Building a collaborative network in Latin America: 18 months of progress

The Regional Network for Establishing Health Priorities in the 21st Century: Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAM Network) launched in May 2023 with the goal of uniting researchers, health metrics professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders across the region to establish priorities in health, research, and development, based on the results generated by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. These efforts seek to anticipate threats to community health and increase capacity building for health metrics professionals.  

Over the last 18 months, the LATAM Network has charted progress on the commitment to strengthen the GBD Network and institutional partnerships in the region. 

The Network represents a collaboration between the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), with the support of Fundación Mexicana para la Salud (FUNSALUD). 

Under the leadership of Dr. Rafael Lozano, IHME Professor Emeritus and Professor of the Department of Public Health of the School of Medicine of UNAM, the Network has begun a series of academic initiatives, networking opportunities, new publications, and formal agreements with organizations in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.  

Creating new opportunities for professional growth and collaboration 

The LATAM Network is committed to creating opportunities for Collaborators to contribute to local and regional publications; to developing GBD and health metrics training for health professionals to increase the number of subject matter experts; and to facilitating strategic meetings with leaders in the field to inform policymakers. 

Currently, 238 Collaborators from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru are part of the LATAM Network. Since the launch, the Network has grown by 16% and enrollments are accelerating. Increased outreach to other Latin American countries is providing opportunities for more engagement across the region.  

Advancing scientific research through publications 

This year alone, the Network has prepared more than 25 publications for scientific journals, with 14 original articles covering Mexico’s health priorities published in Gaceta Médica de México, the official journal of the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico. These articles cover the impact of COVID-19 on life expectancy nationally and by state; the burden of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and cirrhosis; the disability burden caused by mental and musculoskeletal diseases; as well as the burden attributable to metabolic and environmental factors. 

Two other papers were also published in special issues of the Gaceta Médica de México: one on aging and the second one describing improvements in deaths registration in children U5 in Mexico. Additionally, a paper on the performance evaluation of Mexico’s health system based on the Health Access and Quality Index was recently published in the Royal Society of Public Health Journal.  

Future publications led by in-country national experts will cover the burden of HIV/AIDS; cardiovascular diseases; brain-related conditions; blindness and visual loss; and the burden attributable to suboptimal diet and breastfeeding.  

In the second year of the network, the publications will expand to Latin America and will include oral disorders, maternal mortality, Alzheimer and other dementias, among others. These papers will inform policymakers seeking to develop effective public policies and solutions to the most pressing health issues across the region.  

Providing a platform for continued learning and knowledge exchange events 

The strong partnership between IHME and UNAM has proved critical to capacity building in the health metrics sciences in the region. Currently, the institutions are collaborating on the development of a Diploma in Health Metrics to be offered in Spanish at the UNAM postgraduate School of Medicine and taught by faculty from IHME and UW as well as Mexico experts in the burden of disease. In addition, continuing education courses introducing the GBD and related visualization tools will be offered at state universities across Mexico and LATAM, preparing more professionals to use and analyze GBD estimates and data sources to inform policy makers and communicate the results of the study to diverse audiences. 

The Network has held key meetings with prominent researchers and decision and policymakers over the last year, including the presentation of the GBD 2021 Mexico results in June 2024. The event gathered leaders from such prestigious institutions as the UNAM School of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Institute of Public Health, and the International Institute for Health Futures. Dr. Chris Murray, Director of IHME, emphasized the significance of strengthening collaborations between Mexico and North America on the burden of disease, “It is very satisfying to finally see the fruits of the hard research work carried out by more than 300 people,” said Dr. Murray.  

As part of the work to strategically engage with the GBD Collaborators in the LATAM Network, a webinar exclusively offered to registered Collaborators from Mexico took place in September. IHME Professor Emeritus Dr. Rafael Lozano; IHME Professor and Director of Subnational Burden of Disease Estimation Dr. Mohsen Naghavi; and IHME Principal Research Scientist Dr. Michael Brauer, led an interactive discussion of the key national and subnational findings as well as a very engaging presentation of the burden attributable to risk factors in México. This virtual gathering was attended by 48 Mexican Collaborators and generated more interest from participants in attending country-specific events.  

UNAM was chosen to host the 23rd meeting of the GBD Independent Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC members convened on November 4–6, 2024, in Mexico City, highlighting the important work taking place in the region and recognizing the ongoing efforts of the LATAM Network to increase regional collaboration.  

The future of the Network 

As the network continues its second year, IHME and UNAM will collaborate to support regional and local efforts to collect data and provide analysis and guidance on health policies.  

The collaborations will expand to additional countries and will aim to respond to their health research needs while strengthening the GBD study and improving health systems in the region. 

These first 18 months of the LATAM Network have proved to be successful and will serve as a springboard for other initiatives in the upcoming years across the region. The efforts are resulting in more opportunities for Collaborators, stronger relations with institutional partners, new learning initiatives, and a committed team to support future endeavors in the region.