Strategies for Aspiring Biomedical Researchers in Resource-Limited Environments

Countries struggling with global health challenges desperately need local biomedical researchers to find health care solutions to address the deadly diseases that affect their populations. Building the scientific capacity of resource-limited countries is a clear priority among the scientific community [1–3]. As the Global Forum for Health Research Report stated [4], ‘‘Strengthening research capacity in developing countries is one of the most effective and sustainable ways of advancing health and development in these countries and of helping correct the 10/90 gap in health research.’’ The 10/90 gap refers to the statistical finding of the Global Forum for Health Research that only 10% of all global health research funding is directed to research on the health problems that affect 90% of the world’s population [5]. Great efforts are now being made to correct this gap, and some call it the golden age of global health. Many researchers in resource-limited environments have the opportunity to train outside their country and are offered scholarships to do so, with the goal that they will return and help their country. For researchers willing to deal with developing world challenges (poor infrastructure and support), there are exciting opportunities to solve a nation’s most pressing health problems and make a name for themselves along the way. In this paper, we will share some key strategies for aspiring biomedical researchers based on the experiences of researchers affiliated with Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru—a major hub for global health training in South America.