An International network of DSS sites involved in demographic and health research in developing countries      

February 2008

From the Executive Director

Dr.Osman Sankoh

Dear INDEPTH family,

February has fought hard to be a month to be remembered as the month of the year for network activities – some in incubation stage, some taking off, and some rolling and rolling on and on. Whether or not February has won, you will have to decide. I think that January did well and I can see a promising March.

To help you to decide for either February or January, let me provide the highlights for the month of February. Click here to go back to those for January.

The Secretariat hosted several visitors who wanted to know about our activities and discuss avenues for collaboration. My colleagues and I were delighted to welcome professors from Columbia University and Michigan State University in the US. We hosted AMANET and AMMREN, and the African Development Bank came to us to present the Bank’s activities so that INDEPTH can understand their operations and look at ways to access support from the Bank for network activities.

As you all know, network activities are generated by scientists and other staff at HDSS sites leaving their busy schedules to attend INDEPTH workshops. In February, the following key workshops have either been confirmed or are being planned. Please check this website for regular updates:

-          The University of Cape Coast in Ghana meets in February in Accra with the three HDSS sites in Ghana to look at the relationship between the spatial distribution of mortality and malaria transmission intensity;

-          A call for Data Managers from INDEPTH sites has been published on this website. The workshop will be held in Dodowa, Ghana.

-          Site PIs will meet in Nouna, Burkina Faso to finalise a grant proposal on the economic evaluation of illness at the HDSS sites in Africa and Asia;

-          Seven INDEPTH sites will meet in Kilifi, Kenya in early March to launch the INDEPTH epilepsy study;

-          Ouagadougou HDSS in Burkina Faso will organise a workshop for sites who are looking at the longitudinal surveillance setup to answer questions related to children’s schooling in their demographic surveillance areas;

-          Kanchanaburi HDSS in Thailand has accepted to host the next Scientific Writing Workshop;

-          The Union of African Population Studies (UAPS) agreed to co-organise with INDEPTH in July a workshop on longitudinal data analysis;

-          Farafenni HDSS in The Gambia has accepted to host a workshop for INDEPTH site administrators;

-          Nairobi Urban HDSS has agreed to host a workshop for INDEPTH site accountants/finance managers; and

-          Sites participating in the INDEPTH ART-Rollout study will meet in Accra in late March to finalise their grant proposal.

The following information about specific assistance the Secretariat can provide to INDEPTH sites may influence your decision for the month of February, so please promise that you will not read it.

-          Bridging the language barrier: INDEPTH sites in non-English speaking countries can ask the Secretariat to help their scientists go for short attachment at sites in English-speaking countries. This initiative is becoming popular so contact us now. Click here for more information.

-          Site exchange visits: Did you know that your field workers and other staff (not necessarily the senior scientists) can ask for travel support to visit another site to see how work is done there?

-          Strategic planning: We are aware of the importance of strategic plans to research institutions. If your institution doesn’t have one and you need assistance with this, please let us know.

-          Technical support: In the past, we funded a data manager from Africa Centre in South Africa to help Kanchanaburi in Thailand. If you need technical support in connection with your longitudinal surveillance work, please let us know. We are prepared to help.

-          Visit by mentors: Our SAC members (and we can find even more) are willing to come to your sites for a number of days just to be around you and provide advice and help you find solutions to challenges your site faces. If you need such support, please let us know so that we can match a mentor with your site.

-          Websites: Our business is to help your site become more visible globally. The internet is key! So we can help your site pay for a domain name and hosting your site’s website. We can even help you develop your site. Just let us know if you still don’t have a website.

          Let me stop here. You will read from me again at the end of March.

BETTER HEALTH INFORMATION FOR BETTER HEALTH POLICY

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                     January 2008 message from the Executive Diretcor