Supporting the creation of new institutional review boards in developing countries: The U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment experience

The U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment (NMRCD) has worked in Peru since 1983, conducting research on diseases of military importance in large part by interacting with multiple research partners across the scientific community of Central America and South America. Over the years, NMRCD has had research collaborations in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. In addition to the various infectious diseases research collaborations, NMRCD has supported capacity building for research ethics and the creation of new institutional review boards. This article describes the contributions of NMRCD to research ethics training in Central America and South America, with specific emphasis on the support given to the creation of new institutional review boards.