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Introduction: Integrating services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) into existing primary care platforms such as HIV programmes has been recommended as a way of strengthening health systems, reducing redundancies and leveraging existing systems to rapidly scale-up underdeveloped programmes. Mathematical modelling provides a powerful tool to address questions around priorities, optimization and implementation of such programmes. In this study, we examine the case for NCD-HIV integration, use Kenya as a case-study to highlight how modelling has supported wider policy formulation and decision-making in healthcare and to collate stakeholders' recommendations on use of models for NCD-HIV integration decisionmaking. Discussion: Across Africa, NCDs are increasingly posing challenges for health systems, which historically focused on the care of acute and infectious conditions. Pilot programmes using integrated care services have generated advantages for both provider and user, been cost-effective, practical and achieve rapid coverage scale-up. The shared chronic nature of NCDs and HIV means that many operational approaches and infrastructure developed for HIV programmes apply to NCDs, suggesting this to be a cost-effective and sustainable policy option for countries with large HIV programmes and small, un-resourced NCD programmes. However, the vertical nature of current disease programmes, policy financing and operations operate as barriers to NCD-HIV integration. Modelling has successfully been used to inform health decision-making across a number of disease areas and in a number of ways. Examples from Kenya include (i) estimating current and future disease burden to set priorities for public health interventions, (ii) forecasting the requisite investments by government, (iii) comparing the impact of different integration approaches, (iv) performing cost-benefit analysis for integration and (v) evaluating health system capacity needs. Conclusions: Modelling can and should play an integral part in the decision-making processes for health in general and NCD-HIV integration specifically. It is especially useful where little data is available. The successful use of modelling to inform decision-making will depend on several factors including policy makers' comfort with and understanding of models and their uncertainties, modellers understanding of national priorities, funding opportunities and building local modelling capacity to ensure sustainability Keywords: policy; integration; modelling; Kenya; non-communicable diseases; HIV, 1 | INTRODUCTION The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries calls for concerted efforts at prevention, early detection and optimization of health systems for effective [...]

Keywords: HIV; NCD; integrated care; LMICs; epidemiological and clinical data; computational modelling; capacity building, Remarkable advances in HIV prevention, care and treatment, made through the discovery of antiretroviral drugs, have enabled people living with HIV (PLHIV) to live longer lives [1]. Yet, as they [...]

Building health research expertise q developing countries often requires personnel to receive training beyond national borders. For research funding agencies that sponsor this type of training, a major goal is to ensure that trainees return to their country of origin: attaining this objective requires the use of oroactive strategies. The strategies described were developed under the extramural acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) International Training and Research Program (AITRP) funded by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institutes of Health. United States. This programme supports universities in the United States that provide research training to scientists from developing countries to enable them to address the global epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS and the related tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. This paper describes the strategies employed to discourage brain drain by the principle investigators (PIs) of five of the longest-funded AITRPs (funded for 15 years). Long-term trainees in these programmes spent from 11 to 96 months (an average of 26 months) studying. Using scientific, political and economic strategies that address brain drain issues, PIs working in AITRPs have attained an average rate of return home for their trainees of 80% Keywords Research personnel/supply and distribution. Brain drain; Emigration and Immigration; Biomedica research/education; Training support/organization and administration; Research support; Health priorities; HIV infections; Developing countries; Developed countries (source: MESH, NLM). Mots cles Personnel de recherche/ressources et distribution; Exode des competences; Emigration et immigration; Recherche biomedicale/ enseignement; Aide enseignement/organisation et administration; Priorites en sante; Infection a VlH; Pays en developpement; Pays developpe (source: MESH, INSERM). Palabras clave Investigadores/provision y distribucior; Exodo intellectual; Migracion international: Investigacion biomedica/educacion; Apoyo a la formacion profesional/organizacion y administracion; Prioridades en salud; Infecciones por VlH; Paises en desarrollo; Pages desarrollados (fuente: DeCS, BIREME). [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII.], Resume Strategies destinees a decourager l'exode des competences Pour acquerir des competences en matiere de recherche sanitaire, les personnels des pays en developpement doivent souvent se former a l'etranger. Pour [...]

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare that funds for the publication of this paper were from the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. JO and NA are employed by the Fogarty International Center. LEK is retired from the Fogarty International Center.

Building health research expertise in developing countries often requires personnel to receive training beyond national borders. For research funding agencies that sponsor this type of training, a major goal is to ensure that trainees return to their country of origin: attaining this objective requires the use of proactive strategies. The strategies described were developed under the extramural acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) International Training and Research Program (AITRP) funded by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) at the National Institutes of Health, United States. This programme supports universities in the United States that provide research training to scientists from developing countries to enable them to address the global epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS and the related tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. This paper describes the strategies employed to discourage brain drain by the principle investigators (PIs) of five of the longest-funded AITRPs (funded for 15 years). Long-term trainees in these programmes spent from 11 to 96 months (an average of 26 months) studying. Using scientific, political and economic strategies that address brain drain issues, PIs working in AITRPs have attained an average rate of return home for their trainees of 80%.