Infectious Diseases calls for papers / meetings & conferences

Call for Papers: International Conference in Modeling Health Advances (ICMHA'12)

San Francisco, USA, 24-26 October, 2012

The International Conference in Modeling Health Advances 2012 will take place in San Francisco, USA, 24-26 October, 2012.

A host of new diseases, like HIV/AIDS, BSE, Avian Flu, West Nile Virus and others have appeared on the scene during the last twenty five years and undoubtedly, more will come in the coming years. To tackle these illnesses, the cooperation of modelers, mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and others, and of researchers from the medical community is absolutely essential. Modeling is important because it gives important insight into the method of treatment. In the case of HIV/AIDS, for example, mathematical modeling indicated that a combination of both protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors would be far more effective than any one of these two drugs.

The purpose of this conference is to bring all the people working in the area of epidemiology under one roof and encourage mutual interaction.

The conference ICMHA'12 is held under the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science WCECS 2012. The WCECS 2012 is organized by the International Association of Engineers (IAENG), a non-profit international association for engineers and computer scientists. The congress has the focus on the frontier topics in the theoretical and applied engineering and computer science subjects. The last IAENG conference has attracted more than five hundred participants from over 30 countries. All submitted papers will be under peer review and accepted papers will be published in the conference proceeding (ISBN: 978-988-19251-6-9). The abstracts will be indexed and available at major academic databases. The accepted papers will also be considered for publication in the special issues of the journal Engineering Letters, in IAENG journals and in edited books by publishers like Springer.

Important Dates:
Draft Paper Submission Deadline: 2 July, 2012
Camera-Ready Papers Due & Registration Deadline: 30 July, 2012
ICMHA 2012: 24-26 October, 2012

Call for Papers: 2012 Quetelet Seminar--Adult Mortality and Morbidity

December 5-7, 2012 Research Centre in Population and Societies, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Numerous demographic studies have been focusing on mortality and range from analysis of age-specific mortality to cause-of-death analysis or risks factors analysis. In countries with a long statistical tradition, mortality levels by sex, age and cause of death are easily obtained. Epidemiologists as well as demographers took interest in identifying risks factors and markers by age, sex and cause. Although these factors and markers remain the same for morbidities and the resulting mortality, little is known about morbidity levels, be it in terms of prevalence or incidence, except for pathologies that are recorded in specific registrars or for which large surveys are conducted. In countries with incomplete demographic data, both mortality and morbidity are little or badly documented except when subjected to specific surveys such as under-5 mortality or, to a lesser extent, morbidity. The need for medical diagnosis and assessment of severity of illness makes morbidity data collection especially challenging. Morbidity data collection is especially challenging as it involves. In addition, in armed conflict, post-conflict or natural disaster situations, evaluating the number of victims is crucial to assess needs as well as to ease the reconciliation process.

The 2012 Quetelet Seminar will focus on adult age morbidity and mortality analysis from the data collection and measurement perspective. It will be organised in collaboration with the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (UCL-CRED/WHO) and International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH). Communications will cover existing or in-the-making tools for data collection and measurement that serve to estimate adult-age morbidity levels in countries with good-level statistical data and adult-age morbidity and mortality levels in countries with incomplete data. Particular attention will be devoted to papers that deal with estimating mortality and morbidity in crisis or post-crisis time. Studies analysing interactions between mortality and morbidity as well as the role of health monitoring systems in situations conducive to potentially high public health risk are encouraged.

The 2012 Quetelet Seminar will be organised along the following three axes:

1. Morbidity Analysis

What are the existing data collection and measurement tools to estimate incidence and prevalence of diseases, including chronic diseases? What are their limits?

What morbidity data collection and registration tools are most effective? What are the most reliable data to collect for the measurement of functional and cognitive abilities in a population so as to evaluate dependency ratios? What health monitoring systems should be developed to detect and prevent infectious disease?

2. Adult mortality in countries where data are incomplete

What are the latest developments in the estimation of adult mortality in countries where civil registration data are incomplete or non-existent? How has adult mortality changed recently in developing countries, more than three decades after the onset of the HIV epidemic and in a context of increased access to antiretroviral treatment? Beyond mortality levels, how are inequalities in adult mortality analysed (by sex, according to educational or poverty levels)? What are the lessons to be learned from demographic surveillance sites, particularly in terms of causes of death, as reflected by verbal autopsies and associated tools?

3. Demographic impacts of armed conflicts and natural disasters

What impact armed conflicts and natural disasters have on adult morbidity and mortality? How is this impact measured? What different forms of resilience develop and how are they captured? What early warning systems can be put in place to limit the impact of disasters?

Instructions for submitting paper
Abstracts (1 page including tables) should be submitted by email before 8th June, 2012 to Isabelle Theys (Isabelle.Theys@uclouvain.be). The abstracts should include a description of the paper’s objective, background, data and research methods, as well as expected findings. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by 29th June.

Paper
The completed papers, either in English or French, should be sent before 15th November, 2012. The final version should not exceed 20 single-spaced pages, including tables and references.

Language
Papers will be presented in French or English, without simultaneous translation.

Publication
A selection of publications will be published in the proceedings of the Chaire Quetelet 2012.

Deadlines
Deadline for submission: 8th June, 2012
Author notification of accepted paper abstract: 29th June, 2012
Deadline for complete paper: 15th November, 2012
Quetelet Seminar: 5th-7th December, 2012

Call for Abstracts: International Society for Disease Surveillance Annual Conference

The ISDS Annual Conference is the premier event dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of biosurveillance. This year’s theme, Expanding Collaborations to Chart a New Course in Public Health Surveillance, will highlight the importance of working together across agencies, sectors, and disciplines to improve surveillance methods and population health outcomes. The conference will be held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, CA, December 4-5, 2012, with Pre-Conference Workshops on December 3rd.

The ISDS Conference draws professionals from a broad range of disciplines— epidemiology and computer science to mathematical modeling and health policy—to learn and contribute the latest achievements, methodologies, best practices, conceptual frameworks, and technical innovations in the rapidly evolving field of biosurveillance. This year's conference will provide fertile ground for cultivating new ideas and partnerships with roundtable discussions, panels and other opportunities to collaborate.

The scope of this conference includes all of the components, policies, methods, practices, infrastructure, research and evaluation related to timely surveillance of communicable diseases, chronic diseases and injuries. This includes notifiable conditions, adverse events and emerging/novel threats; biological, chemical, and radiological health threats; plant, animal, and food surveillance; and environmental monitoring.

Questions regarding the Call for Abstracts may be sent to Tera Reynolds, ISDS Program Manager.

Submission deadline: September 6, 2012 (11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time)

Authors notified of acceptance: October 3, 2012

Pre-Conference Workshops: December 3, 2012

Annual Conference: December 4-5, 2012

Submission Types

Note: All abstracts for the ISDS Conference will be submitted using ScholarOne. There is a limit of 4810 characters for the text of your submission. The character count includes spaces. The character count WILL include title, authors, institutions, tables, and images, but WILL NOT include presenting author brief biographical summaries (bios) or the abstract summary that will be used in the conference program.

Oral

All abstracts submitted for oral presentation are automatically considered for poster presentation as well. Include the following components when submitting an abstract for oral presentation:

· Title (85 characters MAX)

· Objective

· Introduction

· Methods

· Results

· Conclusions

· Acknowledgements

· References

· Names and affiliations of authors

· Brief bio of lead author/intended presenter (450 characters/75 words)

· Brief summary (600 characters/100 words) of submission to be used in conference program

Poster

Include the following components when submitting an abstract for poster presentation:

· Title (85 characters MAX)

· Objective

· Introduction

· Methods

· Results

· Conclusions

· Acknowledgements

· References

· Names and affiliations of authors

· Brief bio of lead author/intended presenter (450 characters/75 words)

· Brief summary (600 characters/100 words) of submission (for potential inclusion in conference program)

Panel *New for 2012*

Panel topics should be a specific aspect of design, theory, application, or experience pertaining to the science or practice of biosurveillance. Suggested panels should be comprised of no more than four participants and a moderator. A typical panel session will consist of four 15 minute presentations, each followed by 5 minutes of questions, with 10 minutes for closing discussion (presentation lengths will be subject to change based on final agenda). When submitting an abstract for a panel, include the following components:

· Title (85 characters MAX)

· Objective

· Introduction

· Panel description

· How the moderator intends to engage the audience in discussions on the panel topic

· Names of panel presenters, moderator and affiliations

· Brief bios for each panel presenter and moderator (450 characters/75 words each) for abstract reviewers to assess appropriateness to serve on the panel for the described topic

· Brief summary (600 characters/100 words) of panel to be used in conference program

Roundtable *New for 2012*

Roundtables can have up to three facilitators to briefly introduce the topic of interest and facilitate active discussion among attendees. Roundtables must be discussion-oriented rather than didactic, lecture-driven sessions. Roundtable discussions will be 60-90 minutes (depending on final agenda). When submitting an abstract for a roundtable, include the following components:

· Title (85 characters MAX)

· Objective

· Introduction

· Roundtable description

· How the facilitator intends to engage the audience in the roundtable discussion, including sample questions

· Names of facilitators and affiliations

· Brief bios for each facilitator (450 characters/75 words each) for abstract reviewers to assess appropriateness to lead a discussion on the described topic

· Brief summary (600 characters/100 words) of roundtable to be used in conference program

System Showcase Demonstrations *New for 2012*

System showcase demonstrations will be presented during the evening poster session on the first day of the conference. A typical demonstration will illustrate one or more aspects of an innovative population/public health surveillance system that is in use or under development. Demonstrations of open source and/or free products are strongly encouraged. System showcase demonstrations are not intended to be marketing or sales presentations and such submissions will be rejected; those interested in supporting the ISDS conference with an exhibit booth should contact Tera Reynolds at ISDS for more information. When submitting an abstract for a system showcase demonstration, include the following components:

· Title (85 characters MAX)

· Objective

· Introduction

· Description, highlighting benefits to public/population health surveillance and how this demonstration will be a unique addition to the ISDS conference

· Conclusions, including lessons learned and design principles from this demonstration that attendees can take away, even if not using or intending to use the system demonstrated

· Names of demonstrators and affiliations

· Brief summary (600 characters/100 words) of showcase to be used in conference program

Track Descriptions

I. Analytical Methods

a. Analytical Methods: Applied

b. Analytical Methods: Research & Development

This theme is focused on important and novel advances in the field of surveillance methodologies and analytical approaches. Abstracts in the Applied sub-track should describe methods or processes routinely used in a production-type environment. Abstracts in the Research and Development sub-track should describe methods and processes still under development or tested within a research or pilot setting. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· Analytic evaluation of surveillance components

· Decision support

· Estimating morbidity and impact

· Evaluation of algorithms and systems through epidemic simulation

· Geospatial analysis

· Innovative use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology

· Integrating evidence from multiple sources

· Integration of mathematical modeling and statistical analyses

· New algorithms and evaluation of existing algorithms for cluster and event detection

· Pattern recognition algorithms

· Predictive disease modeling/predictive analytics

· Spatial cluster detection

· Statistical methods and tools for analyzing and interpreting data

· Time series analysis

II. Informatics

a. Informatics: Applied

b. Informatics: Research & Development

Abstracts in the Applied sub-track should describe methods or processes routinely used in a production-type environment. Abstracts in the Research and Development sub-track should describe methods and processes still under development or tested within a research or pilot setting. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· Advances in methods for classifying data

· Approaches to building interoperable surveillance systems and components

· Borderless data exchange models (e.g. federated information sharing approaches)

· Cloud computing for public health surveillance

· Data integration – acquiring, moving, storing, processing, coding, normalizing, and preparing data for analysis between systems

· Data quality

· Data visualization methods

· Electronic health records and public health surveillance

· Health information exchange

· How clinical information systems can support public health surveillance efforts

· How public health information systems can support clinical efforts

· Informatics lessons learned

· Information and knowledge exchange

· Innovations in public health informatics

· Mobile technologies for public health

· Natural language processing

· Standards and Interoperability Framework (Public Health Reporting Initiative)

· Standards used in public health surveillance

· System architectures for limited connectivity environments and disaster surveillance

· System architectures for surveillance in low-resource environments

· System architectures to leverage HIE for public health surveillance

· System descriptions of real-world solutions to challenging integration problems

· Workforce requirements and training

· Use of social media for biosurveillance

III. Policy (at local, state, federal, international levels)

This theme is focused on sharing successes, challenges or approaches leveraged in the use or development of policy which affects biosurveillance operations and activities. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· Creating successful surveillance partnerships

· Data sharing policies

· Federal policy agendas

· Funding strategies for surveillance

· How public health surveillance data have been used to inform policy

· International Health Regulations

· Legal/ethical/security/privacy issues in surveillance

· Meaningful Use responses by public health departments

· Policies around social media/leveraging social networks for risk communication, etc.

· Research collaborations to expand evidence-based health policy

· Workforce

IV. Public/Population health surveillance

a. Public/Population Health Surveillance: Practice

b. Public/Population Health Surveillance: Research

c. Public/Population Health Surveillance: Evaluation

This theme is focused on improving the daily processes of timely public/population health surveillance, including detection, signal validation, event characterization, investigation, and response. Abstracts in the Practice sub-track should describe practices routinely used in a production environment and/or deployed in field by public health departments or other agencies. Abstracts in the Research sub-track should describe research related to surveillance, health systems, etc. Abstracts in the Evaluation sub-track should describe evaluations of public/population health surveillance systems, workflows, protocols, etc. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· Adverse drug events and pharmacovigilance

· Case studies

· Chronic disease surveillance

· Collaboration success stories

· Contact tracing and network analysis

· Disaster/event surveillance

· Disparities surveillance

· Evaluation of surveillance systems

· Infectious disease surveillance

· Influenza-like illness surveillance

· Injury surveillance

· Innovations in biosurveillance

· Integrating surveillance across multiple data sources

· Integrating surveillance systems, e.g. syndromic and reportable diseases

· Linking response with frontline health workers

· Meaningful Use and how it’s changing/not changing surveillance practice

· Measuring vaccine efficacy, coverage, etc.

· Messaging/risk communication (what to say to the public, politicians and media about syndromic systems alerts)

· Mobile technologies for public health

· Novel approaches to communicable diseases surveillance and reporting (e.g., notifiable conditions, MRSA, nosocomial infections)

· OneHealth

· Outbreak detection, characterization and outbreak management

· School and university surveillance

· Situational awareness

· Social media and surveillance

· Surveillance across borders

· Surveillance for refugees and recent immigrants

· Surveillance in resource-limited settings

· Surveillance using ambulatory care data

· Surveillance using inpatient data

· Vaccine-preventable disease surveillance

Call for Papers for Health-Related Sessions at the 17th World Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences

August 5th-August 10th, 2013 Manchester, United Kingdom

The 17th World Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences has the overall theme "Evolving Humanity, Emerging Worlds".

The Call for Papers will close on July 13, 2012. The call for papers deadline applies to both papers proposed as additions to an existing panel and also to papers proposed to the holding panel. These deadlines are final and no further proposals will be accepted after these dates.

All Panels
-- BH01 Health, nutrition and physical growth in developing nations
-- BH02 Co-evolution of humans and their foods: cross-disciplinary perspectives (IUAES Commission on the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition)
-- BH12 Forensic anthropology; emerging issues and challenges in the 21st century
-- LD01 The vulnerable child: biological responses to life in the past
-- LD02 The role of cosmopolitan-modern medicine and its social and cultural challenges
-- LD03 Health and emerging regional demographic trends
-- LD04 The future agenda for anthropological research on the HIV/AIDS pandemic (IUAES Commission on the Anthropology of AIDS)
-- LD05 Urbanization and reproductive health (IUAES Commission on Urban Anthropology)
-- LD06 Anthropologies in and of Public Health in the 21st century
-- LD07 Landscapes of life-and-death in India, South Arabia and Asia Minor
-- LD08 Social debate over the prevention, mitigation and rehabilitation for disaster affected children
-- LD09 Anthropology of ageing
-- LD10 Menopausal woman and assisted reproduction: rights to access of ART in an ethical context (IUAES Commission on Urban Anthropology)
-- LD11 The states of welfare and wellbeing of indigenous populations?
-- LD12 Health and nutrition: changes in lifestyle in the era of globalization
-- LD13 Gender equity in nutrition and child health
-- LD14 Disjunctions of deathscapes: ways of suffering, dying, and death
-- LD15 Status of the aged in the Third World
-- LD16 Techniques of healing in traditional societies
-- LD18 Dominant caste and their culture: health perspective of the indigenous communities in the south Asian subcontinent and beyond
-- LD19 Traditional and medicinal knowledge among the indigenous communities
-- LD22 The problems and values of old age in postmodern era
-- LD23 Tribal health: emerging consequences in the era of globalization
-- LD24 Documenting the meanings of life and death in the Americas
-- LD25 Health concerns of women during and after menopause
-- LD26 Identified skeletal collections: the testing ground of anthropology?
-- MMM10 Interdisciplinary perspectives on identity, food and wellbeing of migrants I: global resource flows, political contestations and health
-- MMM11 Interdisciplinary perspectives on identity, food and wellbeing of migrants II: memory, emotional sustenance and culinary practices
-- MMM18 Sanitising migration: epidemiology or medical police?
-- PE03 Food and environmental security: the imperatives of indigenous knowledge systems
-- PE06 Food security and rural development
-- PE21 Human life, enterprise and market (IUAES Commission on Enterprise Anthropology)
-- PE24 How women are affected by local vs. corporate food systems (IUAES Commission on the Anthropology of Women)
-- PE25 Sustainable livelihood security and human development
-- PE26 Plants utility by ethnic communities of eastern India for nutritional and health security, past-present and future
-- PE28 Anthropology of food and nutrition in the globalized economy
-- PE31 Ethnomedicinal properties of traditional vegetables: the present status and future journey
-- SE23 Action anthropology, tribal medicine and development
-- SE24 Exclusion of de-notified (ex-criminal tribes) and nomadic tribes in India: issues and challenges for inclusion
-- SE25 Health activism in the context of 'global health'
-- WMW01 Medical anthropology for a better tomorrow: exploring the mind, medicine and mental health

Call for Papers for a Session on Health, Disease, and Physical Culture at the Northeast Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

The Northeast Popular/American Culture Association (NEPCA) is soliciting papers for topics in the area of Health, Disease and Culture for its annual meeting, which will be held October 26-26 on the campus of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.

Topics in Health, Disease and Culture may include such themes as below: Mass media images of health and disease in popular culture--print, film, television, etc.

Portrayals of health institutions (e.g., hospitals, clinics, medical homes, pharmacies) and health professionals in history, literature or mass media

Portrayals of Prescription Drugs (E.G., Development, Marketing, Advertising, Consumption, Role in Treatment of Chronic Illnesses

Representations of the body in discourses of health and illness

Narratives of illness from patient and health practitioner perspectives in novels, short stories, memoirs, graphic comics, etc., discussed in larger sociocultural (ethnicity, race, gender, class), and political (health care system) contexts

Disability discourses in history, literature, and public policy

Outbreak narratives of infectious diseases (e.g., endemic, epidemic, pandemic) in popular media and literature; infectious diseases in history and public policy

Historical and contemporary perspectives on the promotion of health through diet, exercise, personal or domestic hygiene, cosmetic procedures, public health campaigns (e.g., smoking, obesity).

Focuses on Public Health: The Built Environment, Global Health, Emergency Preparedness, Occupational Health, Surveillance and Public Health

Creative Writing and Health Care Presentations from patient, caregiver, health professional or medical humanities practitioners, etc.

We invite both individual papers and proposals for complete panels (please include titles and abstracts for each panelist). Please send a 1-2 page paper proposal and a one-page vita to both the Program Chair Tim Madigan tmadigan@sjfc.edu and to the Area Chair for Health, Disease and Culture, Jennifer Tebbe-Grossman jennifer.tebbe-grossman@mcphs.edu. The deadline for submission is June 1, 2012.

Jennifer Tebbe-Grossman
Professor of Political Science and American Studies
School of Arts and Sciences
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences-Boston
179 Longwood Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Phone: 617-732-2904
Email: jennifer.tebbe-grossman@mcphs.edu

Call for Abstracts: Dynamics of Preparedness Conference

October 22-24, 2012 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The University of Pittsburgh MIDAS National Center of Excellence, in cooperation with the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice and the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard School of Public Health, invite researchers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows to the Dynamics of Preparedness Conference in Pittsburgh, October 22–24, 2012.

Purpose: The past decade has seen unprecedented investments in research on preparedness from many sectors of government and the private sector. Numerous reports have appeared, evaluating the preparedness status of states and communities. Dynamics of Preparedness will convene researchers from diverse disciplines to present, critique, and consider the future of research on emergency preparedness in public health systems.

Dynamics describes the complex interactivity among numerous governmental, private, and voluntary components of public health systems. Systems must adapt to emergencies and disasters —both as individuals, agencies, and organizations and as system components affecting the populations served—in ways that often produce unexpected, secondary impacts. Preparedness includes prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery relevant to infectious disease outbreaks as well as other emergencies and disasters.

Goals:

Compile research on public health systems that support preparedness, specifically highlighting innovative methods and novel approaches.
Critique the rigor and quality of output from this research arena, noting the findings and insights with implications for public policy and practical application.
Catalogue the issues and problems where the evidence base for preparedness policy and practice remains weak as an agenda for future research and seek solution-focused innovations.

Dynamics of Preparedness will feature sessions in:

Data: resources for, as well as barriers and constraints upon, quantitative and qualitative research

Innovations: methodological challenges and novel multi-disciplinary approaches

Outcomes: demonstrations, observational studies, and comparisons focused on the outcomes of response to public health emergencies

Modeling: use of computational, conceptual, and mathematical modeling to explore legal frameworks, resource deployment, and operational efficiency and effectiveness under resource-constrained conditions

Progress of Research: presentation of studies on the critical themes of system sustainability, communications, workforce capabilities, and criteria and metrics and on the cross-cutting issues of legal infrastructure and special-needs populations

Translation: utility and application of research results for policy making and practice

Call for Abstracts: Research perspectives at this conference will include: law and policy—including statutory authorities, organizational structures, and governance characteristics; economic resources—including finances, workforce, physical assets, equipment, and facilities; and operational effectiveness—as measured by performance processes and outcomes, quality improvement and quality assurance, and operational plans and protocols. The Conference will welcome innovative computational researchers who have entered the field of public health systems using methods from systems engineering, mathematical simulation, computational modeling, natural-language processing, Bayesian statistics, and other fields.

Deadline for submission: Friday, June 1, 2012

Selection and Notification: Selected abstract authors will be notified beginning June 30, 2012.

Call for Papers: Fourth Conference on Environment and Health

2013 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

January 6-10, 2013 Austin, Texas

The abstract submission deadline is: 1 August 2012

The overarching theme for the 2013 AMS Annual Meeting is “Taking Predictions to the Next Level: Expanding Beyond Today’s Weather and Climate Forecasts and Projections.” Over the past 60 years the meteorological community has made tremendous strides in making prediction a fundamental part of its scientific and operational/service heritage through the development and application of complex numerical models involving the atmosphere, ocean, land, and cryosphere components of the Earth System. Applying our predictive capabilities into a broader domain including public health, food security, air and water quality, alternative energy and responses to climate trends, is a central objective of this meeting.

In the context of this overarching theme, the goal of 4Health is to go in-depth into Earth’s influence on human health and well-being. In doing so, we seek to better understand how the atmospheric and oceanic systems exert measurable (positive or negative) impacts; moreover, we are interested in how planetary information feeds into surveillance and preparedness (including adaptation) models and decisions.

We are especially interested in public health and medical factors such as:

Asthma
Cardio and Respiratory Diseases
Foodborne Diseases and Nutrition
Vectorborne and Zoonotic Diseases
Waterborne Illnesses
Infectious Diseases
Mental Health
Food Securtiy
Heat and Extreme Weather-related Mortality and Morbity
Physical Safety

The sessions are arranged to help us explore these topics (and possibly others) in the context of hydro-meteorological and oceanographic factors so that our community understands how our science and technologies are utilized (or could be applied) for health. Thus, papers from the environment, health, and medical disciplines that explore this approach through the following subjects: integrated modeling; climate, ocean, weather and water forecasts; in-situ and satellite monitoring and observations; communication tools and technologies; and, inter-disciplinary coordination are encouraged.

Of specific interest are papers that address end-to-end science and management approaches of the aforementioned health concerns in the context of these environmental factors:

1) Ocean and coastal–related human health risks

2) Dust transport, transformation, and consequence

3) Extreme temperatures, including attendant influences on drought and wildfires

4) Examples of adaptation risks and solutions at local, regional, and international levels

5) Disaster risk reduction for healthcare delivery services (e.g., EMT) and infrastructure (e.g., hospitals), including its systems of dependency (e.g., utility grids, water, sanitation)

Achieving the 4Health goal requires participation and engagement from colleagues in the public health, medical, hydro-meteorological, and oceanic disciplines.

Papers and posters from graduate and undergraduate students are welcome.

For overall questions:

Sue Estes, NASA (email: sue.m.estes@nasa.gov; tel : 256-961-7961)

Wendy Marie Thomas (e-mail: wthomas@ametsoc.org, tel: 202-355-9820);

For Extreme Temperatures/Drought/Wildfires Topics

Glenn McGregor (e-mail: g.mcgregor@auckland.ac.nz, tel: 64 9 3737599 ext 85280)

Paul English, CA Dept of Health (email: Paul.English@cdph.ca.gov; tel: 510-620-3684)

For Health-Specific Topics

Kris Ebi, IPCC/Stanford (email: krisebi@ipcc-wg2.gov)

Paul English, CA Dept of Health (email: Paul.English@cdph.ca.gov; tel: 510-620-3684)

For Climate-Related Topics

Eileen Shea, NOAA (email: eileen.shea@noaa.gov; tel: 828-271-4384)

For Dust-Related Topics

Bill Sprigg, Univ of AZ/NASA (email: wsprigg@u.arizona.edu; tel: 520-621-6834)

For Oceans and Human Health Topics

Juli Trtanj, NOAA (email: juli.trtanj@noaa.gov)

Call for Abstracts: 5th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights

September 19-22, 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

The Scientific Committee of the 5th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is pleased to invite Abstracts (oral presentations and posters) exploring the overall theme of the conference – “Sexual Health and Rights in Africa – Where Are We?” and through the following sub-themes:

- Adolescent and Youth Sexuality
- Women’s and Girls Sexuality
- Disabilities and Sexual Rights
- Sexual Rights and Sex Work
- HIV/AIDS and Sexuality
- Sexuality, Culture and Religion
- Sexual and Reproductive Rights (Legal, Policy and Programme Issues- financing, equity, access, implementation, enforcement and redress)
- Sexual Orientation, Sexual/Gender Identity and Sexual and Reproductive Rights
- Capacity building and Knowledge Management

Abstract Format
1. 15-minute oral presentations (10 minutes presentation + 5 minutes for questions).

2. 5 minute oral poster presentations (3 minutes for presentation + 2 minutes for questions).

Authors may choose among the following abstract formats:

- Standard format (Introduction and objectives, Method(s), Results and Conclusion).

- Qualitative Research Studies (Introduction, Method(s), Findings and discussion, Recommendations and References)

- Experiential & Practice Samples (Introduction, Action. Outcome, Discussion, Recommendations and References).

- Historical Survey (Introduction, Approach, Findings and discussions and References).

Abstracts Submission & Evaluation Criteria
- Abstracts should be submitted for poster and podium presentations.

- All abstracts must be submitted online at www.africasexuality.org/abstract/openconf.php

- Abstracts can be submitted in English, French or Portuguese.

- Abstracts will be printed as submitted. It is the author’s responsibility to submit the abstract in the correct order with no spelling or grammar errors.

- Abstracts that are not received in the proper format will not be considered for review by the Scientific Committee.

- The Abstract should include a summary of not more than 200 words and an extended abstract of 2-3 pages (Arial font 11, spacing 1.5).

- The abstract should provide as much relevant information as possible and should follow the one of the 4 formats highlighted above.

- The title should be in capital letters.

- For multiple submissions, consistency in authors’ names should be maintained to avoid duplication in the Author index of the final Program.

- The presenting author’s name should be listed first and underlined.

- Authors must indicate the name of the funders (if any) of research being presented.

- Authors must disclose any potential conflict of interest for their research.

- PowerPoint presentations using a PC data projector will be the standard method of visual data presentation.

- Authors should indicate whether they prefer a podium or poster presentation.

- The final decision on the presentation format will be made by the Scientific Committee.

- Receipt of all abstracts will be acknowledged by e-mail.

- All accepted abstracts will be published in the Conference Proceedings, online and may be reproduced in relevant scientific journals.

- Submitted Abstracts will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

For further information and questions, contact conference@africasexuality.org

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2012

Conference Host
Namibia Planned Parenthood Association
P.O. Box 10936
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 230250
Fax: +264 61 230251
Email: conference@africasexuality.org
www.nappa.com.na

Call for Posters: 10th International Rotavirus Symposium

19 - 21 September 2012 Bangkok, Thailand

The 10th International Rotavirus Symposium will be held 19-21 September, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. It will bring together interested stakeholders to provide an update on new data and relevant research that will inform public health agendas related to prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis.

Main Session Topics
Participants will discuss the latest results of trials of new rotavirus vaccines in developing country settings, issues in vaccine policy and introduction, and early post-marketing data on vaccine impact and safety. Scheduled sessions include:

* Update on rotavirus vaccines
* Early experiences with introduction of new rotavirus vaccines
* Epidemiology and burden of rotavirus disease
* The pipeline for rotavirus vaccines
* The next steps for rotavirus vaccines

Call for Posters
(Abstract deadline - 30 June, 2012)

The Scientific Organizing Committee is calling for posters relevant to rotavirus, rotavirus vaccines, and rotavirus vaccine introduction experience. A copy of each of the accepted poster abstracts will be included in the symposium program book, and some will be asked to present at the symposium. Please send abstracts to rotavirus@sabin.org

Please limit your abstract proposal to one page and include the following information:

* Contact Information (name, address, phone, & email)
* Author(s)
* Title
* Abstract: 250-400 word limit with 4 sections- Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions. If the poster is accepted, this abstract is the description that will be published (verbatim) in the symposium program book.

Call for Abstracts: 6th International Conference on Ocular Infections

The 6th International Conference on Ocular Infections (ICOI) will be held on March 7-10, 2013 at the Loews Hotel, Santa Monica, CA, USA.

Infections of the eye continue to challenge clinicians around the world to make an accurate, rapid diagnosis, as well as providing optimal therapy given the emergence of spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The Scientific Committee encourages the submission of original Abstracts for poster presentations.

All abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee.

The accepted abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts.

If an Abstract is accepted, the presenting author must register.

Authors who submit an abstract but fail to register for the conference run the risk of having their abstracts withdrawn.

The Deadline for Abstract Submission is December 2nd, 2012.

Abstracts must be submitted via the Conference website.

Abstracts submitted by fax or email will not be accepted, If you are unable to submit them via the website, please contact the Secretariat.

Confirmations will be sent by December 13th, 2012.

Submitters that their abstract has been accepted will have to register no later than December 22, 2012.

Main Conference Topics

Surgical Strategies to Prevent Infections
Update on TASS and Preferred Instrument Sterilization Methods
Unraveling the Contact Lens-Associated Microbial Keratitis Epidemics
Antimicrobial Resistance: Strategies for Survival and Prevention
The revolution in Ocular Imaging for real - time Diagnosis of Eye Infections
Drug Delivery systems for intraocular and surface disease
The Latest Clinical Updates on External Infections, Keratitis, Endoophthalmitis, Uveitis and Retinitis
Advances in Antimicrobial Agent Research & Development
Ocular Microbiology Laboratory Techniques
Epidemiology, Microbiology, Pharmacology and Drug Delivery

Conference Secretariat
Paragon Conventions
18, Avenue Louis-Casai, 5th Floor
1209 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)22 747 7930, Fax: +41 (0)22 747 7999
Website: www.ocularinfections.com

Conference Manager

Ms. Shirley Dinenson

Email: sdinenson@paragon-conventions.com