Collaborating Across
Latin America
The Power of Cross-Border Collaboration in Latin America: A Smarter Approach to Rare Diseases
Greater Impact:
Rare diseases affect small patient populations, making it difficult for any single country—especially in Latin America—to gather sufficient expertise, data, or infrastructure. Cross-border collaboration pools knowledge, patient registries, and clinical experience, leading to better diagnostics, treatment pathways, and research outcomes.
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Specialists in rare pediatric neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders are scarce across the region. Coordinating training, conferences, and telehealth initiatives across countries maximizes the impact of each investment in education, travel, and technology.
By bringing together clinicians from Ecuador and Chile, the Harriet Joyce Foundation fosters a shared regional understanding of best practices in rare disease diagnosis and management, aligning both countries more closely with international standards.
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Building a Regional
Knowledge Network:
Initiatives like the Child Neuropsychiatry Course help form lasting professional networks that support long-term peer learning and case-sharing. These relationships make it easier to coordinate future research, advocacy, and policy influence across the region
Equity and Inclusion:
Rare disease patients often face delayed or missed diagnoses due to geographic or socioeconomic barriers. By promoting collaboration, the Foundation helps ensure that high-quality care and specialized knowledge reach a broader and more diverse population.