| Dear Centre Leaders,
Greetings from the INDEPTH Secretariat. We hope you have had a good week.
We have the following items for your attention:
1. Researchers meet on data analysis
Workshop participants, from left Francis Ameni (INDEPTH Secretariat), Dr Zacharie Tsala Dimbuene (Nairobi HDSS), Dr Frank Odhiambo (Kisumu HDSS), Dr Mamusu Kamanda (INDEPTH Secretariat), Ramadhani Abdul (Ifakara HDSS), Prof Osman Sankoh (Executive Director - INDEPTH Network), Dr Beguy Donatien (Nairobi HDSS), Dr Martin Bangha (INDEPTH Secretariat), Dr Margaret Gyapong (Dodowa HDSS), Dr Momodou Jasseh (Farafeni HDSS) and Dr Ayaga Bawah (Columbia University).
Researchers from INDEPTH member centres met in Accra, Ghana, to deliberate on various issues related to research and analysis. The INDEPTH Network, with its 52 health and demographic surveillance (HDSS) sites in Africa, Asia and Oceania, has generated data on over 3.8 million people in Low and Middle Income Countries on births, deaths, migrations, causes of death and other health and population events.
Opening the three-day workshop organised by the Network’s Data Analysis and Cause of Death Strategic Group on 22 September 2015, the INDEPTH Network Executive Director Prof. Osman Sankoh said the INDEPTH Board had approved the establishment of Strategic Groups to facilitate the achievement of the organisation’s strategic objectives. INDEPTH’s strategic objectives focus on capacity strengthening; policy engagement and research and analysis.
The Data Analysis and Cause of Death Strategic Group will focus on multicentre analysis, said Prof. Sankoh, and pursue work where several INDEPTH Network members come together in a study or in follow-up studies of researches previously done by individual centres.
Dr. Momodou Jasseh from Farafenni HDSS in The Gambia is the head of the Strategic Group.
2. Assessment of parental perception of malaria vaccine in Tanzania
 This paper has been published in the Malaria Journal.
The study indicated that although mothers had low awareness and high willingness to use malaria vaccine, still availability of malaria vaccine RTS,S will compliment other existing malaria interventions and it will be implemented through the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB) programme (formerly EPI). The information generated from this study can aid policy makers in planning and setting priorities for introducing and implementing the malaria vaccine.
Read more http://www.malariajournal.com/content/14/1/355
3. Southern scientists to discuss innovation in meeting SDGs
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b), Bangladesh, a member of the INDEPTH Network, is hosting a forum dubbed “Innovating for Health: The role of Southern-led science and innovation in meeting the health-related SDGs” on 26 September 2015 in New York from 14:00 to 15:30, Embassy Room, Westin Grand Central, 212 E42nd St.
Leading Southern scientists and supporters of Southern-led innovation will have an interactive discussion about the key opportunities and challenges facing Southern-led science and innovation. Discussion topics will include:
• The role that Southern innovators must play in achieving the Health Development Goals
• The role that Southern researchers can play in identifying local challenges and appropriate solutions
Please see attached for details. You can also download here.
4. ISC/AGM 2015 Registration
 All sites/centres that have not registered for the ISC 2015 are encouraged to do so.
The ISC will take place from 11 - 13, November 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Arrival: 10 November 2015, Departure : 14 November 2015
Annual General Meeting: 14 November 2015 for Centre Leaders (Departure : 15 November 2015)
The registration link is http://indepth-network.org/isc2015.php
Please note that it is a membership requirement to attend the AGM in Addis Ababa.
Programme: Please see the draft programme of the ISC/AGM 2015 attached and kindly circulate. Note that we have scheduled special sessions for editors of world’s leading health and scientific journals.You can also download here.
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1. Regional Director of Health Services interacts with researchers
The Regional Director of Health Services for the Upper East Region, Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams recently made a presentation to Research Officers of the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), a member of INDEPTH, in Ghana on a draft proposal for a Health Implementation Programme that the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is interested in funding in the Upper East Region.
The proposal, seeks among others to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the Upper East Region.
Dr. Awoonor-Williams later interacted with Research and Administrative Staff of the centre in order to learn at first hand the challenges that staff of the Centre are confronted with in the discharge of their duties.
Read more http://navrongo-hrc.org/newsevents/RDHS_Visits_NHRC.html
2. icddr,b joins Ethiopian research institute in a South-South research collaboration
icddr,b is taking a leading role in the expansion of South-South collaboration, and this time it is with the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), a biomedical research institute in Ethiopia.
A memorandum of understanding was signed this week between icddr,b and AHRI to facilitate and guide collaborative research capacity building opportunities between the two organisations.
The agreement was signed following a visit from Dr. Abraham Aseffa, scientific director of AHRI, who shared his substantial experience researching tuberculosis, HIV, Leishmania and other infectious diseases in Ethiopia, and met with icddr,b’s leading scientiststo learn about the organisation’s significant work in saving lives and bringing policy reforms in Bangladesh and beyond.
Read more http://www.icddrb.org/media-centre/news?id=749
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