The South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), which is a key strategic project of the Medical Research Council, Department of Health, ESKOM and other stakeholders, is tasked with developing an affordable, effective and locally relevant HIV vaccine for Southern Africa. SAAVI comprises of a tightly coordinated group of approximately 150 scientists/ clinicians/immunologist/ethicists/layers/community educators/manufacturers/funders, etc.
SAAVI is a multimillion dollar R & D initiative which has experienced significant growth, and requires the services of a highly motivated individual to join the SAAVI directorate to assist with the management and direction of the initiative. The incumbent will report to the SAAVI director and will work closely with the director in maintaining, expanding and directing the initiative.
Jobs and Announcements
June 24 -July 5 2002. Globally on an average 47% of the population live in urban areas. Even at the lower consumption figures of 100 -150 litres per capita per day the water consumption in Africa would be 45 mill m3 and in Asia 200 mill (Water and sanitation assessment report prepared for the 2nd World Water Forum). Most of this water returns as waste. On the other hand agriculture consumes more than 70 percent of exploited water resources globally and cities are increasingly competing for water with agriculture. See the RUAF website for more information.
An HIV/AIDS workshop will be held at the University of Natal, Durban, from 16-18 July The need for this workshop evolved from a "Think Tank" held earlier this year in Durban. The workshop is for all nurses - whether they be practitioners, educators or managers. The focus of the workshop will be on HIV immunology, clinical manifestations and antiretroviral therapies and care for the caregiver. The workshop will be facilitated by Professor Donna Gallagher from the University of Massachusetts and Sheila Davis, an adult nurse practitioner in the Partners Aids Research.
Workshop attendance will be restricted.
Please direct enquiries to maharajs35@nu.ac.za Cost: R200,00. Delegates will be responsible for their own accommodation and travel arrangements.
InfoAgrar (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation)is organizing this international symposium to foster exchange of experience between important stakeholders and promote the debate on strategies for the future. How can farmers in developing countries protect their traditional knowledge? Who controls the use of seeds? Do patents foster or hinder agricultural research for development? Lively discussions about such questions are currently taking place. One of the key issues in the debate is the increasing use of genetic engineering techniques in agriculture and the related trend to introduce patents to protect achievements. Another issue is the increased importance attributed to traditional knowledge and farmers? rights. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and rural development is a concern shared by many different groups: farmers in the South, public research centres, the private industry, government agencies and NGOs working in development cooperation. The symposium seeks to contribute to the development of a system of intellectual property protection that benefits food security at the global level.The results of the symposium will serve as input for future discussions at the political level. The symposium will also provide a civil society audience with a good opportunity to learn about the state of the debate on a controversial issue. Registration fee is US$100. For more information, contact InfoAgrar, Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland - Phone: +41 31 910 21 90/91
4th World Congress - San Francisco - 2003
June 15th - June 18th, 2003
Hilton San Francisco and Towers, California, USA
With the expansion of the world economy and increasing migration, parallel flows have occurred in health systems, medical technology and infectious pathogens. Globalism has increased the need for the development and transfer of accurate health economics research and careful policy analysis. Without it, lessons will go unlearned and mistakes will be repeated. Global health economics offers the potential to improve health for both donor and recipient countries. This is a new and important challenge in the application of economics to health and health care.
The Institute of Population Health recently established by the University of Ottawa is seeking applications for Senior and Junior Research Chairs and Postdoctoral Research Fellows. The Institute involves investigators from seven faculties within the University of Ottawa: Administration, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Sciences. The Institute involves investigators from seven faculties within the University of Ottawa: Administration, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Sciences. The Institute will carry out a transdisciplinary academic program of research and training in Equity studies, and will serve as a resource to the public, consumers, clinicians, government and industry. Enquiries should be addressed to Liz Lacasse Executive Assistant to Peter Tugwell, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, via telephone 613-562-5346 or email.
New York, NY (May 1, 2002) -- Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organization that promotes architecture and design solutions to global, social
and humanitarian crises, announces its 2002 International Design Competition. For this year's competition, participants are asked to develop designs for a fully equipped, mobile, medical unit and HIV/AIDS treatment center specifically for use in Africa. "Architects and designers have not only an opportunity," said Frank Gehry, Architecture for Humanity advisory board member, "but a professional obligation to help to end this crisis. We need to employ the same caliber of design talent and innovative use of materials we use in commercial projects to create a viable solution to the HIV/AIDS epidemic." The deadline for design submissions is November 1, 2002. There is a $35 entry fee which will be waived for submissions from developing countries. Contact Cameron Sinclair, Executive Director/Founder. Phone: 1 646 654 0906 or via email.
The Pan American Health and Education Foundation is pleased to announce the introduction of a new international award to recognize and stimulate excellence in the field of bioethics. The 2002 Manuel Velasco-Suarez Bioethics Award is intended to stimulate young scholars or researchers in the development of their capacities for bioethical analysis. The award carries a cash prize of US$10,000. More information can be obtained on the web. Nominations must be received by 15 June 2002 at the Foundation's US office: The Manuel Velasco-Suarez Bioethics Award Committee c/o Pan American Health and Education Foundation - 525 23rd Street NW - Washington, DC 20037
WHO is looking for people with experience in descriptive epidemiology and analysis to work on the Global Burden of Disease 2000 project. This project involves systematic reviews of available data and epidemiological studies on specific diseases, development of disease models for ensuring consistency of mortality data with other epidemiological data, and the preparation of reports and publications. Please send curriculum vitae to Dr. Colin Mathers, Acting Coordinator, Epidemiology and Burden of Disease, World Health Organization.
The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) invite applications or one-year travelling research fellowships in health research, with preference given to proposals which address the MRC's research priorities (available on the wed at the URL below) and particularly to those addressing HIV/AIDS research. The fellowship may be held in South Africa for non-South African applicants, or in any other African country for South African applicants. The award will cover the fellow's return travel from home to host country, the fellow's salary (calculated on South African scales, in US$) in the host country, and reasonable research costs in the host country. Five such fellowships may be awarded. Applicants providing proof of a research doctorate or equivalent in a health-related area including, health economics, nursing or public health will be considered. Applicants that do not hold a research doctorate or equivalent must have proven research capabilities. They must be citizens of an African country, currently working in that country, and must be able to provide assurance that there is a position to return to in their home country on completion of the fellowship. To be considered for this fellowship, applicants must submit a preliminary application with the following information: a) full curriculum vitae of the visiting fellow and host researcher,including full publications lists and reliable telephone, cellullar/mobile 'phone, fax and e-mail contact details; b) a letter of support from the host researcher; c) a letter from the home institution assuring a post to return to after completion of the fellowship; d) a 2-page project outline prepared in consultation with the host researcher; e) a preliminary budget in US$ to cover the fellows return airfare and reasonable research costs. Applicants must send a preliminary application to the MRC by Friday 28 June 2002. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the preliminary application by Friday 19 July 2002. The full application must reach the MRC by Thursday 31 October 2002. Applicants will be notified of the nominating committee's final decision by the end of January 2003. Medical Research Council of South Africa, 2001 - PO Box 19070, 7505 Tygerberg, South Africa - Tel +27 (0)21 9380911 / Fax +27 (0)21 9380200.