MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit’s Post

The upcoming 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (#CPHIA2023), hosted by the Ministry of Health of Zambia and Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI), will focus on repositioning Africa in the global health architecture. This unique African-led platform allows leaders across the continent to reflect on lessons learned in health and science and align on a way forward to create more resilient health systems. Universal health coverage (UHC) has emerged as an essential organizing principle for health sector reforms worldwide, and most African countries have now integrated UHC goals as part of their national health sector strategies. On November 29, from 1:30PM to 3:00PM-CAT, ThinkWell’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Dr. Anne Musuva-Njoroge, will share insights from her work. Register for this conference now, and don’t miss this timely discussion: https://ow.ly/8Hqv50Qb7II #CPHIA2023 #AfricaHealth #UHCforAll

🔎 At the SVRI we believe that shared research agendas, when set in inclusive, participatory ways, are a global public good. In collaboration with global partners, we have co-facilitated several research priority setting exercises both regional and topic specific. These processes utilise a 'crowd-sourcing' methodology inspired by the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative. In 2023, we developed the Africa Shared Research Agenda in partnership with UN Women Africa’s regional offices. Several other research priority setting processes conducted in collaboration with partners have also been completed or are underway. ➡️ Learn more about SVRI’s research priority efforts in our Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/eXr83XF7

IDF is officialy a new member of HEPA Europe (European network for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity) The mission of HEPA Europe is to provide a forum for the advancement of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) research, policy and practice for better health and well-being across the WHO European Region. HEPA Europe is a WHO/Europe network, established during its first meeting in 2005 in Gerlev, Denmark, whose activities are based on WHO policy statements and corresponding documents from the European Commission, and are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030. HEPA Europe membership is open to organizations and institutions active at the regional, national or subnational level, who are willing to contribute to the goals and objectives of the network. Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles have long been established as risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The promotion of physical activity at the population-level requires comprehensive national policies and strategies. It is important that these strategies incorporate targeted interventions designed to increase physical activity among the most inactive segments of the population, across multiple settings such as schools, workplaces and cities.

Last week I attended the Conference on Public Health in Africa (@CPHIA2023) 2023 in Zambia showcased Africa's shift towards self-reliance post-COVID vaccine denial. The event, led by Africa CDC, highlighted 158 health emergencies, predominantly infectious (90%) and zoonotic (75%), revealing low preparedness and compliance. With a worrying Global Health Security Index (GHS Index) average of 29.1/100, only Kenya and South Africa exhibited over 50% biosafety. Climate change-related extreme weather further fueled diseases like cholera amid African states' low health spending of $50/person annually, failing the Abuja Declaration's 15% budget commitment. Positive collaborations, such as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) EAP and the Mastercard Foundation's phase 2 partnership, offered hope for strengthening health capacity. Chemonics International hosted an outstanding event on Operationalizing Systems Thinking for Health: Expert partner convening workshop.

Publication alert! we are thrilled to share another achievement of our mentorship program. A review article titled 'Re-emergence of polio in Pakistan: Can the nation achieve the WPV1 eradication goal?' authored by our accomplished mentees, Aqib Faizan and Tooba Rehman, under the expert guidance of Sanila Mughal, was successfully published in the Pubmed indexed journal Health Science Reports (IF=2). We look forward to more successful publications in the future! Read full article here: https://lnkd.in/dnQukCrJ #researchX #medicalresearch #publication

Last month, I attended the 2nd annual IRIS conference on global information: Coalized Efforts for Knowledge Transfer of Methods and Technologies, in Lisbon, Portugal. The event was organized by an international coalition of universities that include Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Sapienza University Rome, Ca’ Foscari University, City University of London, Cambridge University and the Institute for Future Studies in Stockholm with support from the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, the UK Cabinet and the Swedish Contingency Agency. To effectively address future infodemics, government agencies engaged in public communication efforts need to develop the capability to use available resources - including social media and population data - to develop the best strategies possible based on the needs of the population they serve, and complexity of the crisis they are facing. I was happy to see that the World Health Organization work on infodemic management help to landscape a whole new area of response in the information ecosystem. What we need now is to invest research into what interventions have worked during the pandemic and how we prepare for the next. https://lnkd.in/etjYj2gk Elena Savoia, Simon Piatek, Anna Hedin Ekström, Andrea Liebman, Fabiana Zollo, Andrea Baronchelli, Jon Roozenbeek, Yara Kyrychenko, Sónia Dias, Maia Mazurkiewicz, LeVoci Vincenzo, Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Christopher Voegeli, Pierluigi Perri, Chad Hartnell, André Peralta-Santos, Carlotta Alfonsi, Zviad Adzinbaia

⏰ Tic, tac… Last chance to participate in the poster expo!   Time is running short, submit your research poster for the upcoming #HumanMicrobiomeAction final conference and contribute to improving public health 🏥   📅Deadline: 15/01/2024   🚨A fixed template will be provided; find it by clicking the link below 👇   #Microbiome #MicrobiomeResearch #ResearchOpportunity #ConferencePoster #HumanMicrobiome #InnovationInScience

Unlocking the secrets, comprehensive review of ongoing mapping results of Schistosomiasis, Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Taeniasis, and Snakebite Burden Across 32 Counties. This comprehensive review is a pivotal step towards achieving complete geographic mapping, aiming for a healthier future free from these priority NTDs. Join us in uncovering the insights and strategies that pave the way to 100% mapping coverage and beyond.Mary Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, Maurice Odiere, Stella Kepha, Mutono Nyamai, juma chitiavi, Christy Hanson, Florence Wakesho, The END Fund

Join the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame and the Pulte Institute for Global Development for a co-sponsored book launch with visiting scholar, Mushtaque Chowdhury. Chowdhury's book, "50 years of Bangladesh: Advances in Health," explores the positive and measurable progress in the health sector in post-independence Bangladesh. An expert panel will explore Bangladesh’s profound progress in translating health research outcomes into policy and action. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gFd7JGnt

Drs. Barr, Temkin, Ota Wang and I presented a panel on ORWH at the Academy Health’s Annual Research Meeting (#ARM24) in Baltimore. Each did an excellent job reflecting the breadth and depth of ORWH and The National Institutes of Health research and programming on topics including chronic disease, gender as a social and structural variable, and data science. We shared updates on ORWH research programs, strategic planning and policy efforts, and news about a plethora of other new activities including the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research with a broad multi-disciplinary audience.  Read more here: bit.ly/46hQwqP