Pregnancy and the global disease burden.

Pregnant women experience unique physiological changes pertinent to the effective prevention and treatment of common diseases that affect their health and the health of their developing fetuses. In this paper, the impact of major communicable (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, helminth infections, emerging epidemic viral infections) as well as non-communicable conditions (mental illness, substance abuse, gestational diabetes, eclampsia) on pregnancy is discussed. The current state of research involving pregnant women in these areas is also described, highlighting important knowledge gaps for the management of key illnesses that impact pregnancy globally.

Introduction: international research ethics education.

NIH's Fogarty International Center has provided grants for the development of training programs in international research ethics for low- and middle-income (LMIC) professionals since 2000. Drawing on 12 years of research ethics training experience, a group of Fogarty grantees, trainees, and other ethics experts sought to map the current capacity and need for research ethics in LMICs, analyze the lessons learned about teaching bioethics, and chart a way forward for research ethics training in a rapidly changing health research landscape. This collection of papers is the result.

Curricular aspects of the Fogarty bioethics international training programs.

The curriculum design, faculty characteristics, and experience of implementing masters' level international research ethics training programs supported by the Fogarty International Center was investigated. Multiple pedagogical approaches were employed to adapt to the learning needs of the trainees. While no generally agreed set of core competencies exists for advanced research ethics training, more than 75% of the curricula examined included international issues in research ethics, responsible conduct of research, human rights, philosophical foundations of research ethics, and research regulation and ethical review process. Common skills taught included critical thinking, research methodology and statistics, writing, and presentation proficiency. Curricula also addressed the cultural, social, and religious context of the trainees related to research ethics. Programs surveyed noted trainee interest in Western concepts of research ethics and the value of the transnational exchange of ideas. Similar faculty expertise profiles existed in all programs. Approximately 40% of faculty were female. Collaboration between faculty from low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) occurred in most programs and at least 50% of HIC faculty had previous LMIC experience. This paper is part of a collection of papers analyzing the Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development program.

Introduction: the Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program in historical context.

In response to the increasing need for research ethics expertise in low and middle income countries (LMICs), the NIH's Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program has provided grants for the development of training programs in international research ethics for LMIC professionals since 2000. This collection of papers draws upon the combined expertise of Fogarty grantees, trainees, and other experts to assess the state of research ethics in LMICs, and the lessons learned over 12 years of international research ethics education; to assess future needs; and to chart a way forward to meet those needs. In this introductory paper we briefly sketch the evolution of research ethics as applied to LMIC research, the underpinning and evolution of the Fogarty bioethics program, and summarize key conclusions from the other papers in the collection.

A bibliometric analysis of an international research ethics trainee program.

We used bibliometric analysis to evaluate the citations associated with publications by trainees in the Fogarty International Center's International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development program. Papers published between 2004 and 2008 were identified for analysis. The outcome measures were total citations, h-index, and i-10. A total of 328 manuscripts were identified, with a yearly average of 66 publications and 363 citations. The median number of citations per paper is 3 (IQR Q1-Q3:6). 12.6% (n = 53) of papers were cited over 10 times and the h-index is 22, indicating that 22 papers had been cited at least 22 times. The data indicate that trainees have been productive and contributed to the scholarly literature. Future studies to benchmark this performance with other bioethics education programs are required to make interpretation of citation analysis more meaningful.

Focus on Plasmodium vivax.

In Bangkok, Thailand, 3-8 February 2002, the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria convened the first malaria conference, Vivax Malaria Research: 2002 and Beyond, devoted entirely to Plasmodium vivax research.

Malaria control with genetically manipulated insect vectors.

At a recent workshop, experts discussed the benefits, risks, and research priorities associated with using genetically manipulated insects in the control of vector-borne diseases.