Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of human death and illness worldwide. Each year more than 41 million people die from an NCD such as cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. More than 80 percent of premature deaths from NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries. Inaction on this problem harms development, human potential, and economic productivity.
The RTI International Center for Global NCDs leverages multidisciplinary technical expertise, research capacity, and programmatic experience to prevent and manage the negative health, economic, and social impacts of NCDs. We work in more than 40 countries around the world, partnering with governments, non-governmental organizations, private foundations, and multilateral organizations to confront NCDs in all stages, by designing, implementing, and evaluating policy, prevention, and treatment interventions. We are committed to working towards achieving the target outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030.
The Center is directed by Rachel Nugent, a prominent global health economist with more than 25 years of experience in global NCD work. See Our Team below to learn more about each member of our team and why we work on global NCDs. We bring together the breadth of expertise required to develop sustainable solutions to the NCD crisis, including health economics and financing, health systems strengthening, implementation science, policy analysis, program development and evaluation, data science, and survey design. We draw upon RTI’s organizational experience in addressing other long-standing global health challenges—including communicable diseases; health security and pandemic threats; and reproductive, maternal, and child health—to identify how NCD approaches and interventions can be integrated, financed, and delivered within capacities, working alongside our partners to co-produce solutions that are tailored to national, local, and organizational circumstances.
