Global cardiovascular disease and the academic public health curriculum

The epidemic of cardiac risk factors and cardiovascular disease in developing regions has reached sub-Sahara Africa. This global reality needs to energize the academic public health establishment to incorporate this phenomenon in its curriculum. The focus for control of these risk factors and illnesses will need to be on their cultural, political, and economic upstream drivers. The schools of public health will need to collaborate with a broad array of university disciplines to craft a focused and appropriate curriculum with which to train the next generation of global health professionals.