International Activities
Faculty and staff of IPRC participate in international activities that are varied in type. These activities range from participating in collaborative research efforts, to technical assistance, and training by individuals from the Center. Some recent activities are listed below.
Desmond Runyan, MD, DrPH is lead investigator for the project World Studies of Abuse in the Family Environment (WorldSAFE). Child abuse and spouse abuse are known to be significant public health problems in the United States, Canada, Australia, and some countries in Western Europe.
An examination of variations in the rates of family and community violence and the strength of social networks and families in an international study has led to the release of a special edition of the journal Injury Control and Safety Promotion (volume 11, number 2) devoted to articles based on this study. For more information about WorldSAFE, please review our annual report. To read about the methods used by researchers in the WorldSAFE project, look at IPRC News, Vol 12, Issue 2.
WorldSHAKE is a potential new study related to WorldSAFE. WorldSHAKE will examine the incidence and patterns of infant shaking in multiple countries to better understand disciplinary practices and possible etiology of traumatic brain injury in children. Dr. Runyan, also principal investigator for this study, led a meeting at the International Conference on Child Maltreatment in Australia in fall 2004 to finalize plans for the study. We will keep you updated on the progress of WorldSHAKE.
Dr. Runyan also co-authored a chapter on child maltreatment of the World Health Organization's first ever World Report on Violence and Health, produced in 2003. He is also a member of the advisory group for a new UNICEF study on child welfare worldwide.
Dr. Shrikant Bangdiwala teaches abroad. He teaches at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, yearly, to promote capacity building in injury prevention. He also teaches at Faculty of Medicine of Universidad de Valparaiso and Biostatistics Training and Resource Center, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India to build capacity in biostatistics.Dr. Bangdiwala is also the co-editor of the special issue of Injury Control and Safety Promotion that contained nine papers based on the WorldSAFE project.
Dr. Michael Peck, MD, ScD, has worked on studies in the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The purpose of Epidemiology of Injuries Caused by Fire and Burns in Taiwan, Republic of China is to provide an overview of the epidemiological characteristics of burn patients admitted from 1997 through 2001 to 34 hospitals in the Republic. The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Childhood Burn Foundation (CBF) of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The project's abstract, titled "A five year epidemiology study of 6928 admitted burn patients in Taiwan using the Internet registration system of the Childhood Burn Foundation, ROC" was presented at an international meeting in Brisbane, New South Wales. For more information about this study, please review our annual report (item G4, page 22). The Other study, Correlation between Mortality Caused by Non-intentional Injuries and Economic Indicators in Eastern European Countries formerly under Soviet Influence was undertaken to determine the correlation between economic indicators and mortality rates in Eastern European countries such as Hungary and Poland, once under Soviet domination. Further studies will analyze the relationship between injury-related mortality and other indices of national recovery, such as health care resources. Peck is the principal investigator for both of these studies. For more information about this study, please review our annual report (item G5, page 22).