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. A transition towards a healthier global population?

The article titled “A transition towards a healthier global population” by Prof Peter Byass of the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, has been published by the Lancet. Prof Byass is the chair of INDEPTH SAC and also a member of the INDEPTH Board. The paper sells INDEPTH very well to the world. Please see attached.

2. Centre organises science communication training for researchers

About 20 researchers and seven trainers from West Africa are attending the Summer School in Science Communication organised by the Swiss Centre for Scientific Research (CSRS)in Ivory Coast.  CSRS runs the Taabo HDSS, an INDEPTH member site.

The Summer School, which started on 24 August with Training of Trainers in Grand Bassam, Core d’Ivoire, aims at increasing the impact of science and technology in West Africa.

The seven-day programme funded by the Wellcome Trust is under the facilitation of SciDev.Net,  London-based international organisation that produces news, views and analysis on information about science and technology for sustainable development and poverty reduction and engage with development professionals, policymakers, researchers, the media and the public.

The Taabo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) is located in south-central Côte d’Ivoire, approximately 150 km north-west of Abidjan. The Taabo HDSS started surveillance activities in early 2009 and has generated setting-specific evidence on the impact of targeted interventions against malaria, schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases.

The picture shows trainers for the programme (from left) David Mbulumi (from INDEPTH Network), Prof Bossirou Bonffoh (CSRS), Juan Casasbuenas (lead facilitator); Prof Kouassi Dongo (CSRS and Felix Houphoet Boigny University),  Dr Gilbert Fokou (CSRS),  Dr Karim Ouattara and Borris Kacou (CSRS).

3. Ifakara opens training centre

The Ifakara Health Research Centre, an INDEPTH member centre in Tanzania has opened a training facility in Bagamoyo near the country's main city, Dar es Salaam.

The ceremony was held on Monday 24 August 2015 and presided over by the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of The Netherlands, Ms. Hinke Nauta.
The centre will take 15 students in the first intake of the training for a masters programme in Public Health.

Ifakara will operate the centre in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela University based in Arusha, northern Tanzania. The project was supported with funding from The Netherlands.

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.