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Dauda B, Molina SJ, Allen DS, Fuentes A, Ghosh N, Mauro M, Neale BM, Panofsky A, Sohail M, Zhang SR, Lewis ACF. Ancestry: How researchers use it and what they mean by it. Front Genet 2023; 14:1044555. [PMID: 36755575 PMCID: PMC9900027 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1044555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Ancestry is often viewed as a more objective and less objectionable population descriptor than race or ethnicity. Perhaps reflecting this, usage of the term "ancestry" is rapidly growing in genetics research, with ancestry groups referenced in many situations. The appropriate usage of population descriptors in genetics research is an ongoing source of debate. Sound normative guidance should rest on an empirical understanding of current usage; in the case of ancestry, questions about how researchers use the concept, and what they mean by it, remain unanswered. Methods: Systematic literature analysis of 205 articles at least tangentially related to human health from diverse disciplines that use the concept of ancestry, and semi-structured interviews with 44 lead authors of some of those articles. Results: Ancestry is relied on to structure research questions and key methodological approaches. Yet researchers struggle to define it, and/or offer diverse definitions. For some ancestry is a genetic concept, but for many-including geneticists-ancestry is only tangentially related to genetics. For some interviewees, ancestry is explicitly equated to ethnicity; for others it is explicitly distanced from it. Ancestry is operationalized using multiple data types (including genetic variation and self-reported identities), though for a large fraction of articles (26%) it is impossible to tell which data types were used. Across the literature and interviews there is no consistent understanding of how ancestry relates to genetic concepts (including genetic ancestry and population structure), nor how these genetic concepts relate to each other. Beyond this conceptual confusion, practices related to summarizing patterns of genetic variation often rest on uninterrogated conventions. Continental labels are by far the most common type of label applied to ancestry groups. We observed many instances of slippage between reference to ancestry groups and racial groups. Conclusion: Ancestry is in practice a highly ambiguous concept, and far from an objective counterpart to race or ethnicity. It is not uniquely a "biological" construct, and it does not represent a "safe haven" for researchers seeking to avoid evoking race or ethnicity in their work. Distinguishing genetic ancestry from ancestry more broadly will be a necessary part of providing conceptual clarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bege Dauda
- Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Santiago J. Molina
- Department of Sociology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Danielle S. Allen
- Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Agustin Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Nayanika Ghosh
- Department of the History of Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Madelyn Mauro
- Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Benjamin M. Neale
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Aaron Panofsky
- Institute for Society & Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mashaal Sohail
- Centro de Ciencias Genomicas (CCG), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Sarah R. Zhang
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Anna C. F. Lewis
- Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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Burris ME, Caceres E, Chester EM, Hicks KA, McDade TW, Sikkink L, Spielvogel H, Thornburg J, Vitzthum VJ. Socioeconomic impacts on Andean adolescents’ growth. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:409-428. [PMID: 36090675 PMCID: PMC9454678 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Objectives We evaluated potential socioeconomic contributors to variation in Andean adolescents’ growth between households within a peri-urban community undergoing rapid demographic and economic change, between different community types (rural, peri-urban, urban) and over time. Because growth monitoring is widely used for assessing community needs and progress, we compared the prevalences of stunting, underweight, and overweight estimated by three different growth references. Methods Anthropometrics of 101 El Alto, Bolivia, adolescents (Alteños), 11.0–14.9 years old in 2003, were compared between households (economic status assessed by parental occupations); to one urban and two rural samples collected in 1983/1998/1977, respectively; and to the WHO growth reference, a representative sample of Bolivian children (MESA), and a region-wide sample of high-altitude Peruvian children (Puno). Results Female Alteños’ growth was positively associated with household and maternal income indices. Alteños’ height averaged ∼0.8SD/∼0.6SD/∼2SDs greater than adolescents’ height in urban and rural communities measured in 1983/1998/1977, respectively. Overweight prevalence was comparable to the WHO, and lower than MESA and Puno, references. Stunting was 8.5/2.5/0.5 times WHO/MESA/Puno samples, respectively. Conclusions/Implications Both peri-urban conditions and temporal trends contributed to gains in Alteños’ growth. Rural out-migration can alleviate migrants’ poverty, partly because of more diverse economic options in urbanized communities, especially for women. Nonetheless, Alteños averaged below WHO and MESA height and weight medians. Evolved biological adaptations to environmental challenges, and the consequent variability in growth trajectories, favor using multiple growth references. Growth monitoring should be informed by community- and household-level studies to detect and understand local factors causing or alleviating health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mecca E Burris
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | | | - Emily M Chester
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratory, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kathryn A Hicks
- Department of Anthropology, University of Memphis , Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Lynn Sikkink
- Department of Anthropology, Western Colorado University , Gunnison, CO 81231, USA
| | - Hilde Spielvogel
- Instituto Boliviano de Biología de Altura (IBBA) , La Paz , Bolivia
| | - Jonathan Thornburg
- Department of Astronomy & Center for Spacetime Symmetries, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Virginia J Vitzthum
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratory, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Quinn EA, Childs G. Trekking and toddlers: Towards a biocultural analysis of growth among infants and young children in a rural region of the Himalayas. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 32:e23452. [PMID: 32543052 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rapid socioeconomic change, associated with development and a growing tourism industry is occurring across the Himalayas. The health impact of this rapid economic development is poorly understood, especially for infants and young children. This study investigated the associations between village level economic differences as indexed by economic development and tourism engagement on infant and young child growth and health in a population of ethnic Tibetans living in the western Himalayas of Nepal. METHODS One hundred and fifty nine infants and young children (ages 1-24 months) were enrolled. Anthropometric data (height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness) were collected at a single time point. Village level measurements of tourism and market engagement were incorporated into a scale measuring tourism, healthcare, trail access, agriculture, and involvement in medicinal trade. Village level disease patterns were calculated from morbidity and mortality recalls collected since 2003. RESULTS There were no significant associations between infant weight for age z-score (WAZ), length for age z-score (LAZ), or weight-for-length for age z-score (WLZ) and village altitude, village economic development score, or engagement in tourism. Males had significantly higher LAZ, WAZ, and WLZ compared to females; only females showed a decline in LAZ with age. Triceps skinfold thickness z-score (ZTSF) was inversely associated with village level economic development score in male but not female infants; females ZTSF was positively associated with IYC age. CONCLUSIONS While overall size for age indices (WAZ, LAZ, WLZ) were not associated with altitude or village economic development in this population, ZTSF was inversely associated with village economic development in males but not females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Quinn
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Geoff Childs
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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Human Genetic Adaptation to High Altitude: Evidence from the Andes. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10020150. [PMID: 30781443 PMCID: PMC6410003 DOI: 10.3390/genes10020150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether Andean populations are genetically adapted to high altitudes has long been of interest. Initial studies focused on physiological changes in the O₂ transport system that occur with acclimatization in newcomers and their comparison with those of long-resident Andeans. These as well as more recent studies indicate that Andeans have somewhat larger lung volumes, narrower alveolar to arterial O₂ gradients, slightly less hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response, greater uterine artery blood flow during pregnancy, and increased cardiac O2 utilization, which overall suggests greater efficiency of O₂ transfer and utilization. More recent single nucleotide polymorphism and whole-genome sequencing studies indicate that multiple gene regions have undergone recent positive selection in Andeans. These include genes involved in the regulation of vascular control, metabolic hemostasis, and erythropoiesis. However, fundamental questions remain regarding the functional links between these adaptive genomic signals and the unique physiological attributes of highland Andeans. Well-designed physiological and genome association studies are needed to address such questions. It will be especially important to incorporate the role of epigenetic processes (i.e.; non-sequence-based features of the genome) that are vital for transcriptional responses to hypoxia and are potentially heritable across generations. In short, further exploration of the interaction among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors in shaping patterns of adaptation to high altitude promises to improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying human adaptive potential and clarify its implications for human health.
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Retamal R, Mascie-Taylor CGN. Regional variation in weight-for-height z
-scores and surface area/body mass ratio of Chilean children from birth to 3 years of age. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:72-83. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Retamal
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; Universidad de Chile; Santiago Chile
| | - C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor
- Division of Biological Anthropology, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge United Kingdom
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Oths KS, Smith HN, Stein MJ, Lazo Landivar RJ. A decade of rapid change: Biocultural influences on child growth in highland Peru. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 30. [PMID: 29083078 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In the past decade many areas of Peru have been undergoing extreme environmental, economic, and cultural change. In the highland hamlet of Chugurpampa, La Libertad, climate change has ruined harvests and led to frequent periods of migration to the coast in search of livelihood. This biocultural research examines how the changes could be affecting the growth of children who maintain residence in the highlands. METHODS Clinical records from the early 2000s were compared to those from the early 2010s. Charts were randomly selected to record anthropometric data, netting a sample of 75 children ages 0-60 months of age. Analysis of covariance was run to compare mean stature, weight, and BMI between cohorts. Percentage of children who fall below the -2 threshold for z-scores for height and weight were compared by age and cohort. RESULTS A significant secular trend in growth was found, with children born more recently larger than those born a decade before. The effect is most notable in the first year of life, with the growth advantage attenuated by the age of 3 for height and age 4 for weight. While children were unlikely to be stunted from 0 to 3 years of age, 44% of the later cohort were stunted and 11% were underweight from 4 to 5 years of age. CONCLUSIONS Three possible explanations for the rapid shift are entertained: more time spent on the coast during gestation and early childhood, which may attenuate the effect of hypoxia on child growth; dietary change; and increased use of biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn S Oths
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487
| | - Hannah N Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487
| | - Max J Stein
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487
| | - Rodrigo J Lazo Landivar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
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Moore LG. Measuring high-altitude adaptation. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2017; 123:1371-1385. [PMID: 28860167 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00321.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
High altitudes (>8,000 ft or 2,500 m) provide an experiment of nature for measuring adaptation and the physiological processes involved. Studies conducted over the past ~25 years in Andeans, Tibetans, and, less often, Ethiopians show varied but distinct O2 transport traits from those of acclimatized newcomers, providing indirect evidence for genetic adaptation to high altitude. Short-term (acclimatization, developmental) and long-term (genetic) responses to high altitude exhibit a temporal gradient such that, although all influence O2 content, the latter also improve O2 delivery and metabolism. Much has been learned concerning the underlying physiological processes, but additional studies are needed on the regulation of blood flow and O2 utilization. Direct evidence of genetic adaptation comes from single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genome scans and whole genome sequencing studies that have identified gene regions acted upon by natural selection. Efforts have begun to understand the connections between the two with Andean studies on the genetic factors raising uterine blood flow, fetal growth, and susceptibility to Chronic Mountain Sickness and Tibetan studies on genes serving to lower hemoglobin and pulmonary arterial pressure. Critical for future studies will be the selection of phenotypes with demonstrable effects on reproductive success, the calculation of actual fitness costs, and greater inclusion of women among the subjects being studied. The well-characterized nature of the O2 transport system, the presence of multiple long-resident populations, and relevance for understanding hypoxic disorders in all persons underscore the importance of understanding how evolutionary adaptation to high altitude has occurred.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Variation in O2 transport characteristics among Andean, Tibetan, and, when available, Ethiopian high-altitude residents supports the existence of genetic adaptations that improve the distribution of blood flow to vital organs and the efficiency of O2 utilization. Genome scans and whole genome sequencing studies implicate a broad range of gene regions. Future studies are needed using phenotypes of clear relevance for reproductive success for determining the mechanisms by which naturally selected genes are acting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna G Moore
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
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Gassmann NN, van Elteren HA, Goos TG, Morales CR, Rivera-Ch M, Martin DS, Cabala Peralta P, Passano Del Carpio A, Aranibar Machaca S, Huicho L, Reiss IKM, Gassmann M, de Jonge RCJ. Pregnancy at high altitude in the Andes leads to increased total vessel density in healthy newborns. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2016; 121:709-15. [PMID: 27445300 PMCID: PMC5142254 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00561.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The developing human fetus is able to cope with the physiological reduction in oxygen supply occurring in utero. However, it is not known if microvascularization of the fetus is augmented when pregnancy occurs at high altitude. Fifty-three healthy term newborns in Puno, Peru (3,840 m) were compared with sea-level controls. Pre- and postductal arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) was determined. Cerebral and calf muscle regional tissue oxygenation was measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Skin microcirculation was noninvasively measured using incident dark field imaging. Pre- and postductal SpO2 in Peruvian babies was 88.1 and 88.4%, respectively, which was 10.4 and 9.7% lower than in newborns at sea level (P < 0.001). Cerebral and regional oxygen saturation was significantly lower in the Peruvian newborns (cerebral: 71.0 vs. 74.9%; regional: 68.5 vs. 76.0%, P < 0.001). Transcutaneously measured total vessel density in the Peruvian newborns was 14% higher than that in the newborns born at sea level (29.7 vs. 26.0 mm/mm(2); P ≤ 0.001). This study demonstrates that microvascular vessel density in neonates born to mothers living at high altitude is higher than that in neonates born at sea level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norina N Gassmann
- Institute of Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hugo A van Elteren
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tom G Goos
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Claudia R Morales
- Laboratory of Adaptation to High Altitude, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru
| | - Maria Rivera-Ch
- Laboratory of Adaptation to High Altitude, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru; Center of Research for Integral and Sustainable Development (CIDIS), UPCH, Lima, Peru
| | - Daniel S Martin
- University College London Centre for Altitude Space and Extreme Environment Medicine, Univesity College London Hospital (UCLH) National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre, Institute of Sport and Exercise Health, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Luis Huicho
- Center of Research for Integral and Sustainable Development (CIDIS), UPCH, Lima, Peru; School of Medicine, UPCH, Lima, Peru
| | - Irwin K M Reiss
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Max Gassmann
- Institute of Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), Medical Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; School of Medicine, UPCH, Lima, Peru
| | - Rogier C J de Jonge
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Nowak-Szczepanska N, Koziel S. Sexual dimorphism in growth in the relative length of the forearm and relative knee height during adolescence. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:276-82. [PMID: 27291423 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
There are numerous studies concerning sexual dimorphism in body proportions, but only a few have investigated growth in the relative length of particular segments of the upper and lower limbs during adolescence. The aim of the study is an assessment of sex differences of longitudinal growth in the relative length of the forearm and knee height among adolescents. Sample involved 121 boys and 111 girls, participants of the Wroclaw Growth Study, examined annually between 8 and 18 years of age. Sexual dimorphism in six ratios: forearm length and knee height relatively to: trunk, height, and limb length were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements. The sex and age relative to an estimate of maturity timing (3 years before, and after age class at peak height velocity [PHV]) were independent variables. All of the ratios showed significant sex differences in interaction with age relative to age at PHV. The relative length of the forearm, in boys, did not change significantly with the years relative to age at PHV, whereas in girls, was the lowest in the two first age classes and afterward significantly increased just 1 year before and during the adolescent growth spurt, remaining unchanged in further age classes. For relative knee height no clear pattern for sex differences was noticed. It is proposed that relatively longer forearms, particularly in relation to the trunk in girls, could have evolved as an adaptation to more efficient infant carrying and protection during breastfeeding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Slawomir Koziel
- Anthropology Unit in Wrocław, Polish Academy of Sciences, Podwale 75, 50-449, Wroclaw, Poland.
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Miranda JJ, Bernabé-Ortiz A, Diez-Canseco F, Málaga G, Cárdenas MK, Carrillo-Larco RM, Lazo-Porras M, Moscoso-Porras M, Pesantes MA, Ponce V, Araya R, Beran D, Busse P, Boggio O, Checkley W, García PJ, Huicho L, León-Velarde F, Lescano AG, Mohr DC, Pan W, Peiris D, Perel P, Rabadán-Diehl C, Rivera-Chira M, Sacksteder K, Smeeth L, Trujillo AJ, Wells JCK, Yan LL, García HH, Gilman RH. Towards sustainable partnerships in global health: the case of the CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases in Peru. Global Health 2016; 12:29. [PMID: 27255370 PMCID: PMC4890274 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-016-0170-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Human capital requires opportunities to develop and capacity to overcome challenges, together with an enabling environment that fosters critical and disruptive innovation. Exploring such features is necessary to establish the foundation of solid long-term partnerships. In this paper we describe the experience of the CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, based at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, as a case study for fostering meaningful and sustainable partnerships for international collaborative research. The CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases was established in 2009 with the following Mission: "We support the development of young researchers and collaboration with national and international institutions. Our motivation is to improve population's health through high quality research." The Centre's identity is embedded in its core values - generosity, innovation, integrity, and quality- and its trajectory is a result of various interactions between multiple individuals, collaborators, teams, and institutions, which together with the challenges confronted, enables us to make an objective assessment of the partnership we would like to pursue, nurture and support. We do not intend to provide a single example of a successful partnership, but in contrast, to highlight what can be translated into opportunities to be faced by research groups based in low- and middle-income countries, and how these encounters can provide a strong platform for fruitful and sustainable partnerships. In defiant contexts, partnerships require to be nurtured and sustained. Acknowledging that all partnerships are not and should not be the same, we also need to learn from the evolution of such relationships, its key successes, hurdles and failures to contribute to the promotion of a culture of global solidarity where mutual goals, mutual gains, as well as mutual responsibilities are the norm. In so doing, we will all contribute to instil a new culture where expectations, roles and interactions among individuals and their teams are horizontal, the true nature of partnerships.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Jaime Miranda
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru.
- School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
| | - Antonio Bernabé-Ortiz
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
- School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Francisco Diez-Canseco
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Germán Málaga
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
- School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - María K Cárdenas
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Rodrigo M Carrillo-Larco
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
- School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - María Lazo-Porras
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Miguel Moscoso-Porras
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - M Amalia Pesantes
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Vilarmina Ponce
- CRONICAS Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Armendáriz 497, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Ricardo Araya
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - David Beran
- Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Oscar Boggio
- Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Dirección General de Salud de las Personas, Ministerio de Salud, Lima, Peru
| | - William Checkley
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Patricia J García
- School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Luis Huicho
- School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Department of Pediatrics, Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño, Lima, Peru
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Andrés G Lescano
- School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Department of Parasitology, and Public Health Training Program, USA Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - David C Mohr
- Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - William Pan
- Division of Environmental Science and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David Peiris
- The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pablo Perel
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- World Heart Federation, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Rabadán-Diehl
- Office of Global Affairs, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Katherine Sacksteder
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Liam Smeeth
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Antonio J Trujillo
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan C K Wells
- Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lijing L Yan
- Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China
| | - Héctor H García
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
- Center for Global Health - Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Tumbes, Peru
- Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas, Lima, Peru
| | - Robert H Gilman
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Asociación Benéfica PRISMA, Lima, Peru
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