Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
September 2015 Vol. 38, No. 3
http://www.paho.org/journal/

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SERIES ON EQUITY IN HEALTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Social determinants and inequalities in tuberculosis incidence in Latin America and the Caribbean [Determinantes sociales y desigualdades en la incidencia de tuberculosis en América Latina y el Caribe]
César V. Munayco, Oscar J. Mújica, Francisco X. León, Mirtha del Granado, and Marcos A. Espinal

La ventaja epidemiológica de la orientación preferencial del control de la tuberculosis hacia los pobres [The epidemiological advantage of preferential targeting of tuberculosis control at the poor]
J. R. Andrews, S. Basu, D. W. Dowdy, and M. B. Murray

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SPECIAL REPORTS
Technology transfer for the implementation of a clinical trials network on drug abuse and mental health treatment in Mexico [Transferencia de tecnología para la implantación de una red de investigaciones clínicas sobre el tratamiento de la drogadicción y los problemas de salud mental en México]
Viviana E. Horigian, Rodrigo A. Marín-Navarrete, Rosa E. Verdeja, Elizabeth Alonso, María A. Perez, José Fernández-Mondragón, Carlos Berlanga, María Elena Medina-Mora, and José Szapocznik
Abstract
Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) lack the research infrastructure and capacity to conduct rigorous substance abuse and mental health effectiveness clinical trials to guide clinical practice. A partnership between the Florida Node Alliance of the United States National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network and the National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico was established in 2011 to improve substance abuse practice in Mexico. The purpose of this partnership was to develop a Mexican national clinical trials network of substance abuse researchers and providers capable of implementing effectiveness randomized clinical trials in community-based settings. A technology transfer model was implemented and ran from 2011–2013. The Florida Node Alliance shared the “know how” for the development of the research infrastructure to implement randomized clinical trials in community programs through core and specific training modules, role-specific coaching, pairings, modeling, monitoring, and feedback. The technology transfer process was bi-directional in nature in that it was informed by feedback on feasibility and cultural appropriateness for the context in which practices were implemented. The Institute, in turn, led the effort to create the national network of researchers and practitioners in Mexico and the implementation of the first trial. A collaborative model of technology transfer was useful in creating a Mexican researcher-provider network that is capable of changing national practice in substance abuse research and treatment. Key considerations for transnational technology transfer are presented.