Fellowship Site: The People's Republic of China
The NIH/FICRS program is located at the
China Center for Disease Control (China CDC), National Center for
STD Control (NCSTD) in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, near Shanghai.
NCSTD is the nation's leading center for the prevention and control
of STDs. NCSTD is responsible for both national STD initiatives
and technical support and capacity-building for regional and local
activities.
NCSTD is an organization with a history as rich and inspiring as
modern China itself. NCSTD (formerly called the Central Institute
of Dermatology and Venereology) was established as a branch of the
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College
in 1954. The organization played a central role in the national
eradication of syphilis and other STDS in the early 1960s, and of
leprosy in the late 20th Century through collective efforts with
several generations of international experts, including the late
Dr. George Hatem, a University of North Carolina graduate and friend
of Mao Zedong.
NCSTD has extensive experience with international collaboration
and multi-disciplinary research, and is a World Health Organization
Collaborating Center for the Prevention and Control of Sexually
Transmitted Infections. NCSTD receives research funding from the
US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the World Health Organization,
and many other international organizations.
The co-sponsor of NIH/FICRS in China is the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Center for Infectious Disease.
Dr. Myron Cohen, the Director of the Center, has worked extensively
in China. UNC faculty are internationally recognized for their work
on STDs and HIV, making the collaboration between NCSTD and UNC
a perfect fit. UNC serves as a home for an NIH STI Cooperative Research
Center, an NIH STD Clinical Trials Unit, an NIH
Center for AIDS Research, and NIH
AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, and an NIH Center for HIV-AIDS Vaccine
Immunology (CHAVI), an NIH Global Health Frameworks Program and
many other domestic and international research activities in infectious
diseases.
NCSTD hosts clinical STD and dermatology physicians from across
China, and provides rigorous training for more than 50 graduate
students annually for medical and research careers. In addition
to conducting dermatology and STD research, the Institute runs large
inpatient and outpatient clinics and is involved in policy development.
NIH-funded clinical research includes the following projects:
- UNC
AITRP - The UNC AITRP funds training for researchers in the
area of HIV/AIDS prevention to conduct multi-disciplinary behavioral
and biomedical research and to strengthen the research capacity
of institutions to address the AIDS epidemic. (Grant Number: 5
D43 TW01039-08).
- Community Popular Opinion Leaders (C-POL)-based HIV/STD prevention
program. (Grant Number:3V10 MHO61513:04S1).
- China Integrated Programs for Research on AIDS (China CIPRA).
(Grant Number U19 AI51915-02).
NIH/FICRS Scholars have worked on the forefront of NCSTD's efforts
on documenting and combating the return and exponential rise of
STDs in China amidst the country's growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Equally
compelling are the climbing rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis,
which have grave implications for China's One Child Policy. Epidemiological,
laboratory, behavioral and policy research and strategies are being
undertaken by NCSTD to address the synergism of STDs and HIV in
China.
In addition to carrying out individual and teamed research projects,
Fellows are strongly encouraged to participate at the Institute's
inpatient rounds, outpatient STD and dermatology clinics, and travel
with the Institute's plastic surgeons to leprosy communities. These
activities supply the Fellow with a well-rounded and in-depth understanding
of disease burden and health care in China.
Papers from NCSTD-UNC Trainees:
Tucker JD, Henderson GE, Wang TF, Huang Y, Parish W, Pan S, Chen
XS, Cohen MS. "Surplus men, sex work, and the spread of HIV in China."
AIDS 19: 539-547, 2005.
Lin CC, Gao X, Chen XS, Chen Q, Cohen MS. "China's Syphilis Epidemic:
A Systematic Review of Seroprevalence Studies." Sexually Transmitted
Diseases. July 2006. 33 (7).
Chen ZQ, Zhang GC, Gong XD, Lin C, GAO X, Liang GJ, Yue XL, Chen
XC, Cohen MS. "Syphilis returns to China: Results of the national
surveillance program from the Chinese Center for STD Control, Nanjing,
China" (Lancet, in press).
Additional Suggested Reading:
Cohen MS, Henderson GE, Hamilton H, Aiello P, Zheng H, Brandt
A. "Eradication of syphilis in China—Lessons for the 20th
century?" Journal of Infectious Disease. 174: S223-230, 1996.
Cohen MS, Ping G, Fox K, Henderson G. "Sexually transmitted diseases
in the People's Republic of China in Y2K: Back to the future." Sex
Transmitted Diseases. 27(3):143-5, 2000.
Ministry of Health, People's Republic of China, Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS, World Health Organization. 2005 "Update on
the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Response in China." January 2006.
Housing Availability:
Fellows can choose to live in housing provided by the Institute
or off-campus (for approximately $250/month). The Institute is located
near the base of Purple Mountain, a mecca for Chinese climbers and
hikers. The site provides a bicycle for transportation and is conveniently
located on major public transportation lines to Nanjing's city center
(a 15-minute bus ride away).
Immunizations Needed for this Site:
See the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control Web site and The
Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travel.
The NIH/FICRS program mandates that all Scholars see a physician
prior to their assignment abroad.
Safety and Danger Issues:
See the U.S.
State Department Web site for information.
Language Requirements Other than English:
Chinese (Mandarin), or a strong desire to learn Chinese while
at the site.
What is it like to live in China?
China is one of the world's greatest civilizations, rich with
more than 5,000 years of history. As the world's fourth largest
country and the home to 53 ethnic minorities, China is abundant
with places to explore. Fellows will have the unique opportunity
to experience China's many deep cultural traditions, such as the
Moon Festival and Lunar New Year, and at the same time, take part
in the dramatic social, economic, and political changes of modern
China.
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