INDEPTH NETWORK

Adult Health & Aging: Building the INDEPTH Platform

 29 October – 1 November 2003

Johannesburg

Venue: Helderfontein Conference Center
(about 40km North of Johannesburg International Airport)

The Goal of the INDEPTH Adult Health initiative is:

“To establish INDEPTH’s capability to contribute critical insights into the adult health, aging and disease transitions evolving in Africa and Asia, and to use this understanding to evaluate interventions of potentially high impact”

To meet this goal it is vital to lay the scientific basis for a multi-site grant proposal that can generate substantial support from interested donors.

OBJECTIVE

The forthcoming Workshop on Adult Health and Aging will:

• Take stock of ongoing work in Adult Health and Aging at INDEPTH sites, through site presentations and a Network audit

• Work with an expert team to develop promising research directions and plan for development of a multi-site grant proposal

• Formulate core and optional ‘INDEPTH Adult Health modules’ for rapid introduction into a sub-group of INDEPTH sites – and potential extension across the Network.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

We expect major progress in advancing INDEPTH’s Adult Health R&D agenda.

BACKGROUND OF PARTICIPANTS:

Please note that, given the focus of the meeting, we are asking that each site participant be a scientist with particular interest in the field, who can be expected to play a leading role in this aspect of your research program. Participating site scientists will be asked to carefully complete an audit of current and/or intended work in Adult Health and Aging (for analysis prior to the meeting), and to prepare a short, well thought-out presentation on work underway/planned. (We recognize that certain participating sites may not, as yet, have ongoing programs of work.)

PARTICIPANTS:

The sponsors will cover all costs of ONE participant from each INDEPTH site, including all meals, accommodation, local ground transportation, airfare, visa fees, and exit taxes.  Transportation to and from the airport in the participant’s home country will not be reimbursed.

If a site wishes to send more than one participant, special arrangements can be made to accommodate the extra participant(s) at the site’s expense.  In order to facilitate workshop planning, self-sponsoring participants will be required to make international travel arrangements and local accommodation bookings through our travel agent, and payment for both must be made by the self-sponsoring participant directly to the agent or service provider.  Please contact Dereshni Ramnarain (contact details below) to make arrangements for self-sponsoring participants.

Depending on availability of funds, sponsored participants will receive a small per diem to cover minor incidental costs.

CURRICULUM:

The meeting will run over three full days – from Thursday October 30^th to Saturday November 1^st. Participants are therefore asked to plan their travel to reach Johannesburg by Wednesday October 29^th.

RESOURCE PERSONS:

Ruth Bonita – Non-communicable Disease Surveillance, WHO

Myles Connor – Neurology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Gillian Hundt – Institute for Health & Social Sciences, Warwick, UK

Richard Suzman – National Institute on Aging, NIH, USA

Krisela Steyn – Chronic Diseases Unit, MRC, South Africa

Margaret Thorogood – Epidemiology, Warwick University, UK

Stig Wall – Epidemiology and Public Health, Umea University, Sweden

Resource persons not at this event include:

Jane Menken, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder

Anne Case, Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University, USA

HOSTS:

Agincourt Health and Population Unit, Health and Population Division, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, SA

FUNDER: INDEPTH Network

ORGANISERS

Steve Tollman (Agincourt), Peter Byass (Butajira), Kathy Kahn and Dereshni Ramnarain (Agincourt), Jane Doherty (consultant)

For the Adult Health and Aging Work Group

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT ON TRAVEL PLANS

Since the meeting is but two months away we will appreciate your rapid response to this invitation. Please reply soonest regarding your intention to participate. Reply to Dereshni Ramnarain of the Agincourt Health and Population Unit, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand on agincourt@sph.wits.ac.za . Please copy the INDEPTH Secretariat on indepth@indepth-network.org . Dereshni, with Secretariat support, will manage all travel, meeting and related logistical arrangements. Queries about the meeting can be addressed to Dereshni or to Steve Tollman on tollmansm@sph.wits.ac.za ; Tel +27-11-7172083; Fax +27-11-7172084.