Auxiliary Events
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Auxiliary Events
Book Chat
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Co-Chairs
Featured Speakers
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Panel Descriptions
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Sessions by Interest
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Special Featured Events
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Auxiliary Events
We invite you to participate in the following featured events hosted by our sponsor/member and partner organizations.
Visit this page often for additional events, updated speaker and agenda information.
No advance sign up is required for auxiliary events, unless noted within the event description. Auxiliary events are open to registered conference attendees.
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Ongoing Exhibits
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Student Photography Exhibit: Transforming Research into Art
Hosted by: Program on Forced Migration and Health at the Mailman School of Public Health,
Columbia University | visit website
 This photography exhibit has evolved from students completing their international field practicum for the Program on Forced Migration and Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Students are responsible for the design and implementation of an independent research project on a pertinent public health or social sector theme. Students travel to countries in South East Asia, Africa, South America, Middle East and Eastern Europe. Students find that the photography medium allows them to not only make connections with people in the communities that they are working in, but also to share their vivid memories with others upon returning home. The Program on Forced Migration and Health is committed to professionalizing the field of humanitarian response. The Program pursues its mission by training the next generation of public health and humanitarian response workers, leading innovative research, training, and advocacy initiatives, and by offering technical assistance to international organizations.
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Monday, June 14
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The Implementing Best Practices (IBP) 10th Anniversary Breakfast
9 – 11 am
Hosted by: the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) in Reproductive Health Consortium | visit website
 WHO, USAID and partners of the Implementing Best Practice (IBP) in Reproductive Health Consortium invite you to join a celebration marking the 10-year anniversary of the IBP Initiative. This breakfast event will highlight a decade of activities, milestones, and achievements of the IBP partnership in our efforts to work at the global, regional and country level to harmonize approaches, reduce duplication and support the implementation and scaling up of proven effective practices. The agenda includes speakers from WHO, USAID, UNFPA, and IBP partners in the field, highlighting how the IBP Consortium has contributed to improving reproductive health outcomes worldwide. Join us and celebrate the power of partnership!
Climate Change, Food Security, and Household Health: The Right Metrics for the Right Country-Level Policy Choices
9:30 – 11:30 am
Hosted by: ICF International | visit website
 The triple shock of food price hikes, soaring energy prices, and a global financial meltdown could be an early indicator for looming food insecurity and threats to household health. WHO estimates that 150,000 deaths already occur annually in low-income countries due to the effects of climate change on crop failures and malnutrition, and on the increased incidence and severity of floods, diarrheal diseases, and malaria. Emerging trends in household health, food security, and climate change will create newer challenges for human health that need to be understood and contextualized to inform country-level health policy decisions; despite global efforts, data show that progress toward Millennium Development Goals is slow and uneven, with outcomes for the most vulnerable sometimes worsening. Join us for a keynote overview of these emerging trends, followed by table discussions on information and policies needed to enhance country-level decision-making, led by experienced thought leaders in the field.
The Health Open Educational Resources Network: Building Capacity for Health Education in Africa
9:30 – 11:30 am
Hosted by: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation | visit website, OER Africa (an initiative of the South African Institute of Distance Education) | visit website, and the University of Michigan | visit website
 This event will be a unique networking opportunity to explore the potential of using Open Educational Resource (OER) frameworks to leverage and maximize the impact of initiatives in health education in Africa, with a view to accelerating the creation of capacity in African health-care systems. This process will result in the establishment of a consortial approach to building a long- term program for health OER.
Working with Faith Organizations and Networks to Achieve the MDGs
1 – 3 pm
Hosted by: the Faith and Global Health Caucus | visit website
Moving from the early beginnings in missionary and humanitarian programs to full partnership in today’s major global health efforts, faith-based programs now range from direct service delivery to serving as major implementers of Global Fund, PEPFAR, RBM and other large public health programs, whether they are implemented by FBOs or secular organizations. As all global health programs are now charged to demonstrate measurable impact on reducing mortality and morbidity and contributing to meeting the MDGs, the role of monitoring progress towards program objectives and evaluating best practices and lessons learned has become central to their work. Panelists from several different faith and professional backgrounds will present results from some of these programs, their perspectives on the role of religious organizations and networks in achieving these results, as share their experiences integrating professional public health evaluation practices into their organization. Session is open to everyone Please join us for what is sure to be a stimulating discussion! Contact: jean_capps@hotmail.com.
Speakers:
Ron Mataya, Loma Linda University School of Public Health
Douglas Huber, Management Sciences for Health
Melanie Morrow, World Relief
Marilyn Patton, HOPE Worldwide
District Level Malaria Advocacy: Scaling Up Malaria Control Through Partnerships
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Hosted by: Voices for a Malaria Free Future at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Program | visit website
 A panel of international experts from the public and private sector will stimulate discussion on how district-level advocacy teams can speed the scale up of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa. The discussion will highlight a Voices for a Malaria-Free Future project that has mobilized the creation of District Malaria Advocacy Teams (DMATs) in Ghana, Tanzania, Mali, and Uganda. DMATs consist of a diverse group of leaders from the District Health Management Team, religious institutions, the government, the private sector, and traditional chiefs. Panelists will discuss opportunities and challenges associated with the DMATs, as well as the successes that have led to greater transparency in government and expanded malaria control coverage.
Can Country Ownership Work? Field Perspectives on Health Systems Strengthening
2 – 4 pm
 Hosted by: Management Sciences for Health | visit website and
Oxfam America | visit website | view webcam
Have doubts about country ownership? Want to hear more? Civil society and health ministries in developing countries have experience with a multitude of donor approaches, from disease-specific initiatives to health system strengthening to direct budget support. Currently, global health donors are seeking to increase country ownership: in the US Global Health Initiative, the Global Fund's transition to a “Global Health Fund”, and the creation of the International Health Partnership. Come listen to former Minister of Health Francisco Songane of Mozambique, Dr. Sin Somuny of MEDICAM in Cambodia, and others share their personal experiences. Tough questions welcomed.
Crossing the Divide: Reaching the Poor with Commercial Health Networks and Franchises
2 – 4 pm
Hosted by: the USAID SHOPS Project, led by Abt Associates Inc.
 USAID's Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project will host an Auxiliary Session, Crossing the Divide: Reaching the Poor with Commercial Health Networks and Franchises on Monday, June 14th from 2-4pm in the Diplomat Ballroom. In recent years new business models have emerged that have allowed commercial health networks and franchises to better meet the health needs of those residing at the base of the economic pyramid. This panel discussion will showcase a range of examples and highlight challenges, results and lessons learned.
Abt International Health Reception
 5:30–7:30 pm
Hosted by: Abt Associates Inc. | visit website
Abt Associates' International Health Division will host a reception Monday, June 14th, 5:30-7:30pm in the Palladian Ballroom at which experts in health policy, systems strengthening, program implementation, and the private sector will share and exchange experiences on collaborating to improve community health in developing countries. Refreshments will be served and all conference attendees are welcome.
Maximizing Nutritional Benefits from Agricultural Interventions
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Hosted by: PATH, USAID’s Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project | visit website
 This seminar will present a procedure for assessing the likely impact of agricultural interventions on the most nutritionally vulnerable populations. Participants will learn about identifying aspects of interventions to monitor for indications that adverse nutritional impact is occurring or likely will occur. Participants will test drive the procedure using examples of actual projects. Increases in agricultural production do not always lead to positive nutritional impact. To achieve maximal nutritional benefit, agricultural interventions should have positive (or at least neutral) impacts on the food security of nutritionally marginalized groups, and additionally must a) increase access of these groups to nutritionally beneficial crops and products, and b) be coupled with nutrition counseling activities. Importantly, unintended negative consequences for nutritionally marginalized groups need careful consideration, such as potential increases in women’s workload that may negatively impact child feeding.
From Diagnostic Technologies to Diagnosis in the Field
6 – 8 pm
Hosted by: FIND | visit website
 Why do we need better diagnostics? Join us to learn about the development of new diagnostic tools, to share different experiences of how they can be used in endemic countries, and to discuss how better diagnostics can support other in-country disease management efforts and programs. Chaired by the CEO of FIND, Giorgio Roscigno, and introduced by James Kakooza, the Minister of State for Health of Uganda (Public Health Care), this symposium will first highlight the current state of research in diagnostics for tuberculosis, malaria and sleeping sickness, drawing on the diverse experiences of FIND staff members (Gerd Michel, Senior Technology Officer, Joseph Ndung’u, Head of HAT Diagnostics Program, and Evan Lee, Senior Policy Officer). The second part of the symposium will focus on the experiences of FIND partners in rolling out diagnostics in countries, advocacy activities in the field, and in the strengthening of laboratories. Presenters will include Tsehaynesh Messele (Director General, Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute), John Kabayo (Coordinator, African Union’s Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign), John Nkengasong (Associate Director for Laboratory Science, Centers for Disease Control) and Jorge Bermudez (Executive Secretary, UNITAID).
Real Collaboration: What It Takes for Global Health to Succeed Book Launch
6 – 8 pm
Hosted by: the Task Force for Global Health and Milbank Memorial Fund | visit website
 In global health there is a compelling need for what we call “real collaboration,” the give-and-take of human beings who are so dedicated to a mission they will set aside the politics of organizations, share the difficulties, and invent solutions together. Yet, collaborations in global health often fall short of what they hope to achieve. The difficulty comes in translating the attitude and concept of collaboration into concrete applications. The Task Force for Global Health with the support of Milbank Memorial Fund is excited to invite participants to the book launch of Real Collaboration: What It Takes for Global Health to Succeed. Essential reading for those who work in global health, this practical handbook focuses on what might be the most important lesson of the last fifty years: that collaboration is the best way to make health resources count for disadvantaged people around the world. Designed as a learning resource to catalyze fresh thinking, Real Collaboration draws from case studies of teams struggling to combat smallpox, river blindness, polio, and other health threats. In honest appraisals, participants share their missteps as well as their successes. Based on these stories, as well as on analyses of many other enterprises, this accessible, engaging book distills the critical factors that can increase the likelihood of success for those who are launching or managing a new partnership. The reception attendees will be able to learn more about the book and the principles it presents directly from two of its authors, Mark Rosenberg and Elisabeth Hayes.
Walk the Talk: Investing to Solve the Health Workforce Crisis to Reach the MDGs and Save Lives
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: the African Medical & Research Foundation | visit website
 Density and management skills of HRH, particularly community health workers, nurses, midwives, and doctors, significantly affect maternal, infant and under-five mortality rates. Thirty-nine countries in Africa have not met the minimum threshold of 2.3 health professionals per 1,000 population to ‘very likely’ achieve the MDGs and Africa alone is short some 1 million health workers. The severe HRH shortage is attributed to many factors, including under-investment in health systems and HRH. Only recently have global initiatives like PEPFAR and the Global Fund fully recognized and supported HSS. If the MDGs are to be achieved, an actionable way forward is required to develop needs-based targets for scaling-up HRH with commensurate funding. This session will discuss proposals to solve the HRH crisis, including adequate HRH financing, HRH internal and external migration and the need to further strengthen various global health initiatives. Panelists: AMREF, MSH, PHR and IntraHealth. Food and beverages served.
The ACCESS Family Planning Program: Learning About Effective Approaches for Postpartum Family Planning
 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: Jhpiego/ACCESS-FP | visit website
ACCESS Family Planning Program representatives from Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria will share key areas of learning in the implementation of postpartum family planning approaches guided by evidence-based practices. These presentations will include community and facility-based strategies for reaching women and their families with family planning information and services in the first year postpartum. Global lessons learned in the integration of family planning into maternal and newborn health programs will also be presented.
 Delivering Sustainable Health Solutions Worldwide
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: Project HOPE/Health Affairs | visit website
Join Project HOPE President and CEO John P. Howe III, M.D., and international program staff for a panel discussion about HOPE’s 50-year track record of developing and implementing innovative, long-term health care solutions in more than 100 countries. Moderated by Susan Dentzer, the Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs. Reception to follow.
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Tuesday, June 15
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Auxiliary Luncheon: Tuberculosis and Women's Health: Lessons of Survival and Advocacy from South Africa and the US
12:45 – 2:15 pm
Hosted by: The Lilly MDR-TB Partnership and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: visit website | visit website
 Under the umbrella of the Global Health Initiative (GHI), the US establishes a common framework for global health and aims to enhance coordination among US global health programs through a health systems strengthening and women-centered approach. This session will discuss women and tuberculosis (TB) as part of a broad women's health agenda. In addition, the session will examine the state of advocacy on TB, specifically goals and metrics related to advocacy and what can be done to increase awareness of this disease that takes the lives of 4,500 each day. Come hear the compelling story and TB survival experience of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Global TB Advocate Ms. Gerry Elsdon, who will be accompanied by expert panelists in the areas of advocacy and global health.
Spirit of Alma Ata 1978 Caucus Meeting
3:30 – 5 pm
Hosted by: the Spirit of Alma Ata 1978 Caucus | visit website
The Spirit of Alma Ata 1978 Caucus invites all conference participants to attend their annual meeting and share experiences, research, and resources for renewing primary health care.
Sustainable Community Systems Strengthening for HIV and AIDS Care and Support for Vulnerable Populations
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Hosted by: World Vision US/World Vision International | visit website
 World Vision is happy to share its experience responding to global impact of HIV and AIDS through its Hope Initiative: a child-focused, household and community-based initiative in partnership with government ministries, local and international agencies. The initiative empowers orphans and vulnerable populations through holistic, comprehensive and sustainable approaches to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS at individual, household and community levels, carried out through expansion of HIV prevention, strengthening household and community capacity to care for the infected and affected and promoting advocacy around issues of HIV. World Vision through government, bilateral grants, public-private partnerships, and private funds, implements HIV and AIDS projects in 60 countries, annually serving more than 1.5 million children, chronically ill persons, and faith leaders. Best practices and lessons learned providing sustainable community systems strengthening at household, community and national levels will be presented as essential steps in comprehensive response to OVC care and support.
The Sound of Hope: Making Hearing Matter in the Developing World
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation | visit website
 Hearing loss is a widespread problem that lies at the core of health, education, and economic development. The WHO estimates that at least 4.5% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss that affects their ability to communicate and to participate in education or work. The numbers are even more striking in developing countries where up to 20% of children may fail basic hearing screening exams and there is often little or no access to services for their hearing loss. Fortunately, over half of the cases of hearing loss are preventable through programs that support vaccination, limit access to ototoxic drugs, curb exposures to harmful noise in the workplace, integrate ear and hearing health into primary healthcare, and providing the hearing impaired with adequate services and rehabilitation. This event will explore the critical need and challenges of incorporating these programs into our healthcare goals for developing countries.
Helping Babies BreatheSM - Reports from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Tanzania
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: the American Academy of Pediatrics and USAID | visit website
 This session will provide you with an introduction to Helping Babies Breathe, a neonatal resuscitation curriculum developed so all persons who care for babies at birth can learn to help babies who do not initially breathe well. Reports, stories, and data from the 5 countries where HBB was piloted will be shared by the principal investigators and master trainers. The objective of HBB is to train health care providers and birth attendants in developing countries. A unique methodology and a hands-on focus are used to teach “The Golden Minute” concept that identifies the steps that birth attendants must take in that first minute of life. HBB has the potential to make a significant contribution to MDG 4. Helping Babies Breathe is developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics in collaboration with USAID, Saving Newborn Lives, NICHD, and other stakeholders.
Moving Integration in Global Health from Rhetoric to Reality
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: Chemonics International | visit website
 Integration in health can help achieve a more harmonious service delivery strategy that improves efficiency and cost effectiveness, and recognizes the holistic needs of the client. Integration in health has been defined in two principal ways. The first is between programming and/or funding of vertical interventions such as HIV/AIDS, TB, or family planning. The second is between these vertical interventions and a horizontal health systems strengthening agenda. The core question we strive to answer is: how can we move beyond rhetoric to real functional integration that improves population health outcomes? Our panel (speakers TBD) will explore this question by discussing how vertical HIV/AIDS programming has had a spillover effect on broader health systems strengthening efforts, what USAID and/or PEPFAR priorities are for integration, and where field projects have had success with integration, such as the Chemonics-implemented USAID project in Angola.
Stronger Health Systems for Greater Health Impact
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by: Management Sciences for Health | visit website
 Health systems strengthening is the only path to sustainable health impact. But how do we know what works? And what kind of progress are we making? Join MSH for a wine and cheese reception with opening words by Afghan Ambassador Said Jawad (invited), Haitian Minister of Health Alex Larsen, and MSH Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jonathan D. Quick. In Afghanistan, Haiti, and around the world, MSH is building stronger health systems to reverse the spread of infectious disease and achieve universal access to basic health services. How is your organization contributing to this global effort and how can we work together?
The Role of INGOs in a Changing Development Landscape
7 – 9 pm
Hosted by: Family Health International
A candid dialogue on the role of INGOs in a changing development landscape. Challenging questions will be directed to leaders from INGOs, multilaterals, developing world government(s) and US government. The Global Health Initiative makes country ownership of the health agenda a clear priority. What does that mean for health and development assistance? Bringing our diverse perspectives into a single conversation will help us better understand the implementation challenges, what tools will be necessary to succeed in this new environment, and what steps we can take—separately and in partnership—to achieve sustainable results. Key questions will include:
- What should the role of INGOs be going forward?
- How can their collective wisdom be leveraged for maximum impact?
- How should INGOs retool to more effectively deliver their technical and capacity building expertise in
this new environment?
We look forward to your participation in this important discussion.
Bridging the Divide: HIV Catalyzing Transformation of Health Systems
7 – 9 pm
Hosted by: International AIDS Society
 The International AIDS Society (IAS), with the funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and in collaboration with the International Centre for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at Columbia University, convened a pre-conference at the IAS 2009 Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on 18 July, 2009 in Cape Town. The meeting gathered up to 100 experts, researchers, practitioners and implementers from the fields of HIV and health systems to review the results and progress from the work currently being carried out in the area of HIV and health systems strengthening by a range of international experts. The IAS-ICAP Satellite will build on the IAS 2009 Cape Town pre-conference discussions and provide an opportunity for GHC conference delegates to discuss the following critical questions. What is the evidence on the impact of HIV scale-up on broader health systems? Why - HIV can catalyze transformation of health systems? What strategies are required in leveraging the impact of HIV programming to improve non-targeted services? What examples of models of good practice? What are the options in moving forward the agenda - to accelerate research, rigorous evaluation and bridge the divide between HIV programming, other priority health conditions and health systems strengthening? Session Moderators: Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, ICAP Director and Robin Gorna, IAS Executive Director.
Increase in Service Delivery through Increased Awareness for Positive Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Behaviors
7 – 9 pm
Hosted by: JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. | visit website and Pakistan Initiative for Mothers & Newborns (PAIMAN) | visit website
 The USAID-funded PAIMAN project has made a major contribution to improving MNCH in 24 districts of Pakistan through evidence-based communication, advocacy and mobilization strategies, through a package of community-based obstetrical and neonatal services, and by provision of 24/7 referral services. PAIMAN has established a network of religious scholars (Ulama) that disseminates MNCH messages through Friday sermons. In addition strong mass media component that includes a drama series: ‘Paiman’, two music videos, seven television commercials, a series of PAIMAN TV magazine shows, a radio magazine show and two documentaries on puppet shows and the Ulama intervention. At the same time a package of community-based obstetrical and neonatal services were offered through developing a new cadre of CMWs, orientation of TBAs on clean delivery practices, and arrangement of emergency transport system. Referral health facilities have been upgradated and and human resource issues were addressed through innovative solutions. As shown by the information generated through a renewed HMIS, PAIMAN’s innovative strategies have tremendously improved the utilization of MNCH services by women and children across Pakistan.
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Wednesday, June 16
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Auxiliary Luncheon: Extending Service Delivery (ESD) Project - End of Project Conference
12:30 - 2 pm
Hosted by: the Extending Service Delivery Project | website
 The USAID-funded Extending Service Delivery (ESD) Project is managed and directed by Pathfinder International in partnership with IntraHealth International, Management Sciences for Health, and Meridian Group International, Inc. ESD addresses the need for quality, community-based reproductive health and family planning services and information for poor, hard-to-reach, and under-served populations and is USAID’s flagship project in RH/FP. ESD’s luncheon will showcase the project’s accomplishments throughout its five-year lifetime, and portray how it helped to implement and scale-up best and promising practices to meet the needs of some of the most underserved. Some of the topical areas addressed will be: working with religious leaders to raise awareness about RH/FP; engaging the private sector to promote RH/FP through corporate social responsibility; integrating healthy timing and spacing messages into health programs around the world, and; scaling-up FP/MNCH best practices across the health care continuum.
Honoring Those Who Are Helping Rebuild Haiti
6 - 8 pm
Hosted by: the Abbott Fund | website
 This event is an opportunity for the global health community to interact with the individuals and organizations who are involved in the task of helping rebuild Haiti’s post-quake health systems and are working together with the government of Haiti to help provide access to health and human services.
Global Health Fellows Program/Public Health Institute Social Reception and Exemplar Awards
6 - 8 pm
Hosted by: the Global Health Fellows Program | website
 Join the Global Health Fellows Program/Public Health Institute for a fun social reception. Enjoy food, refreshments, music and socializing with your Global Health colleagues and don't miss the annual GHFP Outstanding Exemplar Awards. These awards are our way to raise awareness of the significance of developing a global health workforce for the future and to provide recognition for those who have taken a leadership role in this important effort.
PRIDE in Saving Mothers and Children
6 - 8 pm
Hosted by: Jhpiego | website
 Please join Jhpiego, IRC and MSH for a panel and reception for the PRIDE project. Attendees are invited to learn about the PRIDE project results and then join us for a buffet dinner and a chance to meet our colleagues from Pakistan. The event will be held in the Diplomat Ballroom. PRIDE (Primary Healthcare Revitalization, Integration and Decentralization in Earthquake-affected areas) provides technical assistance to the departments of health in two districts in Pakistan devastated by the 2005 earthquake: Bagh District in AJ&K and Mansehra District in NWFP. The project is working in all 126 government primary health facilities in Bagh and Mansehra, which serve around 2 million people. PRIDE is committed to better health outcomes for the people of Bagh and Mansehra districts through improved health systems, health services and community participation. The project particularly seeks to address the ongoing tragedy of some of the worst maternal, newborn and child health indicators in South Asia. PRIDE is a $30 million project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development. The project is implemented by a consortium of international partners including the International Rescue Committee, Jhpiego (a Johns Hopkins affiliate) and Management Sciences for Health.
Cervical Cancer Prevention: Recent Progress and Expanding Opportunities
6 - 8 pm
Hosted by: PATH | website
 Please join PATH and our partners for drinks, hors d'oeuvres and a lively exploration of the changing environment for cervical cancer prevention! Cervical cancer is a serious disease, with nearly 500,000 new cases each year and about 275,000 deaths, primarily in low-resource settings. New screening and treatment approaches, along with new vaccines, may be the keys to improving cervical cancer prevention in the developing world. An expert panel from UNFPA, PAHO, and PATH will share up-to-date information on the disproportionate burden of cervical cancer, highlight new policies aimed at increasing access to life-saving technologies, present the latest data from Africa, Asia and Latin America on operational research into strategies for reaching girls with HPV vaccine and describe demonstration studies of a new, lower-cost, easier-to-use and highly sensitive HPV DNA test. An innovative, online "Action Planner" also will be introduced.
Reducing Neonatal Deaths: Proven Solutions from Southeast Asia
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hosted by: the East Meets West Foundation | website
 This event will showcase the East Meets West Foundation's work in significantly reducing neonatal mortality and morbidity in Southeast Asia through customized, clinical solutions. The statistics are sobering: 99 percent of all newborn deaths occur in the developing world, almost two-thirds of infant deaths occur in the first month of life, and every year 4 million newborns die worldwide from easily treatable diseases. Yet newborn care is the branch of medicine with the least investment, research and innovation. Attempts to provide solutions often fail, because the interventions are not appropriate to the local conditions where they are implemented. The East Meets West Foundation has been tackling this issue in Vietnam for the past four years through its Breath of Life program, with outstanding results. Breath of Life provides key neonatal medical equipment to hospitals and integrates those technologies into the medical system by training medical personnel and working with the local health authorities to increase the capacity for newborn care. The equipment is locally engineered and manufactured in Vietnam, making it low cost. The program’s flagship piece of technology, the Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machine, treats respiratory distress, the most common ailment in newborns. A standard treatment in the developed world, CPAP was virtually nonexistent in Vietnam five years ago. When it was introduced in EMW’s pilot program at the National Hospital of Pediatrics in Hanoi, 24-hour infant mortality rates dropped by 70 percent. The program is also providing a complementary array of neonatal equipment to tackle other causes of infant mortality and morbidity, including LED-equipped phototherapy machines to treat jaundice, infant warmers, and infection-control alcohol gel. Today, neonatal equipment provided by Breath of Life is operating in more than 140 hospitals in Vietnam, primarily at the national and provincial level. With simple, clinical interventions, Breath of Life has saved the lives of tens of thousands of babies, providing a replicable model of neonatal care that EMW is now implementing in Laos, Cambodia and East Timor. Come learn about this innovative program at our Global Health Council event. The event will include a short presentation on the program and a panel discussion with program staff who are directly working with the hospitals in Southeast Asia and our program advisors from Oakland Children’s Research Hospital and Harvard Medical School who have overseen the program since inception in Vietnam, providing expertise and best practices to our partners in Southeast Asia.
The Role of Human Resources in the Global Health Initiative: An Informal Dialogue
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hosted by: USAID’s CapacityPlus Project/IntraHealth International | website
 How can activities to strengthen health systems be most effectively integrated with service delivery? What are promising practices for rapid scale-up of health worker education and training? How can the problems of retention and low productivity best be addressed? What are the most effective advocacy strategies for human resources for health? What key indicators should the U.S. Government track? Join the global CapacityPlus Project for an informal, interactive conversation focusing on concrete, practical, and realistic suggestions for addressing the health worker crisis in the context of the Global Health Initiative.
Establishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agency
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hosted by: PAHO | website and CARICOM | website
 CARICOM heads of government formally approved the plans for the implementation of CARPHA. A cross section of partners are invited to join in a discussion of the CARPHA Implementation Plan which maps out the establishment of a fully functional agency by the latter half of 2014. This initiative among 12 member states of the Caribbean community and five associate members is a very significant undertaking to ensure that these relatively small states embark on an effective mechanism of functional cooperation that would strengthen their public health responses to outbreaks of diseases, emergencies and disasters and contribute to the health and development of the CARICOM region. It also offers prospects for closer collaboration in public health with the English, Dutch, and French overseas territories of the Caribbean as well as with the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and with partners in the hemisphere, Europe, and elsewhere.
Tackling HIV Related Stigma and Discrimination in South Asia: Lessons Learned
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hosted by: World Bank and International Center for Research on Women | website
 Although HIV prevalence in South Asia is low, marginalized groups such as sex workers, injecting drug users and men having sex with men are particularly vulnerable to HIV. Stigma and other barriers impede efforts to reach those most in need of prevention, care and treatment services. A competitive grants program: "The South Asia Regional Development Marketplace: Tackling Stigma and Discrimination” have supported innovative approaches for reducing S&D in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, engaging a broad spectrum of groups, including transgender communities, MSM, IDU, sex workers, people living with HIV, the media and religious leaders. At this session we will present the lessons learnt from this initiative and showcase best practices in tackling stigma in South Asia. We will also discuss the monitoring and evaluation aspects of this regional effort to reduce stigma while building capacity among communities to monitor their programs. Stigma indicators that could be incorporated into national programs that scale up these innovations will also be discussed.
Health SWAps in Sub-Saharan Africa: Delivering on the Promise?
7 - 9 pm
Hosted by: ACTION (Advocacy to Control TB Internationally) | website
 Development assistance for health sector development increased from approximately $2 million in 1998 to $937 million in 2007. In 2006, funding for health sector support for the first time exceeded both TB- and malaria-specific funding (IHME 2009). During this time, the sector-wide approach (SWAp) has evolved as a way to coordinate financing for health, with improving health outcomes as its primary goal. But have SWAps delivered on their promise? ACTION (Advocacy to Control TB Internationally), with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will present new research on SWAps and the extent to which they appear to be linked to improvements in TB and other health outcomes, with a focus on projects supported by the World Bank and its development partners in sub-Saharan Africa. The session will include a discussion of the findings and recommendations for improving the implementation of SWAps. Reception to follow.
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Thursday, June 17
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The First 30 Days: Emergency Health Response in the Aftermath of the Earthquake in Haiti
10:30 am – 12:15 pm
Hosted by: the Humanitarian Health Caucus | visit website
The devastating earthquake in Haiti triggered a massive international response with hundreds of organizations mobilizing to support the government and people of Haiti. Join in a discussion with representatives of the Haitian government, PAHO/WHO, the US military and NGOs who will share their perspectives as health responders in the earliest days of the emergency.
Mid-Year Meeting of the International Health Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA)
12:45 – 2:30 pm
Hosted by: the APHA International Health Section | website
 The mid-year meeting is an opportunity to revisit the annual goals and projects of the International Health Section of APHA, and to become involved. If you are a member, or are considering joining, please attend and participate. The session will include updates on committee activities and discussion of possible next steps. In addition, current elected leadership and invited others will be invited to remain after the session to review our strategic planning progress. Plans for the Annual meeting will be reviewed and discussed. The IH Section is a large section, and due to travel, there is a need for more active involvement. We are seeking individuals with interest to become involved with a good possibility of trying out your leadership and technical skills. Please attend ready to be involved. A light lunch will be served.
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