Workshop-based learning and networking: a scalable model for research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.

Science education and research have the potential to drive profound change in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through encouraging innovation, attracting industry, and creating job opportunities. However, in LMICs, research capacity is often limited, and acquisition of funding and access to state-of-the-art technologies is challenging. The Alliance for Global Health and Science (the Alliance) was founded as a partnership between the University of California, Berkeley (USA) and Makerere University (Uganda), with the goal of strengthening Makerere University's capacity for bioscience research. The flagship program of the Alliance partnership is the MU/UCB Biosciences Training Program, an in-country, hands-on workshop model that trains a large number of students from Makerere University in infectious disease and molecular biology research. This approach nucleates training of larger and more diverse groups of students, development of mentoring and bi-directional research partnerships, and support of the local economy. Here, we describe the project, its conception, implementation, challenges, and outcomes of bioscience research workshops. We aim to provide a blueprint for workshop implementation, and create a valuable resource for bioscience research capacity strengthening in LMICs.

The John A. Hartford Foundation And The Growth Of Geriatrics.

Motivated by the increasing number of older people-many with chronic illnesses-and the lack of support for them, the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) made improving the care of older adults one of its two priorities in 1983 and its sole priority in 1994. To accomplish this, the foundation adopted a two-part strategy: first, create a field of professionals capable of caring for an aging population, and second, test models of care for older adults. The JAHF steadfastly pursued that strategy until 2013, when it adopted an approach focused on advancing age-friendly health systems. Geriatrics is now a recognized medical, nursing, and social work specialty, although low reimbursement, the stigma associated with caring for older people, and low prestige discourage students from entering it. Foundation-funded models of care have proven viable, and one of them-palliative care-has been widely adopted. The JAHF focused on an important social need for more than three decades, and this targeted and consistent effort has magnified its impact.

New York State Health Foundation: integrating mental health and substance abuse care.

Roughly half of all people with severe mental disorders also have substance abuse problems. Yet their care is fragmented: They are treated by either the mental health system or the substance abuse system. In New York State only 10 percent of them receive evidence-based treatment for both conditions. Beginning in 2007 the New York State Health Foundation and two state agencies--the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services--began collaborating on ways to integrate the treatment of people with co-occurring disorders. The state agencies removed financial and regulatory barriers to integrated treatment. The foundation provided funding to establish the Center for Excellence in Integrated Care. The center's goal: provide hands-on assistance in implementing best practices to at least half of the state's 1,200 mental health and substance abuse treatment clinics. An evaluation found that the percentage of clinics using best practices doubled after the regulatory and financial changes and the center's intervention. This illustrates the potential that foundations, governments, and nonprofits, working collaboratively, have to improve the care of a neglected and difficult-to-serve population.

Is there a (volunteer) doctor in the house? Free clinics and volunteer physician referral networks in the United States.

Although community health centers and public hospitals are the most visible safety-net providers, physicians in private practice are the main source of care for the uninsured and Medicaid enrollees. Yet the number of these physicians providing free care is declining, even as the need for their services increases. One promising strategy for halting the decline is to strengthen and increase volunteer health care programs: free clinics and physician-referral networks. This report reviews the state of these programs and suggests ways to improve them. Given the limits of volunteerism, the authors conclude that only national health insurance will solve the problem of the uninsured.

Field building: lessons from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's anthology series.

As editors of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF's) anthology series, we have examined the entire range of the foundation's grant making since 1972. We found that the RWJF has enjoyed considerable success in building fields--from nurse practitioners to tobacco control to end-of-life care. The RWJF has done this by shaping fields as they were emerging, by adopting a wide-ranging "bear hug" approach, and by staying the course. The lessons from the RWJF's field-building efforts are relevant for both large and small foundations: Small funders can develop strategic plans aimed at building fields in their home state or locality.

Where the Public Good Prevailed

This article addresses the issue of health care in the United States and how research, advocacy, public discussion, and policy fit together in successful campaigns for change.