The Symposium is the first of its kind targeting a multi-disciplinary field and audience and will gather researchers, policy-makers, funders and other stakeholders in a three-day conference. Researchers, policy-makers, funders, and other stakeholders representing diverse constituencies will meet from 16–19 November 2010 in Montreux, Switzerland, to share evidence, identify significant knowledge gaps, and set a research agenda that reflects the needs of low and middle-income countries. Themes include: political economy of universal health coverage; health system financing; scaling-up of health services; monitoring and evaluation; knowledge translation; terminology, taxonomies and frameworks; methods for health science research (HSR) and knowledge translation; measures used in HSR; capacity building for HSR; and multidisciplinary approaches.
Jobs and Announcements
Applicants are invited to submit abstracts to this year’s conference on the theme ‘Revitalising primary health care and achieving the Millennium Development Goals’. There are six sub-themes: strengthening human resources for health management for effective health; fostering quality assurance in health care; enhancing equitable access to mental health care services through primary health care; improving maternal and child health; advocating for improved sexual and reproductive health services; strengthening primary health care for prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases and lifestyle health problems.
The key aim of the Graça Machel Scholarship Programme is to help provide the female human resources necessary for economic, social and cultural development in the southern African region and to develop an educated and skilled workforce that can benefit the wider community. Scholarships that target women have long been recognised as an effective approach in addressing gender equality and eradicating poverty. By providing opportunities to study at postgraduate level, these scholarships aim to empower women and to equip them to take up leadership positions in order to have a direct impact in the communities, nations and region in which they live. These female scholars must be positive role models for other women. The scholarships are for female students from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe studying in South Africa. They are valid for two years’ postgraduate study and include payment of a maintenance allowance, travel, health insurance and tuition fees. Applicants must have at least two years’ relevant work experience.
A programme of the International Youth Foundation, YouthActionNet seeks to develop a new generation of socially conscious global citizens who create positive change in their communities, their countries, and the world. Each year, 20 young social entrepreneurs are selected as YouthActionNet Global Fellows following a competitive application process. The yearlong Global Fellowship includes: skill-building, networking and resources, and advocacy. It is open to all young people aged 18–29. Applicants must be the founder/co-founder of an existing organisation, or a project within an organisation, with a demonstrated one year track record of leading societal change. Proficiency in English is required, and applications must be submitted in English. Applicants must attend the full retreat, 1–8 October 2010 (all expenses paid).
Every year, the CIVICUS World Assembly offers about fifty activities grouped around the overall theme, an annual focus theme and sub-themes. The activities comprise plenary sessions, round tables, workshops, networking sessions and formal events. The 2010 World Assembly in Montreal will introduce the concept of interactive group discussions (or Parcours) for the first time. The overall theme of the CIVICUS World Assembly is 'Acting Together for a Just World'. Every year this is explored through a focus theme. In 2010 the focus theme will be 'Seeking Out Solutions'. This theme will address the issues of economy, development and climate. The Assembly has a number of aims. It offers: to provide first hand knowledge on the state of the art of civil society thinking; to establish cross-cutting relationships with civil society, business, media, government and donor organisation professionals from around the globe; in-depth exchange of expertise on how people from all sectors act together to (re)gain the power to enforce decisions; training and capacity building on a wide range of tangible skills e.g. fundraising, networking, mobilisation, volunteering, campaigning etc; and the opportunity to find partners and funding to realise and expand your projects.
Diplomacy is undergoing profound changes in the 21st century - and global health is one of the areas where this is most apparent. As health moves beyond its purely technical realm to become an ever more critical element in foreign policy, security policy and trade agreements, new skills are needed to negotiate global regimes, international agreements and treaties, and to maintain relations with a wide range of actors. The summer course will focus on health diplomacy as it relates to health issues that transcend national boundaries and are global in nature, discuss the challenges before it, and how they are being addressed by different groups and at different levels of governance. Deliberations include Intellectual Property Rights, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the International Health Regulations, the creation of new finance mechanisms such as the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria or UNITAID, and the response to SARS and Avian Flu. The course director is Prof. Dr. Ilona Kickbusch. Tuition for attending the programme is 2,800 Swiss francs, excluding travel costs, accommodation or other living expenses in Geneva.
The Susie Smith memorial prize of £3000 will be awarded to a single piece of already published writing on HIV and AIDS from sub-Saharan Africa. Any type of piece – (e.g. poetry, fiction, article, chapter of a book) – of up to 10,000 words, in English, and published since January 2006, will be eligible. The judges will focus on two key elements: Quality of the piece itself (writing, analysis, insights); and evidence of impact of the writing in the media and/or with people, governments or other institutions. All submissions must be received by 18 April 2010 and include a cover letter outlining what kind of impact the piece has had and/or what it has achieved, sent to: Susie Smith Memorial Prize Submission, Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Oxford, OX4 2JY.
This will be the first time MEDINFO is held in Africa. The Congress aims to boost exposure to grassroots healthcare delivery and the underpinning health information systems, as well as to open the door to new academic partnerships into the future and help to nurture a new breed of health informaticians. The theme for the Congress is ‘Partnerships for effective e-health solutions’, with a particular focus on how innovative collaborations can promote sustainable solutions to health challenges. Information and communication technologies may have enormous potential for improving the health and lives of individuals. Innovative and effective change using such technologies is reliant upon people working together in partnerships to create innovative and effective solutions to problems with particular regard to contextual and environmental factors. To this end, the Congress brings together the health informatics community from across the globe who are seeking to work together and share experiences and knowledge to promote sustainable solutions to global health challenges.
Researchers, policy-makers, representatives of donor and multinational organizations, and other stakeholders representing diverse constituencies will gather in Montreux, Switzerland to share evidence, identify significant knowledge gaps, and set a research agenda aimed at accelerating universal health coverage. Registration to the Symposium is limited, so register early to ensure your participation. For information on registration fees and conditions visit http://www.hsr-symposium.org/index.php/registration.
Application is now open for the following:
- Young Researcher Programme - http://www.hsrsymposium.org/index.php/young-researchers-call
- Scholarships - http://www.hsrsymposium.org/index.php/scholarships
- Satellite sessions - http://www.hsrsymposium.org/index.php/satellite-meetings
- Marketplace stalls - http://www.hsr-symposium.org/index.php/marketplace
The Call for Abstracts closes on April 30, 2010
Three leading paediatric associations are uniting to host the 26th IPA Congress of Paediatrics in Johannesburg, South Africa from 4–9 August 2010. More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend this landmark event, the first IPA congress to be held in sub-Saharan Africa. It will unite paediatricians and health professionals working towards the target set by Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce child mortality by two thirds before 2015. The scientific programme is designed to meet the needs of general paediatricians from both the developed and the developing world. Plenary sessions will include: the MDGs and the current state of health of children in the world, and progress towards the MDGs; the state of the world’s newborns, including major issues determining maternal and newborn health in developing and developed countries; the determinants of health, such as genetics, nutrition and the environment; disasters and trauma affecting child health, such as disasters, crises and the worldwide epidemic of trauma; and the global burden of infectious diseases affecting children and the challenge of emerging infections.