Enhancing mental health research capacity: emerging voices from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) global hubs

BACKGROUND

Emerging researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) face many barriers, including inadequacies in funding, international exposure and mentorship. In 2012, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded five research hubs aimed at improving the research core for evidence-based mental health interventions, enhancing research skills in global mental health, and providing capacity building (CB) opportunities for early career investigators in LMIC. In this paper emerging researchers contextualize their experiences.

CASE PRESENTATION

Each of the five hubs purposively selected an emerging researcher who had experienced more than one hub-related CB opportunity and actively participated in hub-related clinical trial activities. The five 'voices' were invited to contribute narratives on their professional backgrounds, CB experience, challenges and successes as an emerging mental health researcher, and suggestions for future CB activities. These narratives are presented as case studies. CB activities provided broader learning opportunities for emerging researchers. Benefits included the receipt of research funding, hands-on training and mentorship, as well as exposure to networks and collaborative opportunities on a global scale. To overcome ongoing challenges of access to funding, mentoring, networking and global exposure, the emerging voices recommend making mentorship and training opportunities available to a wider range of emerging mental health researchers.

CONCLUSIONS

Investing in CB is not enough to ensure sustainability and leave a legacy unless it is accompanied by ongoing mentorship and international exposure. Financial investment in building research capacity, promotion of mentorship and supervision, and international networking are essential to yield well-prepared young investigators in LMIC as experienced by these rising stars. Governments and policymakers should prioritize educational policies to support the continuous development and international engagement of emerging researchers. This can advance strategies to deal with one of most important and costly problems faced by healthcare systems in LMIC: the mental health treatment gap.

Citizens of somewhere: Examining the geography of foreign and native-born academics' engagement with external actors

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The article provides new survey data on non-academic engagement activities of over 14,000 UK academics.

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We compare intra- and international engagement activities of foreign-born and UK-born academics.

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Foreign-born academics are relatively more engaged internationally but less intranationally than UK-born academics.

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Intranational differences diminish with years spent in the UK but foreign-born keep their international engagement premium.

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Language and ethnicity matter: foreign-born from a non-English or non-white background engage less intranationally.

This paper explores the geography of academic engagement patterns of native and foreign-born academics, contrasting how patterns of intranational and international engagement with non-academic actors differ between these two groups. We suggest that foreign-born academics will engage more internationally than their native-born colleagues, whereas native-born academics will have greater levels of intranational engagement. Drawing upon a large multi-source dataset, including a major new survey of all academics working in the UK, we find support for the idea that where people are born influences how they engage with non-academic actors. We also find that these differences are attenuated by an individual’s intranational and international experience, ethnicity and language skills. We explore the implications of these findings for policy to support intranational and international academic engagement.

Publishing trends in Journal of Paediatric Surgery, Pediatric Surgery International and European Journal of Pediatric Surgery over the past three decades

The aim of this study was an analysis of the changing publication trends over the last three decades in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery (JPS), Pediatric Surgery International (PSI) and European Journal of Pediatric Surgery (EJPS) by studying the bibliometric variables, authorship, collaboration, and citation trends. A previously applied methodology using intermittent years was applied to review the archives of JPS, PSI and EJPS over the last 30 years. Citation data were collected from the Web of Science database. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 software. A total of 1917 articles originating from 63 countries met the inclusion criteria. The number of articles published every year increased significantly in the last three decades from 336 in 1987 to 626 in 2017 (P < 0.0001). Multinational papers made up 5% of the total, of which 58% involved more than one continent. A majority of papers (75%) were single institution papers, there was strong evidence of an increase in multi-institution publications over time. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of female first and corresponding author. The publishing landscape of paediatric surgery has evolved to be more inclusive with increased collaboration, female authors and mentors and more publications from developing nations.

For a better world: Biosafety strategies to protect global health

Biological threats, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate in origin, can result in disasters that are regional, national, or even global in scope if not properly contained. Many global communities, international programs, and governmental organizations have been established to mitigate these risks and challenges. In China, for example, the government has systematically implemented long-term plans including a complete country-wide architecture for biosafety management. It includes the establishment of a series of improved biosafety laws/regulations/standards and of a large number of high-level biosafety laboratories. All countries should encourage preparedness and improve surveillance systems to predict, identify, and respond to the next public health crisis. More grants and funds should be established for research into biosafety and biosecurity. Most importantly, international collaborations, partnerships, and communications should be enhanced. The journal Biosafety and Health aims to provide a global communications platform on biosafety related to human and animal health.

Global Collaborative Team Performance for the Revision of the International Classification of Diseases: A Case Study of the World Health Organization Field Studies Coordination Group

Background/Objective: Collaborative teamwork in global mental health presents unique challenges, including the formation and management of international teams composed of multicultural and multilingual professionals with different backgrounds in terms of their training, scientific expertise, and life experience. The purpose of the study was to analyze the performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) Field Studies Coordination Group (FSCG) using an input-processes-output (IPO) team science model to better understand the team's challenges, limitations, and successes in developing the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Method: We thematically analyzed a collection of written texts, including FSCG documents and open-ended qualitative questionnaires, according to the conceptualization of the input-processes-output model of team performance. Results: The FSCG leadership and its members experienced and overcame numerous barriers to become an effective international team and to successfully achieve the goals set forth by WHO. Conclusions: Research is necessary regarding global mental health collaboration to understand and facilitate international collaborations with the goal of contributing to a deeper understanding of mental health and to reduce the global burden of mental disorders around the world.

Impact of International Collaborative Training Programs on Medical Students' Research Ability

International collaborative training programs for graduate students are widespread, but studies on their educational impact are limited. As an advanced cancer institute in China, Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Science (CHCAMS) attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation within graduate education. The Department of Epidemiology of CHCAMS has been involved in several existing international training programs and has also launched a short-term training program in cooperation with foreign universities and institutes from 2008. Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows (FICRS-F) Program and the Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship Program are the most typical examples of our practice in international cooperation on graduate education over these years. Our department has gained substantial experience in graduate-level international collaborative training, focused on cancer epidemiology. This paper is a brief introduction to the practice of different programs in our department and students' achievements during and after training. Moreover, we attempt to serve as a reference and help promote the training of graduate students pursuing careers in cancer research or global health by other universities or research institutes.

Twin studies for the prognosis, prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal conditions are highly prevalent in our ageing society and are therefore incurring substantial increases in population levels of years lived with disability (YLD). An evidence-based approach to the prognosis, prevention, and treatment of those disorders can allow an overall improvement in the quality of life of patients, while also softening the burden on national health care systems.

METHODS

In this Masterclass article, we provide an overview of the most relevant twin study designs, their advantages, limitations and major contributions to the investigation of traits related to the domain of musculoskeletal physical therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Twin studies can be an important scientific tool to address issues related to musculoskeletal conditions. They allow researchers to understand how genes and environment combine to influence human health and disease. Twin registries and international collaboration through existing networks can provide resources for achieving large sample sizes and access to expertise in study design and analysis of twin data.

Mapping cross-border collaboration and communication in cardiovascular research from 1992 to 2012

Aims

The growing burden of cardiovascular disease requires growth in research and innovation. We examine world-wide participation and citation impact across the cardiovascular research landscape from 1992 to 2012; we investigate cross-fertilization between countries and examine whether cross-border collaboration affects impact.

Methods and Results

State-of-the-art bibliometric methods and indicators are used to identify cardiovascular publications from the Web of Science, and to map trends over time in output, citation impact, and collaboration. The publication output in cardiovascular research has grown steadily from 1992 to 2012 with increased participation worldwide. China has the highest growth as relative share. The USA share initially predominated yet has reduced steadily. Over time, the EU-27 supra-national region has increased its participation above the USA, though on average it has not had greater citation impact than the USA. However, a number of European countries, as well as Australia and Canada, have improved their absolute and relative citation impact above that of the USA by 2006–2012. Europe is a hub of cross-fertilization with strengthening collaborations and strong citation links; the UK, Germany, and France remain central in this network. The USA has the highest number of strong citation links with other countries. All countries, but especially smaller, highly collaborative countries, have higher citation impact for their internationally collaborative research when compared with their domestic publications.

Conclusion

Participation in cardiovascular research is growing but growth and impact show wide variability between countries. Cross-border collaboration is increasing, in particular within the EU, and is associated with greater citation impact.

Facilitating learning through an international virtual collaborative practice: A case study

BACKGROUND

Internationalisation of higher education involving information and communication technology such as e-learning opens opportunities for innovative learning approaches across nations and cultures.

OBJECTIVES

Describe a case in practice of collaborative and transformative learning in relation to 'internationalisation on home grounds' with the broader learning objective of 'becoming aware and knowledgeable'.

DESIGN

A mutually developed project established a virtual international collaborative exchange for faculty and students using a course management software (MOODLE) and open access technology (Adobe CONNECT).

SETTINGS

Two research universities in Sweden and the United States.

PARTICIPANTS

Approximately 90 nursing students from each university per semester over several semesters.

METHODS

A collaborative process to develop a joint learning community to construct a virtual module and learning activity involving academics and nursing students in two countries using principles of meaning construction and negotiated learning.

RESULTS

Developed possibilities for dealing with the challenges and finding strategies for a future higher education system that opens dialogues worldwide.

CONCLUSIONS

Virtual international exchanges open innovative communication and learning contexts across nations and cultures. Internationalisation is so much more than students and teachers' mobility. 'Internationalisation on home grounds' (internationalisation for all) should receive more attention to support faculty and student collaboration, learning, and professional development.

A decade bibliometric analysis of global research on leishmaniasis in Web of Science database

BACKGROUND

Leishmaniasis is an extremely relevant tropical disease, with global distribution. It still remains a main public health concern in low-income countries, and it is necessary to support more research on this common disease. Thus, a bibliometric analysis of the global scientific production on leishmaniasis was carried out.

METHODS

All the articles registered in Web of Science with the subject of leishmaniasis between 2006 and 2015 were analysed, using Pajek and VOS viewer as tools.

RESULTS

13,658 records in the field of leishmaniasis were indexed in the Web of Science database for this ten-year study period (2006-2015). This shows that studies on leishmaniasis have been growing, from 1071 in 2006 to 1537 in 2015. "Sundar S" is the most active researcher in the field of leishmaniasis, compiling and participating in 232 Articles. Brazil ranks first in scientific production, by performing 3315 studies on leishmaniasis. The United States, United Kingdom and Australia had the most collaboration in performing the studies of leishmaniasis with each other. In addition, PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES published the most articles, with 483.

CONCLUSION

Our data shows an increase in the number of publications in the field of leishmaniasis. In addition, Brazil, USA, and India lead scientific production on leishmaniasis research.

Network structure of scientific collaborations between China and the EU member states

Collaborations between China and the European Union (EU) member states involve not only connections between China and individual countries, but also interactions between the different EU member states, the latter of which is due also to the influence exerted by the EU’s integration strategy. The complex linkages between China and the EU28, as well as among the 28 EU member states, are of great importance for studying knowledge flows. Using co-authorship analysis, this study explores the changes of the network structure between 2000 and 2014. Our results show that EU member states with middle- or low- scientific capacities, in particular those who joined the EU after 2000, have been actively reshaping the network of scientific collaborations with China. The linkages between middle- and low- scientific capacity countries have been tremendously strengthened in the later years. The network positional advantage (measured by the degree of betweenness centrality) has shifted from a few dominant nations to a wider range of countries. We also find that countries like Belgium, Sweden and Denmark are in important positions connecting the relatively low-capacity ‘new’ EU member states with China. The ‘new’ EU member states—that have relatively low scientific capacity—intend to cooperate with China jointly with ‘old’ EU member(s).

Evolution of three Nobel Prize themes and a Nobel snub theme in chemistry: a bibliometric study with focus on international collaboration

In this study, three chemistry research themes closely associated with the Nobel Prize are bibliometrically analyzed—Ribozyme, Ozone and Fullerene—as well as a research theme in chemistry not associated with the Nobel Prize (a Nobel snub theme): Brunauer–Emmett–Teller equation. We analyze, based on an algorithmically constructed publication-level classification system, the evolution of the four themes with respect to publication volume and international collaboration, using two datasets, one of them a subset of highly cited publications, for each considered time period. The focus of the study is on international collaboration, where co-occurrence of country names in publications is used as a proxy for international collaboration. For all four themes, especially for Brunauer–Emmett–Teller equation, the publication volumes increase considerably from the earliest period to the later periods. The international collaboration rate shows an increasing trend for each theme. For Ozone, Fullerene and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller equation, the international collaboration rate tend to be higher for the highly cited publications compared to full datasets. With regard to the evolution of number of countries per international publication and per highly cited international publication, a vast majority of the distributions are positively skewed, with a large share of publications with two countries. With respect to the last four periods of the study, the concentration to two countries per publication is more pronounced for the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller equation theme compared to the three Nobel Prize themes.

Japan Environment and Children's Study: backgrounds, activities, and future directions in global perspectives

There is worldwide concern about the effects of environmental factors on children's health and development. The Miami Declaration was signed at the G8 Environment Ministers Meeting in 1997 to promote children's environmental health research. The following ministerial meetings continued to emphasize the need to foster children's research. In response to such a worldwide movement, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOE), launched a nationwide birth cohort study with 100,000 pairs of mothers and children, namely, the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), in 2010. Other countries have also started or planned large-scale studies focusing on children's environmental health issues. The MOE initiated dialogue among those countries and groups to discuss and share the various processes, protocols, knowledge, and techniques for future harmonization and data pooling among such studies. The MOE formed the JECS International Liaison Committee in 2011, which plays a primary role in promoting the international collaboration between JECS and the other children's environmental health research projects and partnership with other countries. This review article aims to present activities that JECS has developed. As one of the committee's activities, a workshop and four international symposia were held between 2011 and 2015 in Japan. In these conferences, international researchers and government officials, including those from the World Health Organization, have made presentations on their own birth cohort studies and health policies. In 2015, the MOE hosted the International Advisory Board meeting and received constructive comments and recommendations from the board. JECS is a founding member of the Environment and Child Health International Birth Cohort Group, and has discussed harmonization of exposure and outcome measurements with member parties, which will make it possible to compare and further combine data from different studies, considering the diversity in the measurements of variables between the studies. JECS is expected to contribute to the international environmental health research community and policy-making. More international collaboration would enhance our understanding of the possible environmental causes of diseases and disabilities.

With whom do researchers collaborate and why?

Although research collaboration has been studied extensively, we still lack understanding regarding the factors stimulating researchers to collaborate with different kinds of research partners including members of the same research center or group, researchers from the same organization, researchers from other academic and non-academic organizations as well as international partners. Here, we provide an explanation of the emergence of diverse collaborative ties. The theoretical framework used for understanding research collaboration couples scientific and technical human capital embodied in the individual with the social organization and cognitive characteristics of the research field. We analyze survey data collected from Slovenian scientists in four scientific disciplines: mathematics; physics; biotechnology; and sociology. The results show that while individual characteristics and resources are among the strongest predictors of collaboration, very different mechanisms underlie collaboration with different kinds of partners. International collaboration is particularly important for the researchers in small national science systems. Collaboration with colleagues from various domestic organizations presents a vehicle for resource mobilization. Within organizations collaboration reflects the elaborated division of labor in the laboratories and high level of competition between different research groups. These results hold practical implications for policymakers interested in promoting quality research.

'How would you call this in English?' : Being reflective about translations in international, cross-cultural qualitative research

INTRODUCTION

Medical education researchers increasingly collaborate in international teams, collecting data in different languages and from different parts of the world, and then disseminating them in English-language journals. Although this requires an ever-present need to translate, it often occurs uncritically. With this paper we aim to enhance researchers' awareness and reflexivity regarding translations in qualitative research.

METHODS

In an international study, we carried out interviews in both Dutch and English. To enable joint data analysis, we translated Dutch data into English, making choices regarding when and how to translate. In an iterative process, we contextualized our experiences, building on the social sciences and general health literature about cross-language/cross-cultural research.

RESULTS

We identified three specific translation challenges: attending to grammar or syntax differences, grappling with metaphor, and capturing semantic or sociolinguistic nuances. Literature findings informed our decisions regarding the validity of translations, translating in different stages of the research process, coding in different languages, and providing 'ugly' translations in published research reports.

DISCUSSION

The lessons learnt were threefold. First, most researchers, including ourselves, do not consciously attend to translations taking place in international qualitative research. Second, translation challenges arise not only from differences in language, but also from cultural or societal differences. Third, by being reflective about translations, we found meaningful differences, even between settings with many cultural and societal similarities. This conscious process of negotiating translations was enriching. We recommend researchers to be more conscious and transparent about their translation strategies, to enhance the trustworthiness and quality of their work.

A first look at multiple institutional affiliations: a study of authors in Germany, Japan and the UK

This study sheds light on the unexplored phenomenon of multiple institutional affiliations using scientific publications. Institutional affiliations are important in the organisation and governance of science. Multiple affiliations may alter the traditional framework of academic employment and careers and may require a reappraisal of institutional assessment based on research outcomes of affiliated staff. Results for authors in three major science and technology nations (Germany, Japan and the UK) and in three fields (biology, chemistry, and engineering) show that multiple affiliations have at least doubled over the past few years. The analysis proposes three major types of multiple affiliations that depend on the structure of the research sector and its international openness. Highly internationalised and higher education-centred affiliations are most common for researchers in the UK whereas Germany and Japan have stronger cross-sector affiliation patterns. International multiple affiliations are, however, still more common in Germany compared to Japan which is characterised by a domestic, cross-sector affiliation distribution. Moreover, multiple affiliation authors are more often found on high impact papers, particularly in the case of authors from Japan and Germany in the fields of biology and chemistry.

Unbalanced international collaboration affects adversely the usefulness of countries' scientific output as well as their technological and social impact

The unbalanced international scientific collaboration as cause of misleading information on the country’s contribution to the scientific world output was analyzed. ESI Data Base (Thomson Reuters’ InCites), covering the scientific production of 217 active countries in the period 2010–2014 was used. International collaboration implicates in a high percentage (33.1 %) of double-counted world articles, thus impacting qualitative data as citations, impact and impact relative to word. The countries were divided into three groups, according to their individual contribution to the world publications: Group I (24 countries, at least 1 %) representing 83.9 % of the total double-counted world articles. Group II (40 countries, 0.1–0.99 % each). Group III, 153 countries (70.5 %) with <0.1 % and altogether 1.9 % of the world. Qualitative characteristics of each group were also analyzed: percentage of the country’s GNP applied in R&D, proportion of Scientists and Engineers per million inhabitants and Human Development Index. Average international collaboration were: Group I, 43.0 %; Group II, 55.8 % and Group III, 85.2 %. We concluded that very high and unbalanced international collaboration, as presented by many countries, misrepresent the importance of their scientific production, technological and social outputs. Furthermore, it jeopardizes qualitative outputs of the countries themselves, artificially increasing their scientific impact, affecting all fields and therefore, the whole world. The data confirm that when dealing with the qualitative contribution of countries, it is necessary to take in consideration the level of international cooperation because, as seen here, it can and in fact it does create false impression of the real contribution of countries.

The state of the art of twinning, a concept analysis of twinning in healthcare

BACKGROUND

Inequities in health have garnered international attention and are now addressed in Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), which seeks to 'promote well-being for all'. To attain this goal globally requires innovative approaches, one of which is twinning. According to the International Confederation of Midwives, twinning focusses on empowering professionals, who can subsequently be change-agents for their communities. However, twinning in healthcare is relatively new and because the definition and understanding of twinning lacks clarity, rigorous monitoring and evaluation are rare. A clear definition of twinning is essential for the development of a scientific base for this promising form of collaboration.

METHOD

We conducted a Concept Analysis (CA) of twinning in healthcare using Morse's method. A qualitative study of the broad literature was performed, including scientific papers, manuals, project reports, and websites. We identified relevant papers through a systematic search using scientific databases, backtracking of references, and experts in the field.

RESULTS

We found nineteen papers on twinning in healthcare. This included twelve peer reviewed research papers, four manuals on twinning, two project reports, and one website. Seven of these papers offered no definition of twinning. In the other twelve papers definitions varied. Our CA of the literature resulted in four main attributes of twinning in healthcare. First, and most frequently mentioned, was reciprocity. The other three attributes were that twinning: 2) entails the building of personal relationships, 3) is dynamic process, 4) is between two named organisations across different cultures. The literature also indicated that these four attributes, and especially reciprocity, can have an empowering effect on healthcare professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these four attributes we developed the following operational definition: Twinning is a cross-cultural, reciprocal process where two groups of people work together to achieve joint goals. A greater understanding and a mature definition of twinning results in clear expectations for participants and thus more effective twinning. This can be the starting point for new collaborations and for further international studies on the effect of twinning in healthcare.

Home fire safety intervention pilot with urban older adults living in Wales

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a home fire safety (HFS) education program developed in the US, on improved HFS knowledge and practice in a purposive sample of 12 urban older adults living in Swansea, Wales. Knowledge was tested at baseline (T1), immediately after watching a Video on HFS (T2), and at 2-week follow-up (T3). A majority of the participants were Caucasian (n=9, 81.8%), and female (n=11, 91.7%); their mean age was 78years old (SD=12.7years). They had two chronic illnesses (n=1.8, SD=1.3), walked without help (n=7, 58.3%), and lived in a flat (n=10, 90.9%). Knowledge scores (percent correct) changed over time and were significantly different from T1 (46.7%) to T2 (59.2%, p=0.04) and from T1 (46.7%) to T3 (58.9%, p=0.04), but T2 and T3 (p=0.94) scores showed no difference. There is a need for educational HFS intervention programs aimed at this age group. This pilot successfully targeted active older adults living independently in sheltered housing complexes. Further fire safety research is needed with community dwelling older adults living in other types of housing.

Understanding collaboration in a multi-national research capacity-building partnership: a qualitative study

Background

Research capacity building and its impact on policy and international research partnership is increasingly seen as important. High income and low- and middle-income countries frequently engage in research collaborations. These can have a positive impact on research capacity building, provided such partnerships are long-term collaborations with a unified aim, but they can also have challenges. What are these challenges, which often result in a short term/ non viable collaboration? Does such collaboration results in capacity building? What are the requirements to make any collaboration sustainable? This study aimed to answer these and other research questions through examining an international collaboration in one multi-country research capacity building project ARCADE RSDH (Asian Regional Capacity Development for Research on Social Determinants of Health).

Method

A qualitative study was conducted that focused on the reasons for the collaboration, collaboration patterns involved, processes of exchanging information, barriers faced and perceived growth in research capacity. In-depth interviews were conducted with the principal investigators (n = 12), research assistants (n = 2) and a scientific coordinator (n = 1) of the collaborating institutes. Data were analysed using thematic framework analysis.

Results

The initial contact between institutes was through previous collaborations. The collaboration was affected by the organisational structure of the partner institutes, political influences and the collaboration design. Communication was usually conducted online, which was affected by differences in time and language and inefficient infrastructure. Limited funding resulted in restricted engagement by some partners.

Conclusion

This study explored work in a large, North-South collaboration project focusing on building research capacity in partner institutes. The project helped strengthen research capacity, though differences in organization types, existing research capacity, culture, time, and language acted as obstacles to the success of the project. Managing these differences requires preplanned strategies to develop functional communication channels among the partners, maintaining transparency, and sharing the rewards and benefits at all stages of collaboration.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12961-016-0132-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society: building an international paediatric electrophysiology organisation

The Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) is a non-profit organisation comprised of individuals dedicated to improving the care of children and young adults with cardiac rhythm disturbances. Although PACES is a predominantly North American-centric organisation, international members have been a part of PACES for the last two decades. This year, PACES expanded its North American framework into a broadly expansive international role. On May 12, 2015, paediatric electrophysiology leaders from within the United States of America and Canada met with over 30 international paediatric electrophysiologists from 17 countries and five continents discussing measures to (1) expand PACES' global vision, (2) address ongoing challenges such as limited resource allocation that may be present in developing countries, (3) expand PACES' governance to include international representation, (4) promote joint international sessions at future paediatric EP meetings, and (5) facilitate a global multi-centre research consortium. This meeting marked the inception of a formal international collaborative spirit in PACES. This editorial addresses some solutions to breakdown the continental silos paediatric electrophysiologists have practiced within; however, there remain ongoing limitations, and future discussions will be needed to continue to move the PACES global international vision forward.

Influence of international co-authorship on the research citation impact of young universities

We investigated the effect of international collaboration (in the form of international co-authorship) on the impact of publications of young universities (<50 years old), and compared to that of renowned old universities (>100 years old). The following impact indicators are used in this study, they are: (1) the 5-year citations per paper (CPP) data, (2) the international co-authorship rate, (3) the CPP differential between publications with and without international co-authorships, and (4) the difference between the percentage of international co-authored publications falling in the global top 10 % highly cited publications and the percentage of overall publications falling in the global top 10 % highly cited publications (Δ%_Top10%). The increment of 5-year (2010–2014) field weighted citation impact (FWCI) of internationally co-authored papers over the 5-year overall FWCI of the institutions in SciVal^® is used as another indicator to eliminate the effect of discipline difference in citation rate. The results show that, for most top institutions, the difference between the citations per paper (CPP) for their publications with and without international co-authorship is positive, with increase of up to 5.0 citations per paper over the period 1996–2003. Yet, for some Asian institutions, by attracting a lot of researchers with international background and making these collaborating “external” authors as internal researchers, these institutions have created a special kind of international collaboration that are not expressed in co-authorship, and the CPP gaps between publications with and without international co-authorship are relatively small (around 0–1 citations per paper increment) for these institutions. The top old institutions have higher CPP than young institutions, and higher annual research expenditures; while young universities have a higher relative CPP increment for the current 5-year period over the previous 5-year period. The Δ%_Top10% for international co-authored publications is generally higher than that for all journal publications of the same institution. With the increase of international co-authorship ratio, the mean geographical collaboration distance (MGCD, an indication of increased international co-authorship) of one institution based on the Leiden Ranking data also increases, and young institutions have relatively higher CPP increment over MGCD increment. International co-authorship has a positive contribution to the FWCI of the institution, yet there are untapped potential to enhance the collaboration among young institutions.

Chimpanzee research and conservation in Bossou and the Nimba Mountains: a long-term international collaborative effort in West Africa

The Nimba Mountains are a West African Natural World Heritage site located in the range of the Guineo-equatorial evergreen rainforest, renowned for its rich biodiversity with a high level of endemism. In 1976, Yukimaru Sugiyama from Kyoto University initiated the long-term study of chimpanzees at Bossou, a Guinean village situated 5 km from the northern foothills of Nimba. This Japanese initiative has provided key discoveries and insights on our closest living evolutionary relatives over the 40 past years, and has grown to become an international collaboration with a research focus extended to adjacent chimpanzee communities. The present paper describes a mid-term behavioral and ecological study on wild chimpanzees populating the southern slope of the Nimba Mountains, conducted in the framework of this collaborative project. It aimed to assess the status and ecological requirements of chimpanzees in order to formulate purpose-built actions for their conservation. We estimated a density of 0.46 chimpanzee per km(2) using nest count methods from line transects. We used logistic and Poisson regressions to investigate basic ecological characteristics of chimpanzees in relation to habitat composition and structure, topography and seasonality. We performed an in-depth analysis of their nesting and feeding behaviors, and identified important components of their diet; we also recorded their year-round ranging patterns. Our findings highlight the importance of old secondary forest and high-altitude habitats for these chimpanzees. We discuss the results in the light of other studies from the perspective of the conservation of the species and its natural habitat.

Establishing an Iso-Compliant Modern Cancer-Biobank in a Developing Country: A Model for International Cooperation

King Hussein Cancer (KHCC) is a specialized cancer center that treats both adult and pediatric cancer patients from Jordan and the neighboring countries. KHCC is acknowledged as a leader in cancer treatment in the Middle East and its vision is to maintain its leading position in cancer therapy and research. Hence, KHCC embarked on establishing the first ISO compliant cancer biobank (KHCCBIO) in Jordan.Currently, there are very few biobanks in the Middle East, hence, KHCC wanted to change this situation by establishing an ISO-compliant cancer biobank which would incorporate all current international guidelines and best-in class practices under an approved quality management system for the benefit of researchers in Jordan, its neighboring countries, and throughout the world. The established biobank would follow the highest ethical standards in collecting, processing, storing and distributing high-quality, clinically annotated biospecimens.The strategy used in establishing KHCCBIO was based on taking advantage of international networking and collaboration. This in essence led to knowledge transfer between well established organizations, institutions and individuals from Europe and Jordan, in existing technological innovation and internationally recognized quality standards. KHCC efforts were facilitated by a grant from the European Union under the seventh frame work program.Future aims of KHCCBIO are to develop KHCC's research infrastructure, increase its scope and visibility and improve its competitiveness throughout the biomedical science arena. Moreover, KHCCBIO is aiming to establish a platform for future knowledge transfer and collaborative research; develop partnerships between European and Middle Eastern organizations.

Publication patterns in developmental psychology: Trends and social networks

Interest in publication patterns has been steady. Journals have instituted policies in an effort to curb bias and provide globally representative research. This study aimed to examine if publication patterns were present in two developmental psychology journals. It also explored the social networks of prominent authors and the prevalence of informal author-editor relationships, searching for any potential power groups. Data were taken from empirical articles published between 2005 and 2014 in Child Development (CD) and The International Journal of Early Childhood (IJEC) data points were geographical authorship affiliation, informal author relationships as established by co-publishing, and connections to journal editors via identical affiliation. Results confirmed the previously established North American dominance in published research. In CD a strongly interlinked social network was identified between authors over the 10 years, with 15 chief influentialists binding groups of authors together. Results suggest that patterns are still present in published research in the realm of developmental psychology. To conclude, the potential implications of these patterns within developmental psychology are presented.

An international surgical collaboration: humanitarian surgery in Brazil

PURPOSE

Brazil is the fifth most populous country in the world with widespread regional and social inequalities. Regional disparities in healthcare are unacceptably large, with the remote and poor regions of the north and northeast having reduced life expectancy compared to the south region, where life expectancy approaches that of rich countries. We report our experience of a humanitarian surgery mission to the Amazonas state, in the northwest part of Brazil.

METHODS

In August 2014, a team of seven consultant surgeons, and two trainees with the charity 'International Hernia', visited three hospitals in the Amazonas state to provide hernia surgery and training.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine hernias were repaired in 74 patients (female = 22, male = 52) with a median age of 44 years (range 2-83 years). Nine patients underwent more than one type of hernia repair, and there were 9 laparoscopic inguinal and ventral incisional hernia repairs. Local doctors were trained in hernia repair techniques, and an International Hernia Symposium was held at the University of the State of Amazonas, Manaus.

CONCLUSION

The humanitarian mission provided hernia surgery to an underserved population in Brazil and training to local doctors, building local sustainability. Continued cooperation between host and international surgeons for future missions to Brazil will ensure continuing surgical training and technical assistance.

Establishing an Iso-Compliant Modern Cancer-Biobank in a Developing Country: A Model for International Cooperation

King Hussein Cancer (KHCC) is a specialized cancer center that treats both adult and pediatric cancer patients from Jordan and the neighboring countries. KHCC is acknowledged as a leader in cancer treatment in the Middle East and its vision is to maintain its leading position in cancer therapy and research. Hence, KHCC embarked on establishing the first ISO compliant cancer biobank (KHCCBIO) in Jordan.Currently, there are very few biobanks in the Middle East, hence, KHCC wanted to change this situation by establishing an ISO-compliant cancer biobank which would incorporate all current international guidelines and best-in class practices under an approved quality management system for the benefit of researchers in Jordan, its neighboring countries, and throughout the world. The established biobank would follow the highest ethical standards in collecting, processing, storing and distributing high-quality, clinically annotated biospecimens.The strategy used in establishing KHCCBIO was based on taking advantage of international networking and collaboration. This in essence led to knowledge transfer between well established organizations, institutions and individuals from Europe and Jordan, in existing technological innovation and internationally recognized quality standards. KHCC efforts were facilitated by a grant from the European Union under the seventh frame work program.Future aims of KHCCBIO are to develop KHCC's research infrastructure, increase its scope and visibility and improve its competitiveness throughout the biomedical science arena. Moreover, KHCCBIO is aiming to establish a platform for future knowledge transfer and collaborative research; develop partnerships between European and Middle Eastern organizations.

Systematizing planning and formative phases of HIV prevention research: Case studies from Brazil, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan

OBJECTIVES

International Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is vulnerable to contextual, political, and interpersonal issues that may hamper researchers' abilities to develop and sustain partnerships with local communities. This paper responds to a call for systematizing CBPR practices and to the urgent need for frameworks with potential to facilitate partnership-building between researchers and communities in both "developed" and "developing" countries.

METHODS

Using three brief case examples, each from a different context, with different partners and varied research questions, we demonstrate how to apply the International Participatory Research Framework (IPRF).

RESULTS

IPRF consists of triangulated procedures (steps and actions) that can facilitate known participatory outcomes: 1) community-defined research goals, 2) capacity for further research, and 3) policies and programs grounded in research.

CONCLUSIONS

We show how the application of this model is particularly helpful in the planning and formative phases of CBPR. Other partnerships can use this framework in its entirety or aspects thereof, in different contexts. Further evaluation of how this framework can help other international partnerships, studying myriad diseases and conditions, should be a focus of future international CBPR.

Cure rates of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Lithuania and the benefit of joining international treatment protocol

BACKGROUND

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents the largest group of pediatric malignancies with long-term survival rates of more than 80% achieved in developed countries. Epidemiological data and survival rates of childhood ALL in Lithuania were lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the population-based long-term treatment results of childhood ALL in Lithuania during 1992-2012.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data of all 459 children with T-lineage and B-cell precursor ALL treated in Lithuania from 1992 to 2012 were collected and analyzed. Results were compared among four time-periods: 1992-1996 (N=132), 1997-2002 (N=136), 2003-2008 (N=109) and 2009-2012 (N=82).

RESULTS

The incidence of childhood ALL in Lithuania was 3.2-3.6 cases per 100000 children per year during the study period. Five-year probability of event-free survival increased from 50%± 4% in 1992-1996 to 71%± 4% in 2003-2008 (P<0.001). Five-year cumulative incidence of relapses reduced from 27%± 4.5% in 1992-1996 to 14%± 3.6% in 2003-2008 (P=0.042). After introduction of high-dose methotrexate of 5 g/m(2), cumulative incidence of CNS-involving relapses reduced from 17%± 3.9% in 1992-1996 to 1%± 1.0% in 2003-2008 (P<0.001). Trend for further improvement in survival was seen in 2009-2012 when Lithuania joined international the Nordic Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (NOPHO) ALL-2008 treatment protocol.

CONCLUSIONS

Cure rates of childhood ALL in Lithuania are improving steadily and are now approaching those reported by the largest international study groups. The reasons for such a positive effect are both better financial support for treatment of children with cancer in Lithuania and international collaboration with joining international treatment protocol for childhood ALL.

The IDEA (International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy) Collaboration: Prospective Combined Analysis of Phase III Trials Investigating Duration of Adjuvant Therapy with the FOLFOX (FOLFOX4 or Modified FOLFOX6) or XELOX (3 versus 6 months) Regimen for Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer: Trial Design and Current Status

The International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy (IDEA) collaboration was established to prospectively combine and analyze data from several randomized trials conducted around the world to answer whether a three-month course of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant therapy (FOLFOX4/modified FOLFOX6 or XELOX) is non-inferior to the current standard six-month treatment for patients with stage III colon cancer, with a primary endpoint of three years disease-free survival. The IDEA steering committee comprises two members from each group coordinating an individual trial and two members from a secretariat who coordinate combining of the data and management of the joint analysis. Members of the IDEA agreed to combine the data from their individual trials to enable definitive analysis consisting of at least 10,500 patients. With accrual of 8,797 patients at the end of February 2013, the IDEA is on track to achieve its accrual objective of at least 10,500 patients by the end of 2013.