GBD 2010 Study consultations around the world

July

Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), Amman, Jordan

With EMRO, a regional office of the World Health Organization, IHME is co-hosting a presentation of the preliminary GBD results in Amman, Jordan, on July 17 and 18. IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray, IHME Professor Dr. Rafael Lozano, and IHME Professor Dr. Ali Mokdad will speak about the findings relevant to the Middle East region and gather feedback from high-level decision-makers invited from many countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djbouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Government of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo

In a two-day conference on July 5-6, organized by PAHO and the government of the Dominican Republic, IHME Professor and lead GBD researcher Dr. Rafael Lozano led a panel on analysis and decision-making based on the GBD 2010 Study’s preliminary results. In attendance were ministers of health from eight countries: Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. IHME solicited comments and reactions to the GBD global and country-based research to consider as the research is finalized.

May

University of Zambia and Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia

IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray presented the GBD 2010 Study’s methods, data, global results, and preliminary findings for Zambia at a consultation co-hosted by the University of Zambia and the Ministry of Health. IHME also shared the Institute’s data visualization tool for showcasing the country-level GBD results. The group of researchers and health officials included representatives from the national HIV/AIDS, malaria, and maternal and child health councils, along with international research and health organizations. The presentations were followed by a discussion of the study’s implications for Zambia and how the data could assist in the country’s prevention measures to reduce burden.

March

Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) and World Health Organization (WHO), Seattle, United States

IHME hosted researchers from CHERG and WHO for a consultation about the GBD 2010 Study’s preliminary results. They discussed GBD methods for estimating neonatal mortality, maternal mortality, and the burden related to congenital disorders. They also focused on HIV-related deaths. CHERG published its latest estimates of child mortality in The Lancet that put the number of deaths in children under 5 at 8.8 million for 2008. WHO, as part of the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, released its latest estimates of child mortality as 7.6 million for 2010. IHME published its latest estimates of child mortality in The Lancet, saying that there were 7.2 million deaths in children under 5 in 2011. All three organizations agree that child mortality has been declining.

United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

IHME met with DFID advisors for education and health to discuss the data used for the GBD 2010 Study. IHME also showed the Institute’s data visualization tool for showcasing the GBD results. DFID staff shared some of their own research about particular diseases and suggested some measurement methods for IHME and its GBD collaborators to explore.

February

Ministry of Health for Brazil, Brasilia

The Ministry of Health invited IHME researchers to meet with policymakers and researchers from across the country to discuss the GBD 2010 Study’s global preliminary results and findings specific to Brazil. Participants critiqued results for Brazil using intimate local knowledge of the impact of certain health conditions at both the municipal and national levels. They also shared new data sources and discussed alternative methods for analyzing specific diseases and risk factors.

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

To showcase the preliminary GBD 2010 Study results, the Chinese CDC hosted a two-day Trilateral Symposium on Measuring Disease Burden in China. IHME researchers spoke about the study’s methods, data, global results, and findings for China as well as estimating exposure, relative risks, and theoretical minimum risk exposure.

United Kingdom Department for International Development, Dhaka, Bangladesh

IHME met with DFID advisors for education and health to discuss preliminary results and the data used for the GBD 2010 Study. IHME also demonstrated the Institute’s data visualization tool for showcasing the GBD results. DFID staff explored the findings and underlying methods, and they expressed interest in using the tool to inform their own work in countries.

World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), Cairo, Egypt

IHME researchers met with EMRO leadership and staff to discuss the study. Researchers there were very interested in findings for the Middle East and North Africa, regions that have seen a significant improvement in areas such as child mortality and maternal mortality over the past two decades.

American University of Beirut (AUB) and Balamand University (UOB), Beirut, Lebanon

During two IHME presentations at AUB and UOB, researchers, physicians, nurses, and public health professionals were able to see preliminary results from the GBD 2010 Study and discuss its implications. IHME researchers fielded questions on a range of topics, including the importance of preventive measures and how the data could be used to advance prevention and reduce burden.

January

Pan American Health Organization, Washington DC, US

Assistant Director Socorro Gross-Galiano led a lively discussion of the early GBD results with PAHO researchers and policy advocates focusing on countries in Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean. The group offered guidance on potential new data sources and factors to consider when finalizing the results.