WHO’s Self-Care Month (June 24th – July 24th) and International Self-Care Day July 24th

 

The Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF) is putting the spotlight on the benefits of self-care ahead of and beyond WHO’s Self-Care Month (June 24th – July 24th) and International Self-Care Day July 24th – two key annual advocacy milestones. 
 
GSCF’s 2022 International Self-Care Day campaign builds on the #SelfCarePromise theme, encouraging everyone to make and share their personal commitment to embrace a specific self-care action. This year, we are specifically focusing on the topic of resilience.  

Self-care is any action that an individual takes to look after their own health, based on the knowledge and information available to them. This practice can also occur in collaboration with healthcare professionals when needed. Actively managing your own health and well-being through self-care has numerous benefits, including better choice between healthcare options, better care for individual wellbeing and better value for governments and health systems worldwide.

Continued ... 

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

SELF-CARE Mental health  self-care & wellbeing Individual Health literacy (- and other literacies!) Self Advocacy	Physical self-care Personal resilience Evidence-based interventions Disease prevention Diagnostics, Drugs, Devices,  Integrated into Care
Health Promotion & Education Community Empowerment Community Resilience Community Advocacy Social cohesion Rehabilitation, Recovery & Reablement	Knowledge & Information Access Learning opportunities   Universal Health Coverage Approp. Policy frameworks Improved care outcomes Advocacy representation WHO and agencies

See also:WHO - Self-care for health and well-being

Call for submissions for good practices c/o HIFA

Share your good practice and help strengthen the health system

The Health Systems Trust (HST) invites submissions of good practices for inclusion in the Good Practices Repository. Healthcare workers, programme managers, districts, facilities, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private-sector partners, industry partners and community organisations are implementing effective solutions to address health system challenges and improve health outcomes. Many of these valuable experiences remain undocumented and are therefore not widely shared or adapted by others facing similar challenges. The Good Practices Repository has been established to identify, document, and share effective practices that can support learning, adaptation, and health system improvement across the country. Most importantly, the real value of sharing good practices lies in its potential to create an exponential effect across the health system. When successful approaches are documented and shared, they can be adapted and implemented in multiple settings thereby extending their impact far beyond the original site. In this way a single innovation or improvement can catalyse widespread change which can accelerate learning and drive improvements in the health space across the country.

What is a Good Practice?

A good practice describes an intervention, programme, service, innovation, policy or approach that has demonstrated effectiveness in addressing health challenges and improving outcomes. Good practices are typically evidence-informed, make use of available resources and has the potential to be adapted, scaled or replicated in other settings.

Submissions may relate to one or more of the following areas:

• Health priorities
• Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health
• HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections
• Non-communicable diseases
• Mental health
• Environmental health and climate change
• One Health
• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Health system strengthening
• Leadership and governance
• Health financing
• Digital health and health information systems
• Human resources for health
• Service delivery and quality improvement
• Emergency and disaster preparedness
• Environmental health and climate change
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Medicines, technologies and supply chain management
• Community and implementation approaches
• Community engagement and participation
• Health promotion and disease prevention
• Multisectoral collaboration and partnerships
• Knowledge translation and evidence use
• Equity-focused and people-centred approaches
• Other Areas
• Other initiatives that contribute to improved health system performance, health outcomes, or population wellbeing.

Who can submit?

Submissions are welcome from organisations, institutions, programmes, and partnerships involved in the planning, delivery, management, evaluation, or support of health services, including:

• National, sub-national, regional, district, and local health authorities
• Public sector programmes and units
• Non-governmental, civil society and community-based organisations
• Academic and research institutions
• Professional bodies and associations
• Private-sector organisations and industry partners contributing to health system strengthening, service delivery, innovation, or public health programmes
• Multi-sectoral partnerships and collaborative initiatives
• Development partners, multilateral agencies, and international organisations

Assessment criteria

• Submissions will be assessed against an adapted World Health Organization (WHO) Good Practice criteria, including:Demonstrated effectiveness
• Efficient use of resources
• Relevance to a priority health system challenge
• Sustainability
• Ethical soundness
• Potential for adaptation or replication
• Innovation (optional but desirable)

Why submit?

• Selected practices will:Be featured in the Good Practices Repository
• Contribute to shared learning
• Receive national visibility and recognition
• Support evidence-informed policy and programme development
• Provide opportunities for replication and scale-up
• Showcase the achievements of health system implementers and partners
• Contribute to sustained efforts at improving various tiers of the health system

Submission requirements

Complete submission template including the following information:

• Executive summary
• Background: Description of the challenge addressed
• Intervention: Description of the intervention or practice
• Approach: Implementation process
• Key achievements: Results and outcomes achieved (describe outcome measures and metrics for success of the programme/intervention/tool)
• Lessons learnt: Description of lessons learnt which can inform replication in other contexts
• Sustainability considerations
• Supporting materials, where available
• Only complete submissions containing sufficient information for assessment will be reviewed.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Feel free to submit throughout the year.

How to submit: Submissions can be completed online through the Good Practices Repository submission portal:

https://www.goodpractices.hst.org.za/for-authors

[n.b. PJ - The link supplied does not appear to work, there is a submit option through the above page.]

For further information, please contact: GoodPractices AT hst.org.za

HIFA profile: Maryam Rumaney currently works as a freelance scientific and English language editor. In addition, she offers consulting services to the laboratory industry. mbrumaney AT gmail.com

HIFA - Healthcare Information For All

View this contribution on the web site

Picking up sticks: when axes matter ii

This past week at WCCS26, I've put Hodges' model itself on the work-, or more properly the inspection bench. Now, referring back to the - 'Our broken sticks' c/o Roger Lewin "Complexity: life at the edge of chaos" post, perhaps a theatre table is required. That is, as I try to examine the model, take it apart, have a look at the bits - as far as they are. And, what about the question posed in the above post?

'If we take the axes of Hodges' model, and break them at twenty-five points, I wonder what we end-up (or start) with?'

If there are twenty-six sticks, well, amongst other things - we've made quite a mess. But, there's more going on.

There may be some kind of idealised symmetry, or is it equality between the necessary, or projected length of the I-G axis. That is, as it extends for the INTERPERSONAL and SOCIOLOGICAL domains. But is there equivalence, in a default sense, for the SCIENCE and POLITICAL domains? Or am I (once again) overthinking? If medicine, health and by implication social care are bio-psycho-social, then surely we have a structural problem? Not only that, but we see a boundary, partition ... axis - in action. In Hodges' model the axes have two parts, two sides, so they are in effect composite. If the bio-psycho-social model is true, in whatever senses we wish to declare, derive or pursue in research (the literature, logic, practice, political expediency, or realism ...), then the group axis is incomplete. 

Hodges' model: Structure and Content - Axes and Domains

Is this literally why health care systems are so difficult to design, develop, establish and sustain? Think about that too, please. Is this why we as individuals rely on a functioning (caring) society and political systems? Is this why health care systems can suddenly be faced with collapse, as geopolitics has revealed. Vulnerability, becomes more than an individual characteristic and experience; when nations are dependent upon others for their funding, organisation, logistics, personnel, continuity and more. As a result, many understandably want to break with this socio-political and coloanial legacy.

Is there something in the sentence above in italics, that we can actually utilise to help define the foundation of Hodges' model? Again, not wanting to sound grandiose, but is there an axiom hidden in there? Even as 'health' is the inevitable election issue. The irony of this! Even if the politics of health and health in politics is not so much hidden as often denied. History reveals the influence of triage on the battlefield on the emergence of medicine and surgery. The future is here now. There is a political fight to follow for health in all its manifest forms. So here is another post to return to.

Webinar [18th] Maternal Mortality and the impact of health system stability

Dear IBP Network Colleagues,

Please see the webinar happening this week!

Maternal deaths are increasingly concentrated in humanitarian and fragile settings. This webinar will present key findings, aligned with the latest maternal mortality ratio data published in 2025.

🌍 Speakers from HRP and WHO will discuss trends, data gaps and implications for policy and programmes, with country case studies from Myanmar, Haiti, Papua New Guinea and Ukraine, as well as perspectives from UNFPA.

🧭 The session will explore how health system stability can help protect maternal health amid conflict, fragility and crisis.

The session will be in English with French interpretation

Register Here:
https://bit.ly/4kAKloC

 

My source: 

Nandita Thatte, DrPH

Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health

World Health Organization

Geneva, Switzerland

Email: thatten AT who.int

ibpnetwork.org

Webinar “From Global to Local: Enhancing the UK Healthcare System with Lessons from CEI in LMICs” 10 February, 3–4PM (GMT)

The NIHR Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) team are pleased to invite you to our fourth webinar in the PPIE/CEI Bidirectional Learning Series “From Global to Local: Enhancing the UK Healthcare System with Lessons from CEI in LMICs”.

Date: 10th February 2026

Time: 3.00–4.00 PM GMT, London UK (Online via zoom)

Join us to explore how Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI) approaches developed in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are actively shaping health research and service delivery in the UK. This session will demonstrate how global CEI principles —collaboration, equity, and shared learning - can be translated into local action to build trust and create more responsive healthcare systems.

What you will hear about:

- Global to local CEI strategies: Insights into how CEI strategies from LMICs can be used to strengthen community relationships and healthcare practice in the UK. 
- Driving Innovation through Reciprocity: Discover how a "virtuous circle of learning" between global and local systems enriches inclusion and equity. 
- Translate Insight into Action: Practical examples and expert perspectives on turning global health CEI approaches into practical, equitable healthcare solutions within the NHS.

Speakers include: - Farrah Lunat (Research Operations Manager at Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and Joint Lead Author of the NIHR ROSHNI-2 study) - Professor Nusrat Husain (Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Global Health at the University of Manchester and NIHR Senior Investigator) - Dr. Matthew Harris (Clinical Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Imperial College London and Honorary Consultant in Public Health Medicine)

Submit your questions & register via Eventbrite: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-global-to-local-cei-lessons-from-lmics-enhancing-the-uk-healthsystem-tickets-1976864265233?aff=oddtdtcreator

Sarah Betts

*Programme Manager (PPIE)* | NIHR Coordinating Centre

My source: HIFA

Tanzania Health Summit (THS) Conference & Partnership

Warm greetings from the Tanzania Health Summit (THS) Conference:

1 - 3 October 2025
Julius Nyerere International Convention Center (JNICC)
Dar es Salaam

THEME:

"Harnessing Data Utilization and Technologies

to Accelerate Universal Health Coverage"

'Tanzania Health Summit is a non-profit health organization which was founded in May 2014. The aim was to promote healthcare to the underprivileged and vulnerable (70% of the population) who cannot easily access health services in the country. We focus on facilitating health information dissemination to the public taking into account that only 32.9% of the population has adequate literacy level in the country, mostly living in resource poor setting. In addition, we want to support youth (which comprise 32% of the population) to help build a more sustainable future and prevent them from high-risk behaviors and practices.'

THS is also seeking partnership: 

'I am writing to explore the possibility of partnering with your esteemed platform to feature the upcoming Tanzania Health Summit 2025, scheduled for October in Dar es Salaam. As one of the largest independent health conferences in the region, THS brings together government leaders, healthcare professionals, researchers, NGOs, and development partners to discuss key priorities in health systems strengthening and innovation.

With an active and growing portfolio of over ,2,500 participants, including decision-makers and thought leaders across Africa and globally, the Summit offers a unique platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and visibility.

We are seeking media partners to help us amplify our call for abstracts, participation, and partnership opportunities. In return, we are happy to offer media partners: • Logo recognition on our website and Summit program materials • Complimentary access to the conference (virtual and/or in-person) • Acknowledgment in select promotional content • Opportunities to feature your platform during media briefings or side sessions

We believe that a partnership with HIFA.ORG would be mutually beneficial in advancing shared goals of health equity, research dissemination, and stakeholder engagement.

Please let us know if this proposal would be of interest, and we would be happy to provide further details or set up a brief call to discuss how we can collaborate effectively.

Thank you for your time and continued commitment to global health.

Regards, Dr. Omary Chillo President - Tanzania Health Summit Lecturer - Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Fellow Bernard Lown Scholars in Cardiovascular Health - Havard T. Chan School of Public Health, USA Fellow Scientist Walter Brendel Center for Experimental Medicine - Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, German Member Steering Committee - InterAcademy Partnership, Young Physician Leaders Email: chillo AT ths.or.tz '

My source: HIFA (Edited with conference & background).

Africa's Nutrition Movement: Seizing the Window with Primary Health Care

Africa's mission to eliminate malnutrition is more critical than ever. Bubbling down the high level commitments to strategic programmable goals will be critical at primary health care and community levels.

The continent has made significant progress in recent years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for sustained efforts to address the complex issues surrounding malnutrition, particularly for women and children as we build traction to meet the sustainable development goals by 2030.

"The year 2025 will also be significant as it marks the end of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. N4G Paris will serve as a multi-stakeholder summit, advocating for ambitious financial and political commitments and fostering dialogue among diverse actors from around the world, including governments, international organizations, research institutions, civil society organizations, philanthropies, private sector entities, and more." - #N4G

Connecting dots is a a key imperative as we build Africa's nutrition movement. One of them is viewing nutrition from a programmable health systems lens. Have we given this enough traction ?

"The N4G conference presents a crucial opportunity for Africa to gain traction on its mission to eliminate malnutrition. The conference aims to mobilize ambitious financial and political commitments, foster dialogue among diverse stakeholders, and put nutrition at the center of the sustainable development agenda." - United Nations SDGs Professional Support Group for Africa

One of the key lessons from COVID-19 is the importance of strengthening health systems, particularly at the primary healthcare level. The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in many health systems, highlighting the need for increased investment in health care infrastructure, workforce, and services which will ultimately impact on nutrition delivery at the base of the health system.

The upcoming Africa Primary Health Care Forum , scheduled for Abuja on July 14-15, 2025, will provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss the importance of primary health care(PHC) in achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and health security, as well addressing malnutrition in PHC systems. The forum will also explore the role of digital health, digitised workforce, partnerships and financing in strengthening primary healthcare systems and improving general health outcomes.

More details continued at: https://www.phc.africa/

Learning Health Systems/AcademyHealth 2024 SUPPLEMENT now available

 Dear Readers of Learning Health Systems,

We are pleased to announce the first-ever Supplement Issue of Learning Health Systems! 

 

You may view the complete Supplement online at:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/23796146/2024/8/S1

 

Guest Editors for the 2024 Supplement were: 

Lucy A. Savitz,  Sarah M. Greene,  Michael K. Gould,  Harold S. Luft

 

The LHS/AH Supplement is the result of a collaboration and memo of understanding between Learning Health Systems (University of Michigan), AcademyHealth, and John Wiley & Sons.

 

***********************************************************

 

Guest Commentary

The Right Stuff:  Getting the right data at the right time and using that data to drive evidence-based practice and policy

 

Lucy A. Savitz,  Sarah M. Greene,  Michael K. Gould,  Harold S. Luft

May 27, 2024

 

Experience Report

Leveraging data to support health equity in an integrated delivery and finance system

 

Jane Kogan, Joan Eichner, Hyagriv Simhan, Erin Dalton, Alex Jutca, Beth Quinn, Jennifer Chaney, Anna Patterson, Donna Keyser

April 15, 2024

Continued...

European Public Health Week - Health is a political choice!

European Public Health Week

13-17 May 2024

Health is a political choice! 

"The European Public Health Week (EUPHW) 2024 will focus on the overarching topic - Health is a political choice! - highlighting the interplay between politics and health to create sustainable change for better health in the future. 

We will open the dialogue online and in person in Brussels on Monday, May 13, at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, discussing how to integrate health into the political agenda effectively. We will address health within the context of crises and explore the concepts of a well-being economy and politics. Additionally, we'll delve into the importance of community participation in health politics, implementing Health-in-All-Policies, and the broader application of health considerations across all policy areas. This day aims to set the stage for a week of fruitful discussions, laying the groundwork for actionable insights and strategies to ensure health is prioritised across all levels of political decision-making. Stay tuned for more information on this event!. ..."

INDIVIDUAL
|

      INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

Mental health Self-esteem Personal and Cultural Identity Sense of security: Crisis <> Peace Public mental health & well-being Individual health literacy	Planetary health Global pandemics - Local inequities Environment - Cities, Rural, Remote Pollution control Evidence (across policy contexts) Nutrition local, glocal, global [Geo*]
Social policy Housing: Climate/Demographic mitigation Healthy societies, Living alone, Families Inclusive communities Social media - Information provenance	Elections - National/International *Politics Economics Policy, Regulation Health systems Yes, health is a political choice!

Learning Health Systems: Volume 8, Issue 1 - January 2024

Learning Health Systems is an Open Access journal.

Volume 8, Issue 1 (January 2024)

All articles shown below are freely available and downloadable.

COMMENTARY

Socio‐technical infrastructure for a learning health system

 

Charles P. Friedman, Edwin A. Lomotan, Joshua E. Richardson, Jennifer L. Ridgeway

LEARNING FROM DATA

Privacy‐preserving record linkage across disparate institutions and datasets to enable a learning health system: The national COVID cohort collaborative (N3C) experience

 

Umberto Tachinardi, Shaun J. Grannis, Sam G. Michael, Leonie Misquitta, Jayme Dahlin, Usman Sheikh, Abel Kho, Jasmin Phua, Sara S. Rogovin, Benjamin Amor, Maya Choudhury, Philip Sparks, Amin Mannaa, Saad Ljazouli, Joel Saltz, Fred Prior, Ahmen Baghal, Kenneth Gersing, Peter J. Embi

RESEARCH REPORTS

Analysis of FRAME data (A‐FRAME): An analytic approach to assess the impact of adaptations on health services interventions and evaluations

 

Heather Z. Mui, Cati G. Brown-Johnson, Erika A. Saliba-Gustafsson, Anna Sophia Lessios, Mae Verano, Rachel Siden, Laura M. Holdsworth

 

Automated generation of comparator patients in the electronic medical record

 

Joseph Rigdon, Brian Ostasiewski, Kamah Woelfel, Kimberly D. Wiseman, Tim Hetherington, Stephen Downs, Marc Kowalkowski

 

Stakeholder perspectives on data sharing from pragmatic clinical trials: Unanticipated challenges for meeting emerging requirements

 

Stephanie R. Morain, Juli Bollinger, Kevin Weinfurt, Jeremy Sugarman

 

Learning healthcare systems in cardiology: A qualitative interview study on ethical dilemmas of a learning healthcare system

 

Sara Laurijssen, Rieke van der Graaf, Ewoud Schuit, Melina den Haan, Wouter van Dijk, Rolf Groenwold, Saskia le Sessie, Diederick Grobbee, Martine de Vries

 

Frameworks, guidelines, and tools to develop a learning health system for Indigenous health: An environmental scan for Canada

 

Emma Rice, Angela Mashford-Pringle, Jinfan Qiang, Lynn Henderson, Tammy MacLean, Justin Rhoden, Abigail Simms, Sterling Stutz

 

Predictive modeling for infectious diarrheal disease in pediatric populations: A systematic review

 

Billy Ogwel, Vincent Mzazi, Bryan O. Nyawanda, Gabriel Otieno, Richard Omore

TECHNICAL REPORT

Learning health system benefits: Development and initial validation of a framework

 

Lisa C. Welch, Sarah K. Brewer, Titus Schleyer, Denise Daudelin, Rechelle Paranal, Joe D. Hunt, Ann M. Dozier, Anna Perry, Alyssa B. Cabrera, Cheryl L. Gatto

BRIEF REPORTS

Exploring nationwide policy interventions to control COVID‐19 from the perspective of the rapid learning health system approach

 

Ayat Ahmadi, Leila Doshmangir, Reza Majdzadeh

 

Developing LHS scholars’ competency around reducing burnout and moral injury

 

Sirin Yilmaz, Michele LeClaire, Abbie Begnaud, Warren McKinney, Kasey R. Boehmer, Cory Schaffhausen, Mark Linzer

 

Assessment of learning health system science competency in the equity and justice domain

 

Patricia D. Franklin, Denise Drane

EXPERIENCE REPORTS

Training the next generation of delivery science researchers: 10‐year experience of a post‐doctoral research fellowship program within an integrated care system

 

Richard W Grant, Julie A Schmittdiel, Vincent X Liu, Karen R Estacio, Yi-Fen Irene Chen, Tracy A Lieu

 

Implementing the learning health system paradigm within academic health centers

 

Douglas Easterling, Anna Perry, David Miller

 

Learning from an equitable, data‐informed response to COVID‐19: Translating knowledge into future action and preparation

 

Morgen Stanzler, Johanna Figueroa, Andrew F. Beck, Marianne E. McPherson, Steve Miff, Heidi Penix, Jessica Little, Bhargavi Sampath, Pierre Barker, David M. Hartley

 

Conceptualizing and redefining successful patient engagement in patient advisory councils in learning health networks

 

Madeleine Huwe, Becky Woolf, Jennie David, Michael Seid, Shehzad Saeed, Peter Margolis, ImproveCareNow Pediatric IBD Learning Health System 

COMMENTARIES

Toward a common standard for data and specimen provenance in life sciences

 

Rudolf Wittner, Petr Holub, Cecilia Mascia, Francesca Frexia, Heimo Müller, Markus Plass, Clare Allocca, Fay Betsou, Tony Burdett, Ibon Cancio, Adriane Chapman, Martin Chapman, Mélanie Courtot, Vasa Curcin, Johann Eder, Mark Elliot, Katrina Exter, Carole Goble, Martin Golebiewski, Bron Kisler, Andreas Kremer, Simone Leo, Sheng Lin-Gibson, Anna Marsano, Marco Mattavelli, Josh Moore, Hiroki Nakae, Isabelle Perseil, Ayat Salman, James Sluka, Stian Soiland-Reyes, Caterina Strambio-De-Castillia, Michael Sussman, Jason R. Swedlow, Kurt Zatloukal, Jörg Geiger

 

Can we identify the prevalence of perinatal mental health using routinely collected health data?: A review of publicly available perinatal mental health data sources in England

 

Sarah Masefield, Kathryn Willan, Zoe Darwin, Sarah Blower, Chandani Nekitsing, Josie Dickerson

 

My source: Email request by -

Kathleen Young
Editorial Assistant, Learning Health Systems journal
Victor Vaughan
1111 East Catherine Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Your story about the use of the Resilient Health Systems evidence collection

Championing evidence-based humanitarian action

Evidence Aid aims to save lives and livelihoods in disasters by providing decision-makers with the best available evidence and by championing its use.

On Wednesday, 22 November 2023 at 10:12:26 GMT, Claire Allen, UK <callen AT evidenceaid.org> wrote:

Kind request - Do you have 5-10 minutes to complete our survey about the Resilient Health Systems evidence collection

https://evidenceaid.org/evidence/resilient-health-systems
Your insights and opinions are incredibly valuable to us.

The form will be available until Monday 27 November 2023, but in the meantime, if you have any issues, please do not hesitate to contact - 

Epa La Bella at elabella AT evidenceaid.org.

As always, we value your insight and opinions, all of which are essential to the functioning of Evidence Aid.

Claire Allen, Operations Manager Evidence Aid: Championing evidence-based humanitarian action. Please note that my regular working days are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Please do not expect a response outside of those days.

Support our activities by donating here.

Email: callen AT evidenceaid.org | Skype: claireallencochrane | Website: www.evidenceaid.org | Twitter: @EvidenceAid

Our evidence collections can be found here: https://www.evidenceaid.org/evidence/

HIFA profile (and my source): Claire Allen is Operations Manager at Evidence Aid, UK. Professional interests: Evidence Aid (www.evidenceaid.org) provides evidence for people in disaster preparedness and response to make better decisions. Areas of interest = humanitarian crises, natural disasters and major healthcare emergencies (disaster = when a country is unable to cope with the disaster/crisis or emergency). She is a member of the HIFA Working Group on Access to Health Research. http://www.hifa.org/working-groups/access-health-research Email: callen AT evidenceaid.org