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Environmental Lead Exposure by the Institute for
Advanced Medical Research and Training (IMRAT)
Institute for Advanced Medical
Research and Training (IMRAT) in conjunction with
West African Framework Program for Global Health organised a
seminar on Environmental Lead Exposure. This seminar served
as eye opener to the effect of Lead
in our environment with major
impact on water, domestic environment, Paint Hazards in
Housing among others. Lectures was delivered by Public
health officer and other people from different works of
life. In the speech of Provost, College of Medicine,
University College Hospital, Ibadan, he emphasized the
importance of this topical problem because Lead poses
significant dangers to the development of the brain of
children among other adverse effects of Lead in our
environment. Below is the full address of the Provost.
Address
| Provost, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan at the LEAD
Seminar 2008
The College of Medicine is pleased to welcome you all to this
seminar on the environmental exposure to lead and its impact on health.
Environmental exposure to lead is a very important public health problem
throughout the world. Even in the United States where the dangers of lead in the
environment have been recognized for a long time, efforts are still ongoing to
eliminate the lead in the environment. In the past, most environmental exposure
to lead has occurred through the use of leaded petrol, but there has been a
systematic campaign against this, which has led to substantial reduction in use
of leaded petrol throughout the world. This has then brought other sources of
lead exposure to the forefront. That is why researchers in different departments
of the University of Ibadan – as you will see from the presentations, we have
participants from Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Chemical Pathology,
Epidemiology, Medical Statistics and Environmental Health and the Bioethics
Program in our Department of Surgery – to discuss the risk of exposure to
environmental lead in our environment.
This is a very important and topical problem because lead
poses significant dangers to the development of the brain of children. Children
who are exposed to high lead levels develop significant loss of intelligence,
behave aggressively and can be very disruptive. They may also be more prone to
criminal behavior. Even though these pernicious effects of lead exposure are
most dramatic in children, no age or organ system is spared from the effects of
lead exposure. Researchers have systematically documented these problems and as
we will see, they have also shown that most of our population is not aware of
these problems or of the ways by which they can be resolved.
We are highly honored to have visiting our university and
participating in this program, Professor Scott Clark, the leading world
authority of the exposure to lead from paints and Dr. William Menrath, both of
the University of Cincinnati, Ohio in the United State; as well as Mr John Pesce
of ThermoFisher Scientific company. They have been collaborating with our
researchers for the past several years and yesterday, they went around town
testing the environment of some of our Day Care Centers and the toys that the
children are using for lead. They will share some of their dramatic findings
with us this today. Sessions today will be chaired by our own Professor Sridhar
of our Environmental Health unit of EMSEH and Professor Osibanjo of Chemistry
Department. Other speakers today include Dr. Anetor of Chemical Pathology
Department, Dr. Mrs. Ogundiran of Chemistry Department and Arc. Mrs. Adebamowo
of Civil Engineering.
Finally, I commend the Director and staff of our Institute of
Advanced Medical Research and Training who have put this program together. I am
sure that you all realize that this is in fulfillment of the mission of the
Institute to promote multi-disciplinary health research throughout the
University of Ibadan. I look forward to more of these kinds of programs in the
future. I wish you all a successful meeting.
First Annual Meeting of the West African Framework Program for Global Health
The West African
Farmework for Global health held her first Annual meeting on the 16th
and 17th of April,2007 at the Center for Bioethics, L.O.A. Court 102
Bashorun Road, Ashi Ibadan
The theme of the meeting was
Collaborative Research and Training on cncer in Nigeria. Participants came from
different disciplines, institutions and hospitals to discuss there views about
Cancer. By and large we had 32 participants (16 males and 16 females) in
attendance.
Issues about cancer were addressed
under 9 different groups viz:
1)
Cancer Control and Advocacy
a.
Dr.(Mrs.) Orija – Brest Cancer Advocay
b.
Dr.(Mrs) Amotsuka – Community based Cervical Cancer
Screening
c.
Dr. S. Ademola – Targetting vulnerable populations example
in albinism
2)
Tobacco control and Advocacy
a.
Dr.(Mrs.) Adejuwon – Tobacco Control
b.
Dr. Marinho – Tobacco Control and Advocacy
c.
Mrs. Oguntola - Mass media and Cancer Control
3)
Infectious diseases and Cancer
a.
Dr Aimakhu – HPV and cervical cancer
b.
Dr. (Mrs.) Akingbola – Lymphoma and Viruses
4)
Cancer Registration and Epidemiology
a.
Prof. Akang. – Ibadan Cancer Registry
5)
Built Environment and Cancer
a.
Arc. Dr. Adebamowo – Environmental Stress and Cancer
b.
Arc.(Mrs) Adebamowo – Indoor environment and Cancer
c.
Prof. Sirdhar - environment toxicology and Cancer
6)
Diet, lifestyle and behavioral Risk
a.
Dr.(Mrs.) Oluwatosin – Health Promotion and health
Education
b.
Mrs. Akintola – The Law and health
c.
Ms. Egbele – Food composition databases
d.
Prof. C. Adebamowo - Diet and Cancer
7)
Policy and Implementation Science
a.
Dr.(Mrs) R. Ogbimi – Leadership in the Health Sector
b.
Dr. A. Malomo – Administrative and Policy implementation
for cancer treatment and prevention programs
8)
Ethics and Cancer
a.
Dr. S. Jegede – Ethics in SBR and Cancer
b.
Dr. A. Adejumo – Clinical Ethics and Cancer
9)
Cancer Management
a.
Dr. (Mrs) Elumelu – Radiation Therapy
b.
Prof. (Mrs.) Soyannwo – Palliative care and Nursing
c.
Dr. (Mrs.) Adejumo – Psychosocial Support and Nursing
challenges
d.
Prof. C. Adebamowo – Cancer in Africa Online Journal
The meeting was such an interactive
and educative forum that stimulated the participants to see cancer from
different perceptions and to contribute their quota to the care and awareness of
the disease.
-
Some of the Lectures delivered
are available for download. Follow the link below to do so.
-
Also, you can view the
photograph of the event by clicking the photo gallery button.
YOUNG VOICES IN
RESEARCH FOR HEALTH
YOUNG VOICES IN RESEARCH FOR
HEALTH Equitable access: research challenges for health in
developing countries
The Global Forum for Health
Research and The Lancet are sponsoring their second joint
essay competition on the occasion of Forum 11 the 2007
annual meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research in
Beijing, People's Republic of China, 29 October to 2
November 2007
Entries are invited from young professionals working in or
interested in the broad spectrum of health research for
development relating to some aspect of the overall theme of
Forum 11
Deadline for receipt of entries: 20 April 2007
Rules, guidelines, principles, timeframe and prizes
-
Essays should be no more than 1500 words and
should be written in
English.
-
Essays must be based on the author's own ideas
and not be derived from
another source.
-
They should not have been previously published.
-
They should include original, even provocative
ideas and not be
technical or academic texts: tables, charts, figures and references are
probably not necessary.
-
Authors are free to be idealistic, passionate,
to take established
practices to task, albeit in a constructive fashion.
-
Entries are individual.
-
Each author may submit one essay only.
-
Authors should have been born on or after 1
January 1977.
-
The deadline for receipt of entries is 20 April
2007.
-
A shortlist will be announced by the end of
June. Shortlisted authors
will be asked to provide a high quality photograph and to confirm
original authorship and date of birth.
-
The winners will be notified by the beginning
of August 2007. The
judges' decision will be final.
-
A selection of shortlisted essays will be
published in an anthology.
-
Winning essays will also be published on the
Lancet website and their
authors invited to take part in Forum 11 with all expenses paid.
Staff members of the Global Forum or of the Lancet or their immediate
families are ineligible to enter the competition, as are authors of
commended and winning entries from 2006.
For full details and submission of entries, see:
http://www.globalforumhealth.org
Our next meeting, the
5th Annual Meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics
(AfSHG) will be held November
3 - 5, 2007 in conjunction with the First Annual
Meeting of the Division of Human Genetics and Genome Research
and the National Society of Human Genetics of Egypt. The
conference theme is:
Genomics Research in Africa : Implications for Disease
Diagnosis, Treatment and Drug Development.
The Conference venue is the
National Research Center , Cairo , Egypt .
The National Research
Center (NRC), Cairo , Egypt is a multidisciplinary institute
that has a wide spectrum of research fields and interests. The
NRC has a major medical research section which includes among
others, the Division of Human Genetics and Genome research
(DHGGR). In association with the National Society of Human
Genetics (NSHG), chaired by Prof. Samia A. Temtamy, the DHGGR
will undertake the major part of local organization. The NRC is
centrally located in Cairo , close to many accommodation
facilities/options (i.e. hotels of various ratings) and easily
accessible by public transportation systems.
One of
the aims of the African Society of Human Genetics is to
collaborate with and support the activities of existing
societies in Africa . This would be the society's first meeting
in North Africa and we are looking forward to it providing an
opportunity to interact with scientists, physicians, students
and other people working in genetics in the region.
Special thanks to Professors Yehia Zakaria Gad and Amal Mahmoud
Mohamed of the National Research Center, Egypt, for the
presentation made at the 2006 conference in Ethiopia and for
accepting the hosting of the 2007 meeting. Since the conference,
Professor Gad has been working tirelessly with his colleagues:
Professors Amal Mahmoud, Samia A Temtamy and Iman Abulezz, and
with Dr Sonia A. Hak from Tunisia , to get the conference
organized. We appreciate their hard work and enthusiasm.
What we can all do:
-
Save the dates
and plan to come to Cairo !
-
Inform your
colleagues and friends. A printable announcement is attached
to this email.
-
Let us know of
any potential sources of funding
-
Identify sources
of funding for the conference for yourself as well as your
junior colleagues and students; Start the initial
approach/application now!
-
Check the web site (www.afshg.org)
for updates.
June 27-29, 2007
Vilnius, Lithuania
The
Eighth Global
Forum
on Bioethics
in Research (GFBR
8) will
take place
in Vilnius,
Lithuania, on
June
27-29,
2007.
It
will be
organized
by
the
Medical
Faculty
of
Vilnius
University
in cooperation
with
Union Graduate
College Bioethics
Program
(USA) and
other
partners
in
the Global
Forum on Bioethics
in Research.
English
and French
will be
the official
languages of the Forum.
The
Global
Forum
on
Bioethics
in
Research
is a
global
collaborative
effort
to
strengthen
ethical international
health
research.
The
current
group
of
partners
are the
Wellcome
Trust
(UK);
the
Fogarty International Center
at
NIH
(USA);
Medical
Research
Council (UK);
Council on
Health Research for
Development
(COHRED) (Switzerland);
National
Institute of
Health
and
Medical Research
(INSERM) (France);
Latin American Faculty
of Social
Sciences
(FLACSO) (Argentina); Aga
Khan University (Pakistan);
World Health Organization – Department
of Ethics, Trade, Human
Rights and
Health Law;
Vilnius University (Lithuania);
and Union
Graduate College
(USA). This
year funding
is
provided
by
the
Wellcome
Trust,
Medical
Research
Council,
the
Fogarty International
Center at
NIH, INSERM,
the European
Union through
COHRED, and
the Advanced Certificate Program
in Research Ethics
in
Central
and
Eastern
Europe
sponsored
by
Vilnius University and Union
Graduate College.
All the previous meetings have been based on
the following general objectives:
-
To
maintain and strengthen the protection of
human participants in
medical research.
-
To provide a forum
for developing country
perspectives on ethical
issues in research.
-
To explore opportunities to
enhance capacity for the ethical
review of research.
-
To
create
a
context
for
research
involving
human
subjects
in which developing
and developed
country scientists, ethicists, community
representatives,
policy-makers,
industry, and other relevant
stakeholders
can address
ethical
issues
in
ways
that
allow
expeditious long-term
joint management
of research protocols.
The
theme
of the
8th
meeting
will clearly
reflect
the general
aims
and will
focus
on Fostering the Research Ethics
Infrastructure
in the
Developing
World
/
Transition
Societies.
A
special emphasis during
the conference
will
also
be
made
on
the
ethical
aspects
of
mental
health research.
While
the number
of biomedical
research
projects and
clinical trials
conducted in
the developing world
and transition societies
has been
increasing dramatically,
the research
ethics infrastructure
-
the
education
and
training
of
ethicists
and
scientists
and
the
development
of
functional
research
ethics committees supported
by a
positive
regulatory environment
- has
not
kept pace
and remains
a major
challenge
for
bioethics. Therefore,
the
focus
of this
conference
is to identify
and
disseminate best practices related to:
-
Establishing Research Ethics
Committees (RECs)/Institutional
Review
Boards
(IRBs)
at the
national/regional/local
levels and creating a positive regulatory environment;
-
Models for training in research ethics;
-
Models
for establishing supportive
networks among
ethicists and
their organizations
at both national
and international
levels;
-
Enhancing capacity for the
ethical review
and conduct of mental health research.
The
capacity of
GFBR 8
is 120
delegates. Funding
will be
available
to
sponsor
only delegates
from developing/transitional
countries, although applicants
from other
countries are
welcome
to apply
if they are able to
self-fund attendance.
It is
considered essential
to
maintain the
balance of
delegates from the North
and the
South and
the East
and the
West
with
a
majority
coming
from
developing countries and transition societies.
The GFBR 8 Steering Committee
asks all
those interested
in attending
the 8th Forum to make an
application in the manner detailed
below.
Applications
If you would like to
make an application
to attend the Forum, please apply
in writing including:
-
A
brief
statement
explaining why
you would
like to
take
part
in the
Forum,
how you
think you would
benefit,
and
how
you
might
be
able
to
contribute.
We would
be
particularly interested in
applicants’
experience of
developing
ethical review
processes
for research
or their local
implementation.
We
would
also
be
interested
in applications
with
relevance
to ethical issues relating to
mental health
research (not more than 500 words);
-
A short (1 page) CV;
-
A description of your current work (150
words)
-
A list of recent
publications, especially those relating to the theme
of this Forum;
-
Name
and contact details of one referee.
Awards:
Decision Making and Eligibility for
Funding
Successful applicants
from
developing/transition
countries will receive an
award to cover: return travel to
the meeting, including standard
airfare and standard ground transportation costs; registration
for GFBR 8, including
meeting
materials;
accommodation (3 or 4 nights
maximum);
full board; and a copy of any publication
resulting from the meeting.
Participants will be expected to meet
all other
costs.
The
GFBR 8 Steering
Committee
will decide
on successful
candidates (both self-funded
and those applying
for
funded
places) in
February
2007.
The
decision
criteria
will
include
the following
factors:
·
Country of origin. The
Forum
would like to ensure a representative distribution of delegates from
different regions;
·
Background /current area of
expertise. The Forum is aimed
at researchers, ethicists, policy- makers,
field workers, etc. The
Forum
seeks representation
from
many different disciplines;
·
Membership
of an IRB/REC. Membership
of an IRB/REC is not a prerequisite for
attending
a Forum
but
may be taken into consideration;
·
Experience
of ethics.
We hope
to encourage
a mixture
of
'old'
and
'new'
faces at
the Forum
so that delegates
can
productively
discuss
issues
of
concern
to them
and
gain
from
the perspectives of others.
Applicants need not necessarily
be experts in ethics;
·
Reasons
for attending
the
meeting.
We hope to attract
delegates
who will
be able
to actively
contribute to
the
meeting
and
who
expect
to
impact on
research
ethics/pursue a
career
in research ethics in their own
country.
Delegates
will be informed
of the decision of
the GFBR 8 Steering Committee
as soon as possible toward the
end of
February. The Steering Committee
decision
will be final.
Please send your application by
email to
GFBR@mf.vu.lt
and igiraite@gmail.com
or fax:
+3705 2398743
Download the pdf version of the news here
West African Framework Program for Global Health
is a research and training program that is focused on global health problems in
West Africa. A high proportion of countries with the poorest health indices in
the world are located in West Africa and continuing problems in the subregion
pose considerable challenge to efforts to improve the health of people living
there. There is therefore need for an integrated systems approach to tacking
these global health problems through multidisciplinary and multi-institutional
approaches. Establishing linkages and encouraging research through this platform
is especially important. It is also crucial to involve young researchers and
orientate them towards this approach to health programs and research.
--October 30-31, 2006 Bethesda, MD--
Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Office of Behavioral and
Social Sciences Research, and the American Psychological Association
Due to overwhelming response, this event will be videocast on the
Internet (http://videocast.nih.gov).
If you would like to join the
conference via the videocast and you are already registered to attend or
are on the waitlist, please send an email to maziecoleman@westat.com and
your name will be removed from the onsite registration list. Doing so
will free up a slot for someone else who is interested in attending.
For more information on the conference, please visit the conference Web
Site:
http://www.NCI-TDConference.com
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