Group (JWG) include agencies involved in environmental and occupational public health in both countries. A larger group of senior scientific advisers also convenes regularly to provide guidance and input to the Joint Working Group on scientific matters. Additionally, university participation is being solicited. - Priority Focus Areas
During the preliminary meetings of the Joint Working Group and the senior scientific advisers, the following focus areas were identified for the Collaboration: 1) Arsenic exposure and toxicity, 2) Indoor air pollution, 3) Persistent organic substances, 4) Biomarkers/gene environment interaction, 5) Pneumoconioses, 6) Environmental and occupational epidemiology, and 7) Emergency response and preparedness. Additional areas identified during 2006 include Road Accidents and Injuries. Focus areas are addressed with targeted research, education and training and public health intervention projects. - Education and Training Efforts
For the past four years, annual JWG meetings have been held. In addition, a number of courses and workshops have been organized and presented under the auspices of the Collaboration, as follows:- Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (Chennai and Ahmedabad, 2004)
- Biomarkers in Molecular Epidemiology and Toxicology (Atlanta, 2004)
- Children’s Environmental Health (Goa, 2005)
- Environmental Health Impact of Metals in South Asia (Shimla, 2005—with WHO)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response in Environmental Health (Agra, 2005)
- Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) (Ahmedabad, 2005)
- Water and Sanitation Issues in Environmental Health (Kolkata, 2006)
- Research and Public Health Intervention Projects
The JWG has implemented a process to identify and select specific projects to prioritize them for potential funding provided jointly by both countries. In FY 2004, twenty-five research proposals were received and reviewed independently by member of the JWG in the U.S. and India. The following proposals were jointly agreed and funded upon for FY 2004:- Control methods for silica dust in small scale rock crushing operations in India
- Health effects of tremolite asbestos in unorganized sector mines in Rajasthan
- Liver disease in chronic arsenic toxicity
- Cytochrome P-450 Biomarkers of chemical exposure and effect
- Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) in Gujarat
- Assessment of musculoskeletal disorders among agricultural workers
- Human health risk evaluation of air pollutants in Chennai, India
Joint Working Group on Environmental and Occupational Health With the Government of India The Indo-U.S. collaboration is a joint program in environmental and occupational health, the purposes of which are to improve the health status and well-being of individual workers in both countries and to develop mechanisms to translate research results into policies and actions. The collaboration began in 2002. Recently, the governments of India and the United States have agreed to extend the collaboration through year 2012. The focus of the agreement is on collaborative research, training and capacity building.
In FY 2005, sixteen proposals were received for consideration and two were approved for funding. At present these projects are undergoing review by the ICMR finance office prior to final approval and we anticipate they will be funded in FY06. These projects are:
In FY 2006, a new call for proposals will commence and projects will be reviewed bilaterally at the Joint Working Group meeting in July, 2006.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
Tel: (404) 639-3311 • CDC Contact Center: 800-CDC-INFO • 888-232-6348 (TTY)
