Special Issue July 2015

Transcription

1 Special Issue July 2015 T he CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference continues to be the largest health research conference in the English-speaking Caribbean attracting a plethora of delegates from the Caribbean and beyond. By all accounts, the conference, which celebrated its 60 th Anniversary was deemed the best since its inception. Held at the St. George s University, under the theme "Violence and Injury Prevention: an Urgent Public Health and Development Issue" the Conference was the highlight of a week that included several meetings and side events with significant public health implications for the Caribbean Region. The Conference and other events from June 21 th to 27 th, 2015 are featured in this special issue of CARPHAPulse. June CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference The theme of the Conference was "Violence and Injury Prevention: an Urgent Public Health and Development Issue. More than 200 delegates, comprising researchers, policymakers, nutritionists, epidemiologists, and other key health stakeholders gathered at St. George s University, Grenada, marking the 60 th Diamond Jubilee of the CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference. For the first time, the conference attracted more than 50 participating students. This year a record number of papers (over 170) were presented at the conference. All paper presentations were well received and generated thought-provoking discussions. In addition to the papers, feature lectures were presented by distinguished scientists addressing research and critical health issues of relevance to the Caribbean region. Dr. Elizabeth Ward presented Investing in violence and injury prevention: A Caribbean imperative, while Prof. Horace Fletcher addressed Decreasing gynaecological cancer mortality in the region. Jamaican early childhood interventions: Global impact was delivered by Prof. Susan Walker. During the last session of the Conference, Prof. Dave Chadee addressed Climate Change and Aedes aegypti: Impacts on the transmission dynamics of Dengue and Chikungunya in Trinidad, West Indies. The conference afforded many opportunities for informal discussions on forging future research partnerships and collaborations.

2 Opening of Conference and Poster Session The 60 th CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference officially opened on the evening of June 25 at Taylor Hall. The Ceremony got under way focusing on the Poster presentations. Sixty-eight (68) eye-catching posters were on display, and offered the visual presentations of research findings on a range of priority health topics. The Poster session provided an opportunity for informal, interactive presentation and discussion with the researchers sharing their results with their colleagues, scientists as well as with policymakers and health care providers. Opening remarks were given by Hon. Nickolas Steele, Minister of Health and Social Security, Dr. George Mitchell, Chief Medical Officer; Dr. C. James Hospedales, Executive Director CARPHA; Dr. Allen Pensick, Provost St. George s University; Dr. Calum MacPherson Vice Provost SGU and Director of WINDREF; and Dr. Donald Simeon, Director of Research, CARPHA. Congratulations were extended to CARPHA on attaining its Diamond Jubilee. A cake presented to Dr. Hospedales to mark this symbolic event. Awards and Prizes The highlight of the conference was the hosting of the annual Awards Banquet at which three outstanding Caribbean health research scientists were presented with awards. Recognised and honored for their exemplary contributions to the health of the Caribbean peoples were: Prof. Susan Walker University of the West Indies Mona Jamaica, For Outstanding contribution in the area of Child Health and Nutrition Research Prof. Horace Fletcher UWI Mona, Jamaica, For Outstanding contributions in the area of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Prof. Dave Chadee UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. For Outstanding contributions in the area of Public Health Research including Vector Control and Climate Change In addition, conference presenters were also recognised for their outstanding research. Student Prize The distribution of CYP2C19*2 allele in a Trinidadian population: Is clopidogrel the right choice? M Wyke, V Ramkissoon, I Griffith, M Ramnath, A Verma, C Carmichael, M Soo Ping Chow, K Mungrue, K O Brien, A Mark Poster Prize Assessment of Grenadian coastal recreational water quality. S Compton, M Forde Young Researcher The relationship of breast milk intake as assessed with deuterium dilution on growth and body composition of infants in Jamaica at three months. S Whyte, T Royal-Thomas, A Badaloo, M Reid 2

3 Left to right: Prof D. Chadee, Prof. S Walker and Prof. H. Fletcher were honoured at the Awards Banquet Amelia Mangroo was awarded the Student Prize David Picou Young Research Award was presented to Ms. Sherine Whyte Poster Prize was awarded to Dr. Martin Forde

4 A number of pre-conference meetings, workshops and side events were held with the Conference as the centerpiece. These included: CARPHA Data Analysis workshop; a Town Hall meeting which focused on mens health; Youth Panel Discussion on Bullying; Built Environment Meeting; Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Strengthening Injury and Violence Prevention Efforts in the Caribbean; Chief Medical Officers Meeting; CARPHA Technical Advisory Meeting; Launch of Evidence Portal, and Regional Health Communication Network Core Working Group Meeting. June 21 Meeting of the CARPHA Technical Advisory Committee Members of the CARPHA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met on Sunday. It was the fifth meeting of the Committee. During the one-day meeting, the CARPHA provided updates on ongoing and new initiatives, its activities, and discussed agenda items including CARPHA s financial situation and way forward, and reports from Sub-TACs. The meeting also considered the recommendations submitted for Terms of Reference and Procedures for the TAC and Sub-TACs. June 22 to 23 Chief Medical Officers Meeting During the twenty-third meeting of CARICOM Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), delegates examined the challenges faced by public health emergencies such as Chikungunya and how Member States responded to them. Additionally, the meeting discussed non communicable diseases, HIV and other communicable diseases. The CMOs also addressed the importance of building deeper relationships with CARPHA that will enhance the value of public health services to Member States. June 22 to 24 Data Analysis Workshop Delegates from CARPHA Member States participated in the Data Analysis workshop. Institutions represented included Ministries of Health, the Pan American Health Organization, and academic institutions such as the University of the West Indies and St. George s University. During the 3-day workshop participants were introduced to key data processing and analysis techniques; and the fundamental modules of Epi Info 7. The workshop also equipped participants to undertake basic data management and analysis using Epi Info 7. Facilitated by CARPHA technical officers, the workshop was delivered through a series of didactic lectures and practical exercises. June 24 Launch of EvIDeNCe In response to the Region s need to assess and use research to make credible health policy decisions, CARPHA collaborated with international and regional organizations to launch an initiative entitled: Evidence Informed Decision Making Network of the Caribbean (EvIDeNCe). Through the EvIDeNCe portal, policymakers across the Region will be provided with easy access to credible and relevant research evidence to support their decision-making needs. This tool will also enable CARPHA to host regular dialogues on pressing health policy issues. During these dialogues, researchers, policy-makers and stakeholders will have an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience. The portal will also provide training to

5 build the required capacity to more informed health decisions. the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), to consult with multi-sectoral stakeholders. The Portal will provide access to electronic libraries (Virtual Health Library, MedCarib etc.), packaged synthesis products (policy briefs, etc.) and online training tools and resources. It will also function as a clearinghouse for locally produced research. The portal can be accessed at The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), McMaster University, Health Forum and the University of the West Indies provided considerable support to this initiative, as they believe that it is necessary and important and will be of great benefit to the Ministries of Health in the Region. June 24 Stakeholder Policy Dialogue: Strengthening Injury and Violence Prevention Efforts in the Caribbean The meeting proposed to build the rationale for the importance of creating healthpromoting built environments in the Caribbean from the perspective of health, energy independence and environment. The meeting also sought to engage multi-sectoral stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the current state and desired end state with respect to the built environment in the Caribbean. Participants discussed opportunities and shared value associated with multistakeholder collaboration on the built environment, including for NCD prevention and climate change mitigation. The meeting also sought to develop a road map of policies and mechanisms that would lead to the agreed upon changes as well as potential indicators of success. The goal of the dialogue was for CARPHA to collaborate with leading thinkers who would stimulate insights about and generate action on injury and violence prevention, a pressing public health challenge. At the end of the dialogue participants were expected to champion, within their respective constituencies, the actions that would creatively address the challenge. June 24 Built Environment Meeting The built environment, in particular compact community design that is not car dependent, has the potential to powerfully affect our health, support environmental and economic sustainability and improve quality of life. The Built Environment Meeting was convened by CARPHA, in collaboration with June 24 CARPHA Youth Panel Discussion On Wednesday 24 th June, CARPHA hosted its first ever youth panel discussion on violence in schools a major regional public health concern. This side event entitled Bullying: Wha t is the Big Deal? presented students from secondary schools in Grenada with an opportunity to talk about a problem that affects them, their peers, their communities and their country. The symposium was attended by more than 100 secondary school students from 5 5

6 districts in Grenada. During a very lively 2 hour session, poetic and thought provoking topics on types of bullying, profiles of a bully, impacts of bullying, and cyber bullying were presented by a panel of 11 students. Recommendations and solutions for the school environment were also proposed. June 24 Town Hall Meeting Gouyave, known as the fishing capital of Grenada was the venue for a Town Hall Meeting on the evening of June 24 th. The meeting, hosted by CARPHA in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, St. George s University and the Gouyave Improve Committee, focused on men s health. The aim of the meeting was to drive home the importance of men s health and overall performance. The presentation emphasised a holistic approach to men s health and touched on all areas of sex and sexual dysfunction, exercise, diet, STDs, cancers, smoking. The presentation highlighted mortality data over 10 years which showed that Grenadian men are dying more than women. The meeting recognized that lack of accessibility to health services, concerns about confidentiality and lack of targeted education were a few of the reasons why some men do not seek health care. The men in the audience were encouraged to discuss their health concerns with their physician. June Regional Health Communications Network RHCN - Core Working Group Meeting The meeting provided a forum for the RHCN Core Working Group to clarify their roles and functions, and validate and take decisions on communication procedures and protocols related to emergency and nonemergency situations. It also provided for the creation of work and action plans based on the priorities areas agreed upon in the Regional Communication Plan. The meeting included a presentation on CARPHA Caribbean Wellness Day and Caribbean Public Health Day. Background on the Port of Spain Declaration which was presented virtually by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC). Conference Publications The CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference is also the longest running health research meeting in Latin America and the Caribbean. Celebrating 60 Years of Research published by CARPHA, documents the evolution of the conference, and underscores the impact of the research presented at the Conference. It also highlights the reflections of over 20 persons who were involved in its planning and hosting since A compilation of the Conference programme and abstracts of the papers accepted for presentation were published in the West Indian Medical Journal Supplement, Vol 64 (Suppl 2)