The White House announced on Monday that the U.S. and Russia have signed on to a “memo of understanding” to cooperate on several public health and medical science projects, ModernHealthcare.com reports. The agreement calls for USAID and other scientific research institutions to work on specific health goals with Russian institutions, including the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Rhea, 6/6).

The cooperative arrangement includes work in “infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and pandemic preparedness and response; chronic and non-communicable diseases, including diagnosis, surveillance, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer; promoting healthy lifestyles, including tobacco and alcohol consumption reduction, drug abuse prevention, and trying to lower deaths from highway accidents; maternal and child health protection, including promoting best practices in maternal and child health; improving global health, including facilitating international cooperation on the surveillance and monitoring of infectious diseases, and fortifying health systems in developing countries,” UPI reports (6/6).