People's Health Movement (PHM) is preparing for another round of watching at the 138th Executive Executive Board (EB138) meeting taking place from 25 to 30 January 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. PHM believes that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the legitimate space for global health policy making. Through the WHO Watch initiative, PHM intervenes in the discussion of WHO's key decisions making bodies and brings the voice of the movements struggling for Health for All. PHM are in the early stages of putting together the Watch and hope to get more and new watchers from around the world involved, consulting with country circles on key issues, and developing a solid commentary on issues of interest discussed at the meetings. During the meeting, PHM will have a skype channel open where the key points of the discussions will be shared.
Jobs and Announcements
The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation is currently accepting concept notes for its first round of 2016 Grants. Non-profit organisations in developing countries that are focusing in one of the three fields – conservation, food and health are invited to apply. The foundation supports projects that demonstrate strong local leadership, promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences; develop the capacity of local organisations; and address a particular problem in the field. Average grant size is US$17,000. Grant request can be made for maximum US$25,000. Conservation Grants aims to improve ecological and environmental conditions in the developing world. Research activities, training, and technical assistance efforts are supported under Conservation Grants. Food Grants are allocated to efforts aimed at improving access to food for consumption in developing countries. Health Grants are focused at programs that are preventive in nature. Research, technical assistance, and training projects are supported under Health Grants. It supports research, technical assistance, and training projects that improve public health through community-based efforts that address health promotion, disease prevention, family planning, and reproductive health; and increase the understanding and treatment of tropical diseases.
University College London (UCL) invite staff members or students of any African university to submit photographs which capture personal stories and experiences of contemporary Africa. The winning selections will be exhibited in physical form and online as part of the AfricanVoices season at UCL and then displayed by the UCL African Studies Research Centre (Institute of Advanced Studies) on walls, online and at other events with the photographer’s name displayed clearly in each case. The best overall entry will be awarded a tablet and there will be four runners-up prizes for the best photograph in each category. Photographs will be judged in four categories: Cities, Health, Human Wellbeing and Intercultural Interaction. The competition is not open to professional photographers.
Health System Global announces the Call for Abstracts for the Fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research on the Symposium website. The theme os Resilient and responsive health systems for a changing world. Submissions are invited for both organized sessions and individual abstracts. Please visit the site to find out about: key dates and deadlines, how to submit your abstract and other details on taking part in the Symposium. Please also make sure to visit the site regularly as HSG will keep updating it with announcements and relevant resources in the coming months. Please share the call with colleagues and anyone else who might be interested.
The General Council, on 10 December 2014, agreed that the 10th Ministerial Conference be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 15 to 18 December 2015.
The South African Health Review (SAHR), published annually by Health Systems Trust (HST) for 18 years, is an accredited peer-reviewed journal that is widely respected as an authoritative source of research, analysis and reflection on health systems. The SAHR advances knowledge agenda-setting, production and sharing. Being published in the Review affords authors the opportunity to participate in and contribute to a recognised and established community of expertise which offers a South African perspective on prevailing local and international public health issues. Concepts for chapter submissions should represent manuscripts that highlight critical commentary on current areas of significant interest or debate, and offer empirical understandings for improving South Africa’s health systems reform and application of health policy, focusing on innovative and good practice models. Researchers, educators, students, policy-makers, planners, capacity-builders, managers and specialist practitioners in the field of health systems and related health development disciplines are invited to submit abstracts for the 2015/16 SAHR to editor@hst.org.za Guidelines for authors can be downloaded via the below link. Strict adherence to these guidelines is essential. Submission of an abstract for the SAHR does not guarantee acceptance. All manuscripts will undergo systematic peer review according to documented standards.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, begun in 2014, is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. In 2016, the Fellowship will provide 1,000 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. higher education institution with support for professional development after they return home. The Fellows should be between the ages of 25 and 35, have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. The 2016 fellowships include: A six-week Academic and Leadership Institute at U.S. colleges and universities; A Summit with President Obama in Washington, DC and an optional six-week professional development experience (PDE) at a U.S.company, civil society organization, or public sector agency.
TrustAfrica, under the administration of the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa is pleased to announce 2 Post-Doctoral Fellowships for 2015. The fellowship awards are for R200,000 per annum and there is the possibility for a maximum of 2 years. The selected fellowships will be attached to the DST/NRF Research Chair (SARChI) in Applied Poverty Reduction Assessment. Funding for two fellowships has been made possible by TrustAfrica. The purpose is to promote and undertake research on government, private sector and civil society interventions that have been designed to reduce poverty. The two TrustAfrica fellowships will follow research topics around the political economy of illicit financial flows. Preference will be given to South African applicants.The deadline for bursary applications is 15 October 2015.
The theme of the Health Systems Trust (HST) Conference is "Strengthened health systems for sustainable development: sharing, supporting, synergising". The sub-themes are the general heading under which abstracts should be submitted: Track 1 Overcoming the Burden of Disease, Track 2 Strengthening Service Delivery and Access; Track 3 Better Policy Design, Implementation and Practice; Track 4 Sustainable Development Post 2015. All abstract submissions should be written in Arial type, font size 11 if completing the downloadable form on the conference website. As of 1 September 2015, all abstracts should be submitted online through the conference website.
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, in the Republic of Mauritius will host the 62nd ECSA Health Ministers Conference (HMC) from 23rd – 27th November 2015 in Mauritius. The Health Ministers Conference will be preceded by the 9th Best Practices Forum and the 25th Directors’ Joint Consultative Committee. The Conference will bring together Ministers of Health, Senior Officials from Ministries of Health, Heads of Health Research and Training Institutions from Member States, Health Experts and diverse collaborating Partners in the region and beyond with the aim of identifying policy issues and making recommendations to facilitate the transitioning from MDGs to Sustainable Development Goals.