BRAC
International Conference on Scaling Up:
An Essential Strategy to Attaining Good Health for All
BRAC Conference Centre
Rajendrapur, Bangladesh
Abstracts are now being accepted for the International Conference on Scaling Up: An Essential Strategy to Attaining Good Health for All. The conference welcomes abstracts on the scaling up of programs primarily in health in the developing world, as well as in other sectors such as education, poverty alleviation, and the environment. See sample list of topics below. Abstracts must include a problem statement, methods, major findings, and lessons learned. The conference language is English. Modest support for travel and living expenses will be available for presenters from low-income countries. Please submit your abstract of less than 250 words to abstracts@brac.net by 31 July 2008. Presenters will be notified by 31 August 2008 and the full paper deadline is 15 October 2008.
Sample list of paper topics
- Case studies of successful scaled up programs in health and non-health activities: what works and why
- Challenges of scaling up in urban areas
- Capacity development in public health such as the training and use of community health workers
- Use of new technologies such as mobile phones, Internet and hand-held computers (e-health)
- Strengthening health systems through scaling up
- Role of the private sector
- Monitoring and evaluation in scaling up efforts
- Financing as a constraint and as an opportunity
- Future directions
Currently, many developing nations are not on pace to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015. Some low-income countries have had great success in scaling up in certain areas e.g. Oral Rehydration Therapy, but less success in other areas e.g. obstetric care to prevent maternal deaths. These countries could have their progress accelerated by national scaling up of health programs. Developing nations face both new challenges such as urban population growth primarily and new opportunities for health care delivery such as the wide availability of new technologies. The conference aims to foster discussion and debate, to share good practices in the field, to synthesize knowledge from both successful and unsuccessful efforts, and to raise awareness on the need for scaling up, paving the way to attaining the MDGs throughout the world.
To build on existing knowledge, principles, and challenges of scaling up and identify best practices in scaling up health programs (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal) and selected non-health programs by:
- Exploring challenges and opportunities posed by scaling up in urban areas
- Reviewing the potential for and challenges of the use of technologies such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), internet and other innovations for scaling up (e-health)
- Examining issues in scaling up of capacity development efforts in public health including training of health workers
- Assessing the role of health systems and the principles of primary health care in scaling up
- Using a guided process during the conference to develop a call to action for the implementation of scaled up health programs based on practical lessons learned from experiences of expert conference participants
The conference expects 120 participants from the global health community. It will take place from 3-5 December 2008 with field visits to one or more programs in health, microfinance, and other enterprises on 6 December. The conference will include both plenary and breakout sessions as well as poster presentations. Plenary speakers will be selected based on the conference themes and efforts will be made to invite a range of participants from those who have formulated plans, administered and implemented programs, funded activities, and studied their effects. Papers will be both commissioned and selected from abstract submissions.
Day 1: Wednesday, 3 December
Inauguration
Successful programs
Good health for all at low cost
Day 2: Thursday, 4 December
Challenges and constraints in scaling up
Programs for urban areas
Private healthcare providers and their roles and potential in scaling up
The challenges of training a health workforce including community health workers
Day 3: Friday, 5 December
Health systems
Financing as a constraint and as an opportunity
New technologies and approaches including e-health
Future directions
Call for action
Day 4: Saturday, 6 December
Field trip (Optional)
* Tentative agenda. All sessions will focus on the issue of scaling up
BRAC in collaboration with BRAC USA, Harvard University, ICDDR,B and possibly donors such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation, WHO, and the Fogarty International Center of the National Institute of Health
If you have any questions, please send them to the Conference Secretariat, George Smith (grg.smith@brac.net).
Please download your Registration Form in EITHER Excel or Word, although Excel format is preferred. Please save the file as "LastName_FirstName.xls" (for Excel) or "LastName_FirstName.doc"(for Word). For example, John Smith's form should be "Smith_John.xls". When completed, please e-mail your registration form to abstracts@brac.net. As there are limited spaces for the conference, the Secretariat will confirm your registration form by e-mail.
Arrival at Zia International Airport (Dhaka)
Nearly all international flights arrive at the Zia International Airport in Dhaka. Purchase of ticket is usually required for your visa application (see below). The conference organizer will arrange transportation to and from the airport.
Prior to coming to Bangladesh, participants should inquire on and obtain a tourist visa through their local Bangladeshi Embassy or Consulate Office. Required documents for and cost of the visa vary by nationality. At minimum, a passport valid for at least six months is required. Please specify in your registration form if you require a letter from BRAC in order to obtain your visa, and please state in your letter the information to be included in the letter.
Please contact your local doctor immediately to determine any immunization requirements you may have.
The conference will take place at the BRAC Conference Centre in Rajendrapur, about an hour’s drive from the capital of Dhaka and equipped with fully modern facilities.
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