From Aisha at thet.org Mon Jul 7 14:53:53 2008 From: Aisha at thet.org (Aisha Latif) Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 14:53:53 +0100 Subject: [Alma Mata] THET: July 2008 E-Bulletin Message-ID: Dear Friend Welcome to THET's e-bulletin which includes news and information relevant to Health Links and THET activities. The e-bulletin will be circulated every month. If you have any materials or news which you would like to publicise, please send the information to the editor of this e-bulletin, Aisha Latif, aisha at thet.org. Conference and workshop reviews are also welcome. Note that we are unable to distribute attachments so please ensure that your item can be pasted into an e-mail message. Feel free to forward this e-bulletin to anyone who might be interested. ________________________________ FUNDING AND COMPETITIONS Raise funds for your Link with the 2008 Health Links Raffle! - As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, THET is delighted to announce the launch of a Health Links Raffle. Links who participate in the raffle will be entitled to 50% of their ticket sales (net of costs)! For full terms and conditions and to order raffle tickets for your Link, please contact THET's Fundraiser, Thea Lacey (thea at thet.org). The Wellcome Trust offers a range of fellowships for applicants from the UK and overseas. For overseas applicants, this is for public health and tropical medicine research. For UK applicants fellowships are awarded for biomedical research. More details of the fellowships can be found on the Wellcome Trust site http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Biomedical-science/International-fundi ng/index.htm Say it with Flowers - THET has joined Charity Flowers Direct, who will give 15% of the total retail price of each order for flowers to THET. Don't forget to quote the Charity Source Code "THET" when you order. To find out more about this great scheme click on the link below http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php#page/index/Charity_Flowers.html NEWS THET has published a Health Links Overview, which gives factual information about Health Links, where THET Health Links can be found, the type of institutions that get involved in Health Links work, and charts the increase in the number of THET Health Links established in the past 20 years. To download a copy of the overview, please click below http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/news.html The Scottish and Malawian Clinics Project has developed an online community of linked Malawian and Scottish clinics, with the Malawi Clinics Blog providing a continuous update of news from the different clinics, links to relevant developments in information and communications technology, and the sharing of video and photo documentation from colleagues in both countries. To find out more about the project and join their on-line blogging community, please click below http://malawiclinics.org/about/ Teaching skills in West African Medical and Nursing Schools - A consortium was established recently (on THET's initiative) comprising six medical and nursing schools in West Africa (Ibadan, Jos and Ahmadu Bello in Nigeria; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana; and the Universities of Sierra Leone and The Gambia) in a partnership with the British Medical Schools of Liverpool and Swansea. The focus of the partnership will be to run a part-time, 2-year, distance learning MSc course in medical education and teaching skills. Those registered on the course will be junior university staff, who will undertake their studies (including a substantial educational project) at their "home" institution. The consortium has secured external funds from the European Union (EDULINK), and the Universities of Liverpool and Swansea have contributed substantial staff time in support of the programme. The total cost of the project will be in excess of Euro 726,000. The academic leadership, and the distance learning course, will be based in Ibadan, and a level of oversight of the project and quality assurance will be in the hands of the West African College of Physicians, The West Africa College of Surgeons and THET. Information about the EDULINK programme, which has funded programmes in support of university education in each of the last 3 years, can be obtained from: http://www.acp-edulink.eu/ Robert Tiffany International Nursing Award - Andrew Clarke, Health Adviser in Practice and Development for overseas charity, Child Welfare Scheme, and a part-time Health Visitor for East Lancashire Primary Care Trust was declared the winner of Nursing Standard's Robert Tiffany International Nursing Award. Andrew received the award for his work with Nepali organisations to deliver innovative and cost effective healthcare to poor urban and rural communities in Nepal. He collected his award at the prestigious Nursing Standard Awards Ceremony in March. Congratulations to Andrew! Further information about Andrew's work can be found at http://www.childwelfarescheme.org/homef.php. The Nursing Standard Nurse Awards are organised by Nursing Standard, now in their 19th year, and the awards provide a unique opportunity to highlight and reward excellent practice within the nursing profession. Further information about the Nursing Standard Nurse 2008 Awards can be found at www.nurseawards.co.uk Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to cease. Since 1959 more than 25,000 Commonwealth citizens have benefited from being able to pursue further study in the UK - however in a surprise decision the idea of reciprocal academic learning and cultural exchange will no longer be supported through this route. Moves are now underway to get this decision reversed, and you can consider signing the petition below. (Please note Department for International Development funding for CSFP has not ceased - applications submitted through THET previously have involved DFID funding). http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/comschols/ Global Health Workforce Alliance - commissioned the world's leading health and hospital professional associations (International Council of Nurses, the International Hospital Federation, the International Pharmaceutical Federation, the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, the World Dental Federation and the World Medical Association) to identify and implement solutions to the health workforce crisis. The result was the first-ever joint guidelines on incentives for the retention and recruitment of health professionals. The findings identifying financial and non financial incentives can be found here. http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/news/incentives-guidelines/en/index .html EVENTS THET Links Conference, London, 6 June 2008 - Over 100 participants in international Health Links, together with interested policy makers and commentators, gathered together at Imperial College, London for THET's Links Conference. There were highly topical presentations from individual Links (including King's/Somaliland, and Brighton/Lusaka), from Stewart Tyson of DFID and Nick Banatvala of the DH, from Professor Eldryd Parry, THET's founder and Trustee, and an outstanding contribution from Dr Eddie Addai, Director of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in Ghana's Health Ministry. We were also delighted to welcome Dr Frances Omaswa, former Director of Medical Services in Uganda and recently retired General Secretary of the Global Health Workforce Alliance. Copies of the presentations are available on THET's website http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/reportsandnews.html Wales for Africa Health Links Conference, Swansea, 27 June 2008 - This key Welsh Links event was so popular that some applicants had to be turned away. There were particularly striking contributions by Links partners from Ibadan, Nigeria and Somaliland, and a heart warming presentation by medical students from Swansea about their link with their counterparts in the Gambia - a new generation of health professionals with a massive commitment to global health. Full details of this significant event and presentations are on the Wales Centre for Health's website http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2340973/?lang=en http://www.shnwales.org.uk/page.cfm?orgId=444&pid=31506 NHS Confederation Annual Conference, Manchester, 18-20 June 2008 - THET Trustee Michael Parker, Chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Kevan Taylor, Chief Executive of Sheffield Care Trust, and THET Health Strategy Adviser, Penny Humphris, led a special workshop during the high powered annual conference of the NHS Confederation, on the subject of international Health Links and why NHS organisations should consider getting involved. The session was attended by about 40 Chairs and Chief Executives of NHS organisations and generated a range of interest in getting involved in health links. For more information about the Conference and for speaker presentations, please visit http://www.nhsconfed.org/issues/delivering-the-future-today.cfm?frmAlias =/2008/ British Association of Urological Surgeons Annual Meeting, Manchester, 23-27 June 2008 - Penny Humphris also took part in a session run by Urolink at the British Association of Urological Surgeons Annual Meeting in Manchester, explaining the work of THET. The session was well attended and focused on how international health development can be supported by urologists helping with training of counterparts overseas. There were fascinating presentations on work by urologists in Gambia and India. More details can be found at http://www.baus.org.uk/baus_annual_meeting_2008_.phtml GOOD PRACTICE The Glostavent is a new anaesthetic machine which has been developed over the past ten tears at the suggestion of colleagues working in the developing world, to help them overcome the particular difficulties they encounter. It has been specifically designed to enable them to deliver inhalational anaesthesia safely and effectively in any situation. It is easy to understand and operate, economical to run, and can continue to function without interruption if the oxygen or electricity fails. It has been designed so that it can be serviced and maintained using locally available skills. The Glostavent is now in use in over 30 countries. Further information is available from the manufacturer Diamedica at info at diamedica.co.uk or on the web www.glostavent.com. Dr Roger Eltringham of Gloucestershire Royal Hospital can arrange practical demonstrations and can be contacted by e- mail, reltringham at btinternet.com, or by mobile phone on 07774 276284. An Evaluation of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals and University Teaching Hospital Zambia Health Link was carried out in April 2008. The evaluation report makes observations in relation to its work on accidents and emergencies; HIV/AIDS; radiography; and the teaching of research methods and critical appraisal. The report demonstrates that, even within the short history of the Link, impact has been achieved - most notably in relation to its work on HIV/AIDS. The report is available from THET's website http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php#page/index/guidance.html Links Manual Consultation - In 2005 THET produced the first ever Links manual which was a useful guide for those who wanted to start up, sustain, develop and fund a Link. This first edition of the Links Manual was based on THET's own experiences and those of the Links we have worked with and has helped to strengthen Links, the Links movement, and to raise awareness about Links. Over the last three years, the context for Links has changed substantially. The Links movement has grown in number and in quality and has become more strategic in what it intends to achieve. New issues have emerged, and some existing information about how to develop effective and efficient Links needs updating. We are working on producing a revised second edition of the Links manual to be published in late 2008, and would welcome your feedback on the current manual. If you have any views on what information you found useful in the first edition of the Links Manual and any questions the first edition does not address sufficiently, please e-mail maia at thet.org with your comments and suggestions. If you would prefer to do this over the telephone please e-mail Maia to arrange a time to talk. Eldis's website provides valuable information and research for Health Links involved in health work. A journal article examining data on African health professionals abroad has just been added to their publically searchable database. For an abstract and link to the article, please click here http://www.eldis.org/go/topics/resource-guides/health-systems&id=35170&t ype=Document TALC (Teaching-aids At Low Cost) has a supply of health books and CDs which are always very much appreciated by health workers in countries overseas, particularly as the custom for visitors to bring a gift is strong in many African societies, and up to date relevant books particularly are always in short supply. Check TALC's range on our website for some great gift ideas for your next trip. www.talcuk.org Visa Requirements for Overseas Visitors - Tips to ensure your overseas visitor's application goes smoothly include: Overseas visitors submitting their visa application in good time, providing the correct paperwork as requested by the relevant embassy, and for UK partners to ensure their overseas partner has been sent an invitation letter that clearly states how the visit will be funded, the purpose of the visit and the dates of the visit. For more information and guidance on this issue, please have a look at the information on THET's website http://www.thet.org.uk/index.php?/page/index/guidance.html Cheap overseas phone calls - Links are reminded that cheap overseas phone calls can me made through companies such as Telediscount and Telestunt to keep in touch with your overseas partner. There are also many other companies who offer cheap phone calls, including downloading software from companies such as Truphone to obtain free and low mobile phone calls overseas through the internet. http://www.truphone.com/?gclid=CI6VlpX_uZICFQHD1AodC31bbg http://www.telediscount.co.uk/index2.php http://www.telestunt.co.uk/ And you can find the cheapest way of calling different countries, by comparing charges for mobiles and landlines, by using International Call Checker . http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/intcallchecker/ Online Links Search facility - Remember to join our on-line Health Links community on the web. This is an on-line database, an excellent source of information about what Health Links are doing, where are they doing it, and their contact information. If you are a Health Link who has not yet registered, please contact Kelly Henderson on kelly at thet.org. CHANGES AT THET THET said goodbye to Nicola Bevan last week, and wishes her well in her exciting new role overseas. A new Charity Administrator will be appointed shortly. WORKING OVERSEAS - VACANCIES An Optometrist, or alternatively an orthoptist, is sought to lead the Training Programme at the National Refraction & Low Vision Programme and Training Centre, Madagascar under the Ministry of Health. Funding is through CBM for a two year post although a one year post can be offered in the first instance. The CBM partner is the Ministry of Health and the post will be based at the University Teaching Hospital. The request has been placed through the Madagascar/Leeds VISION 2020 Health Link initially. Besides the clinical skills in refraction and low vision, he/she must have ability to teach others in French. Experience in a developmental approach is beneficial. Human resource development and developing strategies in refraction and low vision will be part of the remit to ensure affordable and accessible refractive and low vision services are available in Madagascar. Please contact Marcia Zondervan, marcia.zondervan at lshtm.ac.uk, VISION 2020 Links Programme for further details. ________________________________ Aisha Latif Links Administrator Tropical Health and Education Trust 5th Floor 1 Wimpole Street London W1G 0AE 020 7290 3881 From nina.grant at ucl.ac.uk Tue Jul 8 12:25:59 2008 From: nina.grant at ucl.ac.uk (Nina Grant) Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:25:59 +0100 Subject: [Alma Mata] UCL Global Health and IISH Symposium Message-ID: <48735CD6.15680.2C6730@nina.grant.ucl.ac.uk> Dear All, I am writing to invite you to the 5th UCL Global Health Symposium: Global Health Equity and the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, to be held on 15 July 2008. This is a joint symposium with the UCL International Institute for Society and Health (IISH). Addressing health inequalities that can be avoided or remedied is a matter of social justice. This symposium will explore how inequalities in health within and between countries are a significant feature of the global health scene and how health inequalities can be tackled by action on the underlying social determinants of health. The Commission on Social Determinants of Health was set up by the World Health Organisation to collate global evidence, raise societal debate and recommend policies, with the goal of improving health and reducing health inequalities between groups. A major thrust of the commission is turning public-health knowledge into political action. There is clear evidence that national policies make a difference, but these policies must not be confined to the healthcare system. How to address the conditions in which people grow, live and work has relevance for law, political science, engineering, biomedicine, anthropology, economics and, indeed, most of the disciplines at UCL. SYMPOSIUM Welcome: Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL President and Provost Chair: Professor Anne Johnson, Director of UCL Institute for Global Health and Head of the Division of Population Health Speaker: Professor Sir Michael Marmot (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health) Panel members: Professor David Price, UCL Vice-Provost (Research), Professor Pascoe Pleasence (UCL Laws) and Dr Stanley Okolo (UCL Medical School) Tuesday 15 July 2008, 5-6.30pm Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Drinks will follow There is no need to RSVP, however, you will need to print out and bring a copy of this invitation in order to gain access to the building. Find out more at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-health