The Geneva Health Forum is a joint initiative launched by the Geneva University Hospitals and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva in partnership with the several international organisations active in health in Geneva and around the world. The Forum brings together a diverse range of actors involved in global health - from field workers to policy-makers. The GHF forms a developing global network for international and inter-sectoral dialogue, which has the vision of facilitating the strengthening of health systems and basic health services, striving to keep global access to health on the international agenda. The theme of next year’s Forum is 'Globalisation, Crisis and Health Systems: Confronting Regional Perspectives'. It will take place from 19–21 April 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. The opening date for registration online is 30 October 2009.
Jobs and Announcements
The 20th International Union for Health Promotion and Health Education (IUHPE) World Conference on Health Promotion will take place on 11–15 July 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference is calling for abstracts. Submissions must cover core health promotion issues, as well as the crucial links between promoting health and the environmental, economic, urban, social and cultural changes that challenge people, societies and the planet. Abstracts for workshops, symposia, other innovative formats and oral presentations/posters can be submitted in English, French or Spanish. For further details and access to online abstract submission forms, please visit the IUHPE World Conference website.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) would like to invite you to nominate yourself or someone whom you feel has made a significant impact on health care for the annual BMJ Group Awards, 2010. The BMJ Group Awards recognise pioneering individuals and organisations that have demonstrated outstanding and measurable contributions to health care. The range of categories reflects the values of the BMJ Group: Research Paper of the Year; Getting Research into Practice; Primary Care Team of the Year; Secondary Care Team of the Year; Junior Doctor of the Year; Excellence in Healthcare Education; Best Quality Improvement; Clinical Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility; Health Communicator of the Year; and the BMJ Group Award for Lifetime Achievement. Be sure to visit the BMJ Group Awards website and submit your entry before 15 November 2009.
Are you interested in helping to peer review a Cochrane Review in progress? The Cochrane Public Health Group’s (PHRG) contact database now contains 500 potential contributors from 55 countries across six continents. Since last year, the PHRG has welcomed representatives from Afghanistan, Fiji Islands, Uruguay and Ghana, just to name a few. As part of the Cochrane Collaborations’ systematic review process, each protocol and subsequent review requires a team of peer reviewers. Peer reviewers are responsible for assessing the relevance and usefulness of the review. This results in Cochrane Reviews that better meet the needs of end users. If you are interested in peer reviewing please contact Jodie. Please make sure you let Jodie know your areas of interest.
The programme of the conference analyses the differences between South/South collaborations and traditional North/South alliances, examines successes and obstacles to effective functioning of these partnerships and culls lessons that can be learned and adopted by the North.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Millennium Development Goals: Measuring progress in public health in South Africa’. Assessment of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during 2008 (the midpoint) revealed a mixed picture: many health goals remain off target, and huge inequities remain between and within countries. Existing evidence suggests that very few, if any, of the MDGs will be achieved in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2009 PHASA Conference is therefore aptly focused on the MDGs and measuring their progress from a public health perspective. An exciting programme is being put together of local and international speakers, including policy makers, leading local and international academics and international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The International Conference on Healthcare and Trade, organised by the Erasmus Observatory on Health Law, will focus on the influence of the law of both the European Union and the World Trade Organization on trade in health services, health insurance services and health goods (pharmaceuticals). The application of the European Community Treaty, GATS and TRIPS to national regulation of health services, health insurance services and pharmaceuticals raises questions of applicability of, compatibility with and possible exceptions to the provisions of these instruments. In these areas, these questions have not yet been answered conclusively and further research and discussion in this area is ongoing. The conference aims to contribute to the discussion, attempting to formulate both legal and economic answers to these questions. Prepaid advanced registration must be electronically submitted, faxed or mailed no later than 1 December 2009. The conference fee is 250 Euros (concessions are available for students).
The Foundation Council of the Global Forum for Health Research today announced the appointment of Anthony Mbewu as its new Executive Director as of January 2010. Professor Mbewu is currently President of the Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC). He is also Honorary Professor of Cardiology and Internal Medicine at the University of Cape Town and a Foreign Associate of the Institute of Medicine of the USA. Professor Mbewu trained in medicine at Oxford and London universities, qualifying in 1983. He subsequently trained as a specialist in cardiology and in general medicine at the University of Manchester while also conducting a research doctorate in preventive cardiology on lipoprotein in coronary heart disease. On returning to South Africa in 1994, he was appointed Consultant Cardiologist in the Cardiac Clinic of the Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town. In 1996 he became Executive Director for Research at the MRC and its President and Chief Executive Officer in 2005. Internationally, Professor MBewu is known for his work as co-chair of the Inter-Academy Medical Panel (a body that represents 66 of the world’s medical academies).
Are you interested in international health policies? If so, you might like to know about the Institute of Tropical Medicine’s (ITM) short course on health policy and strategic management, which we take place for the fourth time in 2010 in Antwerp. The course lasts eight weeks from 1 March till 23 April 2010. The aim of this course is to empower participants to play an active role in the development of public health policies in developing countries. The target group for this course are professionals involved in policy formulation and implementation at regional, national or international level working in health care, supervising, regulating or advocacy organisations or institutions (government or non-governmental). A limited number of fellowships are still available. You can look at the brochure online by using the link provided here.
The Forum will take place on 27 and 28 February 2010, immediately preceding the 54th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women, which will also undertake a 15-year review and appraisal of the Beijing Platform for Action. Early registration (by 15 October) is recommended, as it is cheaper than late registration (after 15 January). 2010 marks the 15th anniversary of the Beijing World Conference on Women. In recognition of this anniversary, the Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Committee on the Status of Women is organising an NGO Global Women’s Forum to consider implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA). The Forum programme will include two full conference days commencing with an opening ceremony, and continuing with plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops. The Forum is working closely with NGOs and UN partners to assure full and representative participation from all regions of the world, especially from developing countries.