Africa/Harvard School of Public Health Partnership for Cohort Research and Training
The Africa/Harvard School of Public Health Partnership for Cohort Research and Training (Africa/HSPH PaCT) launched in 2008, is a collaborative research project led by Principal Investigators, Dr. Hans-Olov Adami and Dr. Michelle D. Holmes. Together with research scientists, Dr. Shona Dalal and Dr. Todd G. Reid, this team represents the Harvard Coordinating Site of the Partnership with colleagues from five institutions in Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Africa/HSPH PaCT project plans on investigating the association of lifestyle factors and chronic disease risk in sub- Saharan Africa, through a large epidemiological cohort study that will include approximately 500,000 participants. Africa/HSPH PaCT is the first and largest cohort study conducted in sub-saharan Africa to employ mobile phone technology to follow participants and collect data. Africa/HSPH PaCT will also provide the infrastructure for capacity-building and for training a new generation of health professionals. Addressing the Chronic Disease Tsunami In New York City of the 1980s, patients began presenting to doctors with mysterious symptoms. Dr. Michelle D. Holmes, Co-Principal Investigator of Africa/HSPH PaCT, was among those witnessing the explosion of the AIDS pandemic. Today, a new pandemic of heart disease, mental illness, cancer, and diabetes threatens Africa . We can learn from