Greetings to the IHCC Community,

To begin, we would encourage all of our IHCC members to register and attend the upcoming International Cohorts Summit #5 (ICS5) scheduled for Thursday, 29 Nov through Friday, 2 Dec, 2022 (registration details and agenda below). This will be a virtual meeting with no costs to attend, so please pass this information on to any of your organization’s staff, young investigators, students or any associates you think would be interested in the discussions. ICS5 will have keynote presentations, topical discussion panels, poster presentations and more, with an exciting agenda that truly offers something for everyone!

One of IHCC’s fundamental goals from our 5-year strategic plan is to demonstrate that we generate impactful science through cultivating a collaborative research environment. To achieve this objective, in 2020 we solicited scientific proposals that utilized our unique cohort resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic; improve understanding of the causes and consequences of common, complex diseases; improve understanding of variability in response to treatments; identify strategies and resources for translating data and samples into genomic information, particularly in Low-to-Middle-Income Countries; and identify enhancements to existing cohorts and datasets. Following a review of proposals by the IHCC Scientific Projects subcommittee and with financial support from our key funders (NIH, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative and the Wellcome Trust) we initiated the IHCC Pilot Projects.

All of the IHCC-Pilot Projects have completed their initial timelines as of November 2022. The Pilot Projects have been fruitful with 5 accepted manuscripts, 5 manuscripts currently undergoing peer-review at various journals, and an additional 10 manuscripts in preparation for submission. Three of the IHCC Pilot Projects (BMI-Cancer, Metabolomics and COVID-Mental Health) have expanded their research by including additional LMIC cohorts with funding from the NIH. Several of the Pilot Projects have garnered additional support from new regional funding sources, and all Pilot Projects continue to increase the number of collaborating cohorts and expand their research beyond the initial funding objectives and timelines of the “Pilot” phase. The Pilot Projects are clear evidence of achieving our IHCC vision:  the power of a global community of cohorts working together to advance science and improve health for all. Please join us in congratulating the Principal Investigators, their teams and collaborators as they transition from the “Pilot” phase to full-fledged IHCC projects.  You can learn more about the IHCC Pilot projects from the manuscript weblinks below, IHCC Educational Webinars, and at ICS5.

Coronavirus Host Genomics Study: South Africa (COVIGen-SA)

Trajectories of common mental disorders symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the ELSA-Brasil COVID-19 Mental Health Cohort

Metabolomic profiling of samples from pediatric patients with asthma unveils deficient nutrients in African Americans

Association of Everyday Discrimination With Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the All of Us Research Program

Prevalence and risk factors of psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the ELSA-Brasil COVID-19 mental health cohort | Psychological Medicine | Cambridge Core

Finally, we want to thank all our IHCC members for participating in our activities and who continue to provide valuable input to the IHCC surveys, workshops, webinars, newsletters, summits, and governance meetings throughout the year. You are the focus of these efforts as we endeavor to convene, connect, and catalyze successful scientific collaborations across the IHCC. We are truly grateful for your time and effort.  

As always we welcome your input and guidance – please reach out anytime.

Sincerely, Geoff, Michele, and Peter