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.
Jobs and Announcements
Call for papers for the WHO Bulletin
Deadline for submissions: 20 October 2011
Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness
Busan, Korea: 29 November-1 December 2011
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.
MSF launches: Revising TRIPS for public health: an ideas contest
Deadline: 19 September 2011
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.
New radio show on African health care systems: African Health Dialogues
African Views Radio: August 2011
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.
Participants called to organise activities at the “People First, Not Finance” Alter-Forum
French G8G20 2011 Coalition: 27 July 2011
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.
Contact: contactg8g20@altermob.org
United Nations Summit On Non-Communicable Diseases
19-20 September 2011: New York, United States
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.
World Conference on Social Determinants of Health
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 19-21 October 2011
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.
Africa Regional Association Of Occupational Health Congress
25–27 August 2011: Johannesburg, South Africa
The Africa Regional Association of Occupational Health (ARAOH) Congress is to be hosted by the South African Society of Occupational Medicine Conference (SASOM) from 25–27 August 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa. To register for the event visit the link provided.
BRAC University Admission to MPH Programme [International]
Application deadline: September 30, 2011
The BRAC University is calling for applicants for its Masters of Public Heath programme. Since its inception, the School has received 191 diverse students from different corners of the globe such as South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South Americas, and Europe. The graduates move on to work for their respective governments, national and/or international NGOs, or with various donor and UN agencies. Additionally, universities and research organizations also acquire a large number of our MPH students. The MPH curriculum is structured to maximize learning around the health problems faced by communities in Bangladesh, and elsewhere. This includes extensive field-based instructions complemented by interactive classroom based work in teams. The School has a generous scholarship programme that aims to promote global access to the MPH amongst potential students from all over the world based on merit. The admission process includes an application, reference letters, statement of interest in public health, individual and group interviews, as well as written and oral tests.
Contact: mph@bracu.ac.bd
Call for concept notes: IDRC launches new NCD prevention research programme
Deadline for submissions: 23 September 2011
IDRC's Non-Communicable Disease Prevention programme (NCDP) is a newly approved programme, running from 2011 to 2016, that will provide a response to the major development challenges associated with the rapid rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries. The goal of the NCDP programme is to generate new knowledge to inform the adoption and effective implementation of policies and programmes that are low cost but can have a high impact on reducing the NCD burden and improving overall population health in low-and middle-income countries. To that end, the programme will focus on healthy public policies by targeting its research funding on: regulation, legislation and fiscal policies that address the common NCD risk factors, and cost-effective population-wide programmes or community-based interventions that address the common NCD risk factors and that have the potential to be scaled up or translated to policy. IDRC is calling for concept notes on research to expand fiscal policies for global and national tobacco control and research to support interventions that promote healthy diets.