NIH hosts event to launch Council of Science
Editors' global theme issue
More than 230 journals worldwide examine research related to
poverty and human development
The National Institutes of Health today is hosting the launch
of the Council of Science Editors' global theme issue on poverty
and human development, to coincide with the publication of related
research by more than 230 journals worldwide. Seven of the most
outstanding articles examining interventions and projects to improve
health and reduce health-care inequities among the poor are being
presented at the event. The diverse topics include childbirth safety,
HIV/AIDS, malaria treatment, food insufficiency and sexual behavior,
interventions to improve child survival, physician brain drain
from the developing world, and influenza's impact on children.
The symposium is being webcast live and archived for future viewing: http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=6239
"The scope and diversity of these critical research projects
illustrate the complexity of today's major global health challenges
that require multi-disciplinary approaches," said Elias A.
Zerhouni, NIH Director. "As we begin to reap the benefits
of our investment in cutting-edge fields such as genomics, we must
ensure that these incredible scientific advances are adapted for
effective delivery to all people, including those in resource-poor
settings."
The global theme issue launch is being sponsored by two NIH components:
the Fogarty International Center and the National Library of Medicine,
in cooperation with the Council of Science Editors. Based in Reston,
Va., the council serves its more than 1,200 members around the
world by fostering networking, education, discussion, and exchange
and providing an authoritative resource on issues involving the
communication of scientific information.
"This remarkable international collaboration highlights the
tremendous health disparities that exist in the developing world
and demonstrates that, through science, we can reduce the huge
inequities that exist," according to Fogarty Director Roger
I. Glass, M.D. "By developing health care delivery strategies
that achieve effective and sustained coverage in diverse cultural
and economic settings, we can move closer to bridging this equity
gap in global health."
Two previous global theme issues have been organized by the editors
of JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association). In January
1996, more than 200 articles on emerging and reemerging global
microbial threats were published by 36 journals from 21 countries.
In 1997, 97 journals in 31 countries published on the theme of
aging.
"It is gratifying that the number of journals participating
in the 2007 Global Health theme issue is more than double the number
involved in a similar effort a decade ago," said Betsy Humphreys,
MLS, NLM deputy director. "This reflects progress in scientific
journal publishing in the developing world, as well as increased
recognition that global health disparities affect the well-being
of all of us."
The scientific papers being presented are being moderated by Catherine
DeAngelis, M.D., Editor-in-chief, JAMA and Fiona Godlee, M.D.,
Editor-in-chief, BMJ (British Medical Journal).
Presentations in order of delivery:
"Food insufficiency is associated with high-risk sexual behavior
among women in Botswana and Swaziland," published by PloS
Medicine and presented by Dr. Sheri Weiser, University of California
San Francisco
"Reduced in-hospital mortality after improved management
of children less than five years of age hospitalized with malaria — A
randomized trial," published by BMJ and presented by Dr. Sidu
Biai and Dr. Amabelia de Jesus Pereira Rodrigues, Bandim Health
Project (Guinea Bissau, West Africa)
"Human resources for treating HIV/AIDS: Needs, capacities,
and gaps," published by AIDS Patient Care and STDs and presented
by Dr. Salal Humair, Lahore University of Management & Sciences
(Lahore, Pakistan) and Dr. Till Barnighausen, University of Kwa
Zulu-Natal (South Africa)
"Too Poor to Leave, Too Rich to Stay" Developmental
and global health correlates of physician migration to the United
States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom," published
by American Journal of Public Health and presented by Dr. Onyebuchi
Arah and Dr. Uzor Ogbu, University of Amsterdam Medical Center
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
"Improving child survival through environmental and nutritional
interventions: The importance of targeting interventions towards
the poor," published by JAMA and presented by Dr. Majid Ezzati,
Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, Mass.)
"Cellular and humoral responses to in influenza in Gabonese
children living in rural and semi-urban areas," published
by Journal of Infectious Diseases and presented by Dr. Maria Yazdanbakhsh,
Leiden University Medical Center (Leiden, The Netherlands)
"Chlorhexidine vaginal and neonatal wipes in home births
in Pakistan: A randomized controlled trial," published by
Obstetrics & Gynecology and presented by Dr. Sarah Saleem,
Aga Khan University (Karachi, Pakistan)
Downloadable images for media use are available at: www.fic.nih.gov/news/events/cse_newsimages.htm
More information is available at: http://www.fic.nih.gov/news/events/cse.htm
For the complete list of participating journals, visit: http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/globalthemeissue.cfm
The Fogarty International Center, the international component
of the NIH, addresses global health challenges through innovative
and collaborative research and training programs and supports and
advances the NIH mission through international partnerships. For
more information, visit www.fic.nih.gov.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the National Based in Reston Library
of Medicine is the world's largest library of the health sciences.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.nlm.nih.gov/.
Based in Reston, Virginia, the Council of Science Editors' purpose
is to serve members in the scientific, scientific publishing, and
information science communities by fostering networking, education,
discussion, and exchange and to be an authoritative resource on
current and emerging issues in the communication of scientific
information. More information is available at www.councilscienceeditors.org.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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