Center for International Health Research
Interdisciplinary Research for Tropical Public Health
To address the many urgent global health challenges, the Center for International Health Research (CIHR) at Rhode Island Hospital was founded in 2005, under the aegis of the departments of pathology and pediatrics.
The CIHR embraces interdisciplinary approaches by linking basic lab science with cutting edge population-based science to mitigate morbidity and mortality due to pathogens of global significance such as malaria, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, and other neglected tropical diseases.
The CIHR also mentors the next generation of global health researchers with nine core faculty engaging with post-doctoral scientists, as well as PhD, Masters, medical, and undergraduate students.
Through the center, faculty work to understand the mechanisms that cause tropical infectious diseases, with a focus on malaria, schistosomiasis, and TB to harness this knowledge to design improved treatments and vaccines.
“We want to know how these parasites cause disease in the host, when it’s most effective to treat, and how to prioritize the limited health care resources in these developing countries,” says Kurtis. “Ultimately, what drives us is to make something deliverable: a pill, a vaccine, a tool that could protect millions of people from infection and disease.”
Other center faculty conduct research addressing the intolerable burden of sickle cell disease globally with Dr. Pat McGann leading efforts to employ better screening and diagnostic tools as well as optimal treatment for individuals living with sickle cell disease globally.
Our Story
Understanding and protecting against parasitic infections is the life’s work of husband-and-wife research team Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD and Jennifer Friedman, MD, MPH, PhD.
Through the Center, husband-and-wife research team Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD and Jennifer Friedman, MD, MPH, PhD, work to understand the mechanisms that cause tropical infectious diseases, specifically malaria and schistosomiasis, and to harness this knowledge to design improved treatments and vaccines.
“We want to know how these parasites cause disease in the host, when it’s most effective to treat, and how to prioritize the limited health care resources in these developing countries,” says Kurtis. “Ultimately, what drives us is to make something deliverable—a pill, a vaccine... a tool that could protect millions of people from infection and disease.”
Contact Us
For more information about the center or its work, please contact:
Danielle Mancini at 401-444-5214 or Danielle_Mancini@brown.edu
Laura Gantt, at 401-444-4717 or lgantt@lifespan.org