Features

IntraHealth Shines at Global Health: The Conference

IntraHealth International leaders Pape Gaye, Maurice Middleberg, Dykki Settle, and Laura Gibney were among featured participants at the Global Health Council conference in Washington, DC, June 14–18, where they spoke on topics ranging from health workforce information systems to the role of mother support groups in HIV prevention programs. The conference was held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

“Walk the Talk: Investing to Solve the Health Workforce Crisis to Reach the MDGs and Save Lives,” June 14, 6:30 p.m., Empire Ballroom

Maurice Middleberg, IntraHealth’s vice president for global policy and director of CapacityPlus, spoke on a panel, organized by the African Medical and Research Foundation, about how to solve the human resources for health crisis, including the challenges of adequate financing, internal and external migration of health workers, and strengthening global health initiatives.

“Measuring and Monitoring the Health Workforce,” June 16, 2:00 p.m., Palladium Ballroom

Dykki Settle, CapacityPlus team lead for health informatics, discussed global efforts to standardize health workforce metrics and advance a model of health workforce surveillance at the regional and global levels. The discussion focused on case studies from Uganda, Swaziland, and other countries that exemplify how human resources information systems can be used to better track and plan workforce training, registration, and management. The presentation was part of the panel “Building Global Health Careers: It’s All About People,” moderated by Maurice Middleberg.

The Role of Human Resources in the Global Health Initiative: An Informal Dialogue,” June 16, 6:30 p.m., Empire Ballroom

CapacityPlus hosted this auxiliary event, involving participants in an informal, interactive conversation focusing on concrete, practical, and realistic suggestions for addressing the health worker crisis in the context of the US Government’s Global Health Initiative.

“Next Steps in Health Information Systems Applications,” June 17, 10:30 a.m., Palladium Ballroom

Dykki Settle moderated a panel in which participants discussed tools for strengthening health information systems and ways health information systems can contribute to improved health outcomes.

“From Drug Users to Mother Support Groups: What’s Working in HIV/AIDS Prevention,” June 17, 3:45 p.m., Empire Ballroom

Laura Gibney, IntraHealth’s director of monitoring, evaluation, and research, discussed the contribution of mother support groups to a prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program in Ethiopia. Gibney’s presentation drew on a comparative assessment of PMTCT programs supported by the IntraHealth-led Capacity Project.

“Measuring the Success of Open Source Health Information Systems,” June 18, 9:00 a.m., Governor’s Room

Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth, moderated this panel on Open Source solutions for health information system development. Presenters discussed key design features of a system adaptable to low-resource environments, efforts to unify Open Source tools into a low-cost toolkit, and lessons learned about Open Source development and management.

“Cost Effectiveness of Male versus Female Sterilization in Africa,” June 18, 9:00 a.m., Congressional Ballroom

Joshua Davis, IntraHealth consultant, presented the results of a study that drew on an IntraHealth-led program to expand no-scalpel vasectomy as a family planning option in Rwanda. The presentation was part of the panel “Improved Methodologies in MCH Research.”

IntraHealth staff were also available for questions and information sharing at booth 402 in the International Expo.