Over the past year, there have been ongoing discussions between colleagues at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) regarding a collaborative initiative in the Middle East. Recognizing AUB’s esteemed reputation in the region and the notable gap in public health research and training, there is a shared motivation to advance a joint research and training effort. AUB, positioning itself as an institution for capacity building in the global south, is keen to jointly spearhead this endeavor, with the university’s president, Dr. Fadlo Khuri, expressing strong support for its establishment.

The Middle East grapples with a substantial burden of diseases and limited public health workforce. Strengthening this capacity is paramount, and a collaboration between AUB, Harvard, and partners in the region presents an opportune pathway to tackle pressing public health challenges.

Initial discussions have centered on the overarching theme of healthy living, encompassing a spectrum of critical areas such as nutrition, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and infectious diseases. To this end, we are exploring a comprehensive research agenda that adopts a life course approach. Our focus initially centers on harnessing the demographic dividend in the region, with a particular emphasis on the health and well-being of adolescents and young people. Leveraging the combined strengths of AUB and HSPH in both methodological expertise and substantive domains, this initiative aims to address pressing global health challenges in the Middle East. This may include delving into risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases such as overweight/obesity and smoking, among others.

Colleagues across HSPH convened with delegates from the American University of Beirut (AUB) on March 18^th, 2024 to discuss this collaborative research and training effort, as well as potential future opportunities. The meeting, hosted by Howard Koh and Wafaie Fawzi, convened faculty, staff, and students, in the areas of nutrition, NCDs, epidemiology, child and adolescent health, and global health. Delegates from AUB included:

• Abla Mehio Sibai, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at AUB
• Fadlo R. Khuri, the 16th president of the American University of Beirut
• Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, Professor of Medicine, Physician-Scientist, at AUB
• Lamya Tannous Khuri, associate director of special projects and strategic initiatives in the Provost’s office at AUB
• Zaher Dawy, the Provost at the American University of Beirut

The HBNU Fogarty Global Health Research and Training Program

A consortium of Harvard University, Boston University, Northwestern University, and University of New Mexico. 

The HBNU Fogarty Global Health Training Program provides mentored research opportunities designed to train and prepare a new cadre of health professionals in the United States (U.S.) and low and middle-income countries (LMICs) for careers in research, health services, and academia. The Program aims to enhance the trainees’ ability to independently plan, implement, and assess innovative clinical or operations research addressing major global health challenges. Fellows in the Program spend one year at one of HBNU’s collaborating research sites across Africa, Asia, and South America. For more information, please visit the HBNU website.