Over the past decade, there have been many international calls to strengthen and support/sustain research capacity in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This capacity is considered an essential foundation for cost-effective healthcare systems. While there have been long-standing investments by many countries and research funding organisations in the training of individuals for this purpose, in many LMICs research capacity remains fragmented, uneven and fragile. There is growing recognition that a more systems-oriented approach to research capacity-building is required. Nonetheless, there are considerable gaps in the evidence for approaches to capacity-building that are effective and sustainable. This book addresses these gaps, capturing what was learned from teams working on The Global Health Research Initiative. This book brings together the experiences of research capacity-building teams co-led by Canadians and LMIC researchers in several regions of the world, including Jamaica, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.

Caribbean countries are experiencing an increase in chronic non-communicable diseases. Morbidity and mortality data indicates that chronic non communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death in the adult population. While data on the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in most Caribbean are limited, epidemiological studies suggest that anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) are an important risk factor for thromboembolic diseases and poor pregnancy outcomes in some populations. aCL are strongly associated with recurrent arterial and venous thrombosis in young women. This book presents findings of a study that examined the seroprevalence of aCL, if aCL are an independent risk factor for thromboembolic disease in young Jamaican women and their effects on pregnancy outcome among primipararous women. Findings of this study should be useful to medical practitioners in identifying risk factors for thromboembolic disease and pregnancy complications. Reduction of the risk for thromboembolic disease and ultimately reduction in morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease depends on identification and control of risk factors.