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The GEOHealth Hub Colombia is a collaborative initiative between academics, researchers, officials, public and private institutions, independent professionals and the general community interested in environmental and occupational health issues in the country.
Objective:
The objective of this initiative is to promote research, high-quality training and discussion around fundamental issues of environmental and occupational health in the country, and in this way contribute to the formulation of policies on these issues in Colombia.
BACKGROUND
GEOHealth Hub Colombia began in 2012 as a binational project between Colombia (Universidad Industrial de Santander) and the United States (University of Wisconsin), funded under the GEOHealth program of the National Institute of Health / Fogarty International Center.
The project identified experts in environmental and occupational health in the country, who contributed to identifying research and training needs in this area.
Since 2015, the GEOHealth Hub Colombia Node has been working to promote collaborative research between different regions of the country and internationally. One of the main achievements has been to scale local research at the national level and develop multi-city research projects, including socio-environmental issues.
In 2015 we conduct a Delphi study to assess needs and opportunities in environmental and occupational health concerns in Colombia. We used the Delphi method, a proven research tool to reliably attain group consensus and make decisions based on expert judgment. Results from the Delphi study are already available and have been shared with Colombian experts, governmental agencies, and academic and research institutions. You can access a paper summarizing these findings here.
Recently, the SAO Colombia Node obtained funding to develop the first environmental health research program funded by the Colombian government. The program is carried out with the collaboration of 10 local universities, regional and national health and environmental authorities, and academic institutions from Brazil, Canada and Mexico.
The SAO Colombia Node has also generated spaces for discussion and positioning of public documents related to environmental threats, such as the use of aerial spraying of glyphosate to eliminate illicit crops in rural areas.
