The MRC/DfID African Research Leader scheme is awarded for non-clinical and clinical researchers of exceptional ability. The aim of the scheme is to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by attracting and retaining talented individuals undertaking high quality programmes of research. The ARL scheme will continue to build on existing strong research partnerships between African and UK research organizations by providing support for outstanding non-clinical and clinical researchers, ideally from less resourced, sub-Saharan Africa countries. The scheme is open to all research areas within the Medical Research Council’s remit that address the priority health problems of people in developing countries and where the research is best conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes biomedical and health research (including social sciences and public health research) relevant to national and regional health needs and priorities. Potential African Research Leader candidates must supply a high-quality science proposal, be affiliated to an African research organisation and have a UK partner (investigator and institution).
Jobs and Announcements
The International Development Research Centre and the Canadian Global Tobacco Control Forum are calling for concept notes concerning the expansion of fiscal policies for global and national tobacco control. The key objective of this call is to generate knowledge designed to accelerate the adoption of effective fiscal policies for tobacco control in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Key thematic areas include: research on the impact of various types of tobacco taxes or pricing policies; region-based research to establish actual and model budgets for tobacco control; research on coordinated regional and global taxes, tariffs and/or other levies on tobacco products and the profits from tobacco sales; and research to identify barriers to, and strategies for, accessing Official Development Assistance for tobacco control. The principal applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of a LMIC and with a primary work affiliation in a LMIC institution.
The International Development Research Centre is calling for concept notes concerning the promotion of healthy diets as a key strategy for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries(LMICs). The key objective of this call is to support Southern-led research designed to influence the adoption and implementation of effective policies and programmes for the promotion of healthy diets in LMICs. Key thematic areas include: research on policies, population-wide programs and community-based interventions that aim to discourage production and consumption unhealthy food products and promote healthy eating; and evidence syntheses or situation analyses to inform policy dialogues and the adoption and implementation of key interventions to address unhealthy diets as a key NCD risk factor. Please note that three major cross-cutting issues are central to the NCD programme: equity, intersectoral action and commercial influence on public health-related policy. The principal applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of a LMIC and with a primary work affiliation in a LMIC institution.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for papers for all sections of the Bulletin and encourage authors to consider contributions that address any of the following topics: disease burden assessments in low-income countries, since information in this area is scarce; vaccination implementation and policy, particularly on the cost and public health benefit of vaccination programmes; and the evaluation of nonpharmaceutical public health measures since these are widely described as control measures, but there is less published evidence on their effectiveness than for pharmaceutical interventions (vaccines and medicines). In particular, WHO seeks submission of papers that document experiences from low-resource settings.
At the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, approximately 2,000 delegates will review global progress in improving the impact and effectiveness of aid, and make commitments that set a new agenda for development. The Forum follows meetings in Rome, Paris and Accra that helped transform aid relationships between donors and partners into true vehicles for development cooperation. Based on 50 years of field experience and research, the five principles that resulted from these fora encourage local ownership, alignment of development programmes around a country’s development strategy, harmonisation of practices to reduce transaction costs, the avoidance of fragmented efforts and the creation of results frameworks.
On the occasion of the ten-year anniversary of the Doha Declaration, Medicins sans Frontieres (MSF) is launching an ‘ideas contest’ on how to revise TRIPS so that it genuinely meets global public health needs. Contestants are asked to respond to the following question: Can TRIPS be reformed to meet public health needs? If your answer is YES, describe your idea for how the treaty should be changed. If NO, explain why not, and propose an alternative. Anyone is eligible to submit an entry, either as an individual, a team, and/or on behalf of an institution. The contest seeks to attract ideas from around the world from creative thinkers who may be academics, students, activists, analysts, government officials, journalists, or from the private sector. Submissions from low- and middle-income countries are particularly encouraged. There are two submission options: Option 1: A written essay of 500-1000 words (excluding footnotes and references). Option 2: An audio visual entry: video, audio, slideshow or photofilm of no more than five minutes. Submissions should succinctly describe a proposal to change the TRIPS Agreement so that it is conducive to global public health.
Every Saturday at 12 noon Eastern Standard time, African Views Radio holds regular discussions on health care systems in Africa in a show called African Health Dialogues. The forum is accessible to online audiences live on air and also via podcast. There is also an opportunity for people to call in via phone to participate in the discussions from any part of the world. The first show aired on 30 July 2011 and explored the status of healthcare systems in Africa with respect to the past, present and future. The producers of the programme are inviting participants to call in and join the discussions.
The G20 Summit will take place on 3-4 November 2011 in Cannes, France, and preparations are progressing for the Alter-Forum to be held in Nice, from 1-4 November 2011. The “People First, Not Finance” Alter-Forum will be organised around six themes: stop austerity and end inequalities (austerity, employment, social rights, health and welfare); focus on the people, not the market (finance regulation and debt); change the system, not the planet (environment and development); don’t gamble with our food (agriculture, food); indignados, rebels and solidarity (democracy and human rights); and global governance. Several activities will be organised by the coalition, including a protest on 1 November and a press conference on 4 November at the end of the alter-forum and the G20 Summit. The coalition calls on all civil society groups, social movements, NGOs and trade unions to take the initiative of organising one or several events during the Alter-Forum.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly will be holding a UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) from 19-20 September 2011. The Summit will focus on the four most prominent non-communicable diseases, namely, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. The aim of the summit is to agree on a global strategy to address NCDs. The UN Summit on NCDs is the second of its kind to focus on a global disease issue. The first UN Summit related to health was the HIV/AIDS meeting in 2001 which led to the creation of the Global Fund. Non-communicable disease indicators are on the agenda for discussion and acceptance of the goals could lead to the future earmarking of overseas development aid to address cancer and other NCDs in developing countries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is convening a global conference on 19-21 October, 2011, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to build support for the implementation of action on social determinants of health. The Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working closely with WHO on preparing the event. The conference will bring together Member States and stakeholders to share experiences on policies and strategies aiming to reduce health inequities. The event will provide a global platform for dialogue on how the recommendations of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2008) could be taken forward. The key aim of the process is to draw lessons learnt and to catalyse coordinated global action in five key areas: governance to tackle the root causes of health inequities by implementing action on social determinants of health; the role of the health sector, including public health programmes, in reducing health inequities; promoting participation through community leadership for action on social determinants; global action on social determinants by aligning priorities and stakeholders; and monitoring progress in terms of measurement and analysis to inform policies on social determinants.