ICASA 2013 - 17th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA 2013) will take place in South Africa on 7-11 December 2013. The 17th ICASA is an opportunity to renew this global commitment by drawing the world’s attention to the fact that the legacy is now under threat as a result of the global economic downturn. This year’s ICASA is an opportunity for the international community, and all Africans, to join efforts in committing to achieving an AIDS-free Africa. Given the urgency of the issue we are anticipating 7 000 -10 000 of the world’s leading scientists, policy makers, activists, PLHIV, government leaders – as well as a number of heads of state and civil society representatives – will be joining the debate on how to achieve this vision.
Jobs and Announcements
This call for proposals is the first of three annual Health Systems Research Initiative calls, jointly supported by DFID, ESRC, MRC and the Wellcome Trust targeting research in Low and Middle-Income Countries. The aim is to fund rigorous, high quality research that will:
1. Generate evidence on how to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.
2. Inform the delivery of evidence-based interventions or structural changes.
3. Provide evidence that is of direct relevance to decision makers and users in the field.
Research should generate practical solutions to implementing health system improvements, including technical, economic, and cultural or governance/managerial components of implementation and sustainability. No particular diseases or health-related problems are prioritised for this call. All projects should focus on impacts on the most vulnerable populations and/or those in poorly resourced settings. A total of up to £15 million is available over a three year period to support several awards. There will be one call each year with a budget of £5million ’per call’ to cover a number of awards. Applications may be for:
* Development grants with a duration of 1-2 years and a total budget of around £100k each. These grants are tailored to assist interdisciplinary teams to develop robust and competitive proposals.
* Full-scale research projects of up to 5 years duration. Typically the funders would expect a project of 3-4 years with costs of £100-£200k per annum.
For more information see the website.
Making All Voices Count is a global initiative that supports innovation, scaling-up, and research to deepen existing innovations and help harness new technologies to enable citizen engagement and government responsiveness. This Grand Challenge focuses global attention on creative and cutting-edge solutions, including those that use mobile and web technology, to ensure the voices of all citizens are heard and that governments have the capacity, as well as the incentive, to listen and respond. Invited to apply are: individuals ( Innovation grants only) universities, academic institutions, research institutes, organisations ( all registered non-government associations; charities or societies; faith-based organisations; community-based organisations; not-for-profit and for-profit companies and corporations; social enterprises; and government), as well as private sector companies.
The Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 30 September to 3 October 2014.The theme of the symposium is the science and practice of people-centred health systems. Researchers, policy-makers, funders, implementers and other stakeholders, from all regions and all socio-economic levels, will work together on the challenge of how to make health systems more responsive to the needs of individuals, families and communities. The symposium invites abstract submissions. The Organized session abstract submission closes 15 January 2014 and the Individual abstract submission closes 3 March 2014. More information is available on the symposium website.
World AIDS Day on 1 December brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world. Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths". The World AIDS Campaign focus on "Zero AIDS related deaths" signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honour promises like the Abuja declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.
This call is for a consultant to design an E/M health strategy and its implementation plan for the ECSA Health Community region in consultation with relevant stakeholders and regional players, ie to undertake an in-depth assessment of the status of implementation of e/mhealth in the ECSA region; present the findings of the assessment to ECSA secretariat; develop the draft regional e/mhealth strategy based on the findings of the situational assessment and an implementation plan for the strategy and present it at a draft regional validation workshop and submit the final regional e/mhealth strategy to ECSA secretariat. Further details at the ECSA HC website.
The main purpose of the assignment is to document and share best practices on retention of HRH as a strategy for motivation and improved productivity with specific objectives of: determining the various retention strategies in Kenya and Malawi; identifying best practices in retention of health workers, including those for reproductive health and family planning; and
benchmarking with best practices regionally and internationally with a view to create a conducive environment for public health workers. Further information can be found on the ECSA HC website.
The Human Rights Scholarship (HRS) is awarded to local or international applicants wishing to undertake graduate research studies at the University of Melbourne in the human rights field and who are able to demonstrate their commitment to the peaceful advancement of respect for human rights. Each year the University offers two HRSs. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that their commitment to the peaceful advancement of respect for human rights extends beyond their academic studies (such as voluntary work and/or work experience). Applicants must have applied for, or be currently enrolled in a graduate research degree in the human rights field at the University of Melbourne. Applicants who have commenced their graduate research degree must have at least 12 months full-time or equivalent candidature remaining. International students must have an unconditional course offer at the University of Melbourne for the course for which they seek the support of a HRS.
The journal Health Policy and Planning and the organisers of the Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research are pleased to issue a call for papers for a special supplement on the theme of "The science and practice of people-centred health systems". People-centred health systems are founded on pro-people philosophies of social justice and equity, recognise the role of social exclusion and inequities as determinants of poor health, and can also actively work to address them. They consider the health needs and preferences of individuals, families and communities, and create the channels through which these can be articulated and realised. They also recognise and actively progress people’s rights to participate in and determine how health systems are organised, resources are allocated, and services are delivered. Original research articles as well as review papers are invited. The theme may reflect either in the topic or focus of the paper (e.g. research on people-led governance, health worker rights or patient-led health care), in the analytical approach adopted (e.g. ethical analysis, approaches that help understand people’s behaviour and motivation), or in the manner of conduct of research (e.g. participatory approaches, focus on researcher reflexivity).
The journal Health Policy and Planning and the organisers of the Third Global Symposium on Health Systems Research are pleased to issue a call for papers for a special supplement on the theme of "The science and practice of people-centred health systems". People-centred health systems are founded on pro-people philosophies of social justice and equity, recognise the role of social exclusion and inequities as determinants of poor health, and can also actively work to address them. They consider the health needs and preferences of individuals, families and communities, and create the channels through which these can be articulated and realised. They also recognise and actively progress people’s rights to participate in and determine how health systems are organised, resources are allocated, and services are delivered. Original research articles as well as review papers are invited. The theme may reflect either in the topic or focus of the paper (e.g. research on people-led governance, health worker rights or patient-led health care), in the analytical approach adopted (e.g. ethical analysis, approaches that help understand people’s behaviour and motivation), or in the manner of conduct of research (e.g. participatory approaches, focus on researcher reflexivity).