Welcome to the Global Health Strategic Group newsletter,
Your bi-monthly peek at what is happening behind the scenes in the field of global health, with trending news, upcoming events, funding opportunities and more! Read on to find out what researchers across all disciplines of global health research have been up to in recent months. We look forward to staying connected with you!
One of the RRSPQ's objectives is to promote the exchange and utilisation of knowledge among and by the various actors in the population health network. To this end, we would like to invite all members of the RRSPQ to share their publications or activities (conferences, webinars, etc). These will be advertised on the RRSPQ website and the network’s social media accounts, insofar as they are relevant to population health research and ideally relating to the specific themes of the strategic groupings.
New estimates by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) have revealed that up to 650 000 annual deaths are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza. These new figures signal a significant increase from the previous decade's global estimates of 250 000 – 500 000 influenza-related deaths per year. These deaths are most common among individuals aged 75 years and older and in the world’s poorest regions. According to Dr. Peter Salama, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, “These figures indicate the high burden of influenza and its substantial social and economic cost to the world. They highlight the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics, as well as preparedness for pandemics.”
Diphtheria, a highly infectious respiratory disease mainly affecting young children, has long been eliminated in many parts of the world since the introduction of a highly effective vaccine in the years of 1920-1930. However, in recent times, the infection has spread rapidly in areas including Yemen and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, where more than half a million members of the Rohingya ethnic group have fled from violence committed against them in Myanmar, refugee camps house a large number of individuals all living in close contact with poor access to medical care, precipitating the spread of the disease in this outbreak area. In Yemen, the shortage of health professionals and poor vaccination coverage since the beginning of the civil war in 2015 has led to a loss of herd immunity. The WHO urges that diphtheria vaccines be administered to all children under the age of 6 in order to halt the spread of the infection.
According to a report released in South Africa by UNAIDS, the joint United Nations AIDS-fighting agency, almost 21 million people around the world are now receiving life-prolonging AIDS drugs. Of these, 44 percent are estimated to take the medication consistently enough to have achieved viral suppression. High performing countries with respect to this indicator include Botswana, Britain, Cambodia, Denmark, Iceland, Singapore and Sweden. However, despite the remarkable process achieved since the development of antiretroviral triple therapy, the report warns that much work remains to be done in achieving coverage for the remaining 16 million individuals infected with HIV and not yet following medication regimens.
Where: McIntyre Medical Building, Charles Palmer Amphitheatre, Montreal, QC
In coordination with the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, McGill will be hosting a Global Health Film Festival screening a variety of films pertaining to Global Health. In addition to the film line-up, each evening will also feature a tabling session on global health related student groups and programs, presentations and special guests. Consult the link above in order to access the schedule and line-up as well as current updates on the event!
Organized by the Canadian Public Health Association, the Public Health 2018 conference is a national forum where public health professionals, researchers, policy-makers, academics, students and trainees come together to strengthen efforts to improve health and well-being, to share the latest research and information, to promote best practices and to advocate for public health issues and policies grounded in research. This year’s program will incorporate a variety of session types, including plenary sessions, collaborator sessions, workshops and symposia, oral presentations, and poster presentations. Registration opens in February 2018!
McGill’s Summer Institute in Infectious Diseases and Global Health is returning for Summer 2018! Hosted by McGill Global Health Programs, the Summer Institute short courses feature internationally known faculty, a focus on highly applicable new knowledge, and an opportunity to network with fellow global health professionals from around the world. The courses offered during this two-week program will include TB Research Methods, Global Health Diagnostics, Advanced TB Diagnostics, Genomic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Qualitative Methods In Global Infectious Diseases Research, Clinical TB and Clinical Tropical Medicine. The institute is now accepting applications!
Deadline for participants requiring a Visa: February 28, 2018;
Deadline for general registration: May 1st, 2018
Every year, the Canadian Association for HIV Research hosts the premier gathering in Canada for all those involved HIV/AIDS research and intersecting disciplines. This year’s conference theme, “Celebrating our Diversity: Uniting in the Response to HIV”, will strive to acknowledge and celebrate diversity among both people with lived experience of HIV as well as HIV researchers. Leading edge topics will be discussed and attendees will be able to share the outcomes of new research and policy decisions.
Early-bird registration deadline: February 26, 2018
The Global Forum on TB Vaccines brings together stakeholders from across the spectrum of TB vaccine research and development to share data, findings, concepts, and new approaches, as well as promote a global dialogue on the path forward. The 3-day scientific program will include a mix of plenary sessions, breakout sessions, small group discussions and poster presentations as the latest research findings and strategies in TB R&D are presented by experts from around the world. Consult the website linked above for updates on registration!
Registration for the 18th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) held in Buenos Aires, Argentina is now open! Jointly organized by the International Society for Infectious Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of Argentina, the meeting will encompass a variety of fields intersecting with infectious diseases, paying particular attention to the major challenges of the region of South America. Topics addressed will include Zika, dengue and other related viral infections, AIDS, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and enteric and parasitic infections.
Reduced rate registration deadline: February 2nd, 2018
The CUGH Annual Conference brings together committed leaders, professionals, educators, students from diverse fields of study including engineering, business, law, policy, natural sciences, nursing, public health, medicine, and environmental study to explore, discuss and critically assess the global health landscape. Hosted by Columbia University, Stellenbosch University and the University of Peradeniya, this year’s theme will be “Health Disparities: A Time for Action.” This conference aims to promote interdisciplinary, cross jurisdictional conversations across the globe to tackle challenging and complex problems in a variety of global health areas.
Early-bird registration deadline: January 31, 2018
The Global Health & Innovation Conference, hosting more than 2,200 professionals and students from more than 55 countries, is recognized as one of the leading global health conferences. The 2-day conference is presented by the nonprofit global health delivery organization Unite for Sight and is set to take place at Yale University. Topics discussed will touch on both the current state of global health as well as social entrepreneurship and innovation for development. The registration rate increases on a monthly or biweekly basis, so register as soon as possible!
This funding opportunity aims to catalyze formative research, intervention development, and pilot-testing of interventions. Primary scientific areas of focus include the feasibility, tolerability, acceptability and safety of novel or adapted interventions that target HIV prevention or treatment. For the purposes of this FOA, “intervention” is defined to include behavioral, social, or structural approaches, as well as combination biomedical and behavioral, social, or structural approaches that prevent acquisition and transmission of HIV infection, or improve clinical outcomes for persons who are HIV infected, or both. Entities outside of the United States are eligible to apply, and foreign components to the research project are permitted.
As part of the mandate of the recently approved Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Action Plan of Health Canada, the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health along with the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health and the Health Canada Gender and Health Unit (GHU) will fund research-policy partnerships supporting the integration of sex and gender considerations throughout the health policy process. The funding opportunity will support projects involving First Nations fathers/men in healthy child development initiatives.
Open to applicants in all areas of health research aligned with the CIHR mandate, the Project Grant program is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential for important advances in fundamental and applied health-related knowledge, the health care system, and/or health outcomes, by supporting projects with a specific purpose and defined endpoint. The competition also offers a specific funding envelope to support early career investigators.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: February 6, 2018
APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 6, 2018
The CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) provides highly-qualified doctoral trainees and post-doctoral fellows in health services and policy research or related fields a unique opportunity to apply their research and analytic talents to critical challenges in health system and related organizations outside of the traditional scholarly setting. Fellows will be exposed to health system and related organizations in order to develop professional experience, new skills, and networks. The fellowship program contains both a stream for doctoral trainees and a stream for post-doctoral fellows.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 5, 2018
Québec's most recent publications in global health
Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study.
Miller V, Mente A, Dehghan M, Rangarajan S, Zhang X, Swaminathan S, Dagenais G, Gupta R, Mohan V, Lear S, Bangdiwala SI, Schutte AT, Wentzel-Viljoen E, Avezum A, Altuntas Y, Yusoff K, Ismail N, Peer N, Chifamba J, Diaz R, Rahman O, Mohammadifard N, Lana F, Zatonska K, Wielgosz A, Yusufali A, Iqbal R, Lopez-Jaramillo P, Khatib R, Rosengren A, Kutty VR, Li W, Liu J, Liu X, Yin L, Teo K, Anand S, Yusuf S; Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study investigators.
Evidence-based guidelines for supportive care of patients with Ebola virus disease.
Lamontagne F, Fowler RA, Adhikari NK, Murthy S, Brett-Major DM, Jacobs M, Uyeki TM, Vallenas C, Norris SL, Fischer WA Nd, Fletcher TE, Levine AC, Reed P, Bausch DG, Gove S, Hall A, Shepherd S, Siemieniuk RA, Lamah MC, Kamara R, Nakyeyune P, Soka MJ, Edwin A, Hazzan AA, Jacob ST, Elkarsany MM, Adachi T, Benhadi L, Clément C, Crozier I, Garcia A, Hoffman SJ, Guyatt GH.
Welcome to the Student’s Corner! This space is dedicated to the research, publications, experiences and work of students of Québec Universities, and can also serve as a platform to publicize events and activities organized by students in the realm of global health. We welcome submissions from any students who would like to contribute and see their material posted in our upcoming issues! If you are interested, get in touch with us via the RS-Santé mondiale email linked at the top and bottom of the newsletter.
This program supports high-caliber Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of research experiences abroad while contributing to strengthening the potential for collaboration between Canadian institutions and other research institutions outside of Canada. CGS awards are distributed across the disciplines of the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related disciplines. To be eligible for this funding, students must hold a Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Alexander Graham Bell or Frederick Banting and Charles Best CGS at the master’s or doctoral level, or a Vanier CGS at the doctoral level.
The CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) provides highly-qualified doctoral trainees and post-doctoral fellows in health services and policy research or related fields a unique opportunity to apply their research and analytic talents to critical challenges in health system and related organizations outside of the traditional scholarly setting. Fellows will be exposed to health system and related organizations in order to develop professional experience, new skills, and networks. The fellowship program contains both a stream for doctoral trainees and a stream for post-doctoral fellows.
Application deadline: April 5, 2018
What have you been up to? Send us news of recent projects or accomplishments to be featured in this newsletter!
