INDEPTH NETWORK

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
April 2008

Dr. Osman Sankoh

Dear INDEPTH family,

At the end of April, my big challenge would have been how to �pick and choose� from all that was happening here at INDEPTH and write about what I thought would be of interest to you.

Fortunately, my colleagues whispered in my ear that they had already sent you our latest news bulletin which contains the following news items:

I shall wait a while if you want to review those topics again. I�m waiting� Done?

OK. So that I don�t bore you with the same information, I have decided to focus only on the Annual General and Scientific Meeting.

If you didn�t already know that our 8^th AGM would be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 22-26 September 2008, and that it would coincide with INDEPTH�s 10^th anniversary, then I would have had cause to worry, and would have asked my team at the Secretariat why we had failed so miserably.

The good news is that online registration for the AGM is still open at http://www.indepth-network.org/events/8agm/8agm_1stcall.htm. In fact the deadline for the submission of abstracts has been extended to 30 May.

The other exciting news is that everyone who wants to attend this 10^th anniversary of INDEPTH may register online. In fact, this is what we expect.Read More�



An International network of HDSS sites involved in demographic and health research in developing countries

Better Health Information for Better Health Policy
Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA) Made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, INDEPTH established the MCTA Project to address the fundamental issues relating to clinical trial sites in Africa, so as to help accelerate the development of vaccines and drugs and their availability and accessibility to the developing world. Read More �	�8th INDEPTH Annual General & Scientifc Meeting INDEPTH utilises its AGM every year mainly as a scientific forum for members and others to share their experiences in DSS work. The AGM also does administrative business. Various stakeholders attend. Read More � �Fred Binka: Fighting Malaria in Africa This profile was published in the LANCET, Vol 371; April 2008 (www.thelancet.com) �INDEPTH prize for Extraordinary Research This year the INDEPTH Secretariat intends to award the INDEPTH Price for Extraordinary research in population and health research (see announcement) at the AGM in Dar es Salam. You are encouraged to send in nominations before July 31, 2008. The announcement spells out the details and requirements. Read More � �Job Opportunity for Clinical Trialist :INDEPTH MCTA Project �INDEPTH Network - Leading Research in Africa & Asia Public health decision-making is critically dependent on the availability of sound data. One cannot but agree with the Physicist Niels Bohr when he stated in 1930 that "nothing exists until it is measured".Read More � �DSS- University Population Programme Collaboration This programme, funded by Hewlett Foundation, strives to match analytic opportunities among DSS sites with University population science training programmes in Kenya, South Africa and Ghana. Read More � �INDEPTH cross-site capacity strengthening small grants This programme, funded by Sida/SAREC fosters research collaboration and research training between INDEPTH sites throuh small grants to at least three member sites participating in a cross-site activity. Read More � �Bridging the communication barrier; A new INDEPTH Initiative (PDF) �Twelve students from nine INDEPTH sites in seven countries to be sponsored for the MSc. in Population-based Field Epidemiology in 2008 Twelve students from nine INDEPTH sites in seven countries have been admitted by the University of the Witwatersrand to pursue the eighteen-month Master of Science in Population-based field Epidemiology, under the auspices of the INDEPTH Scientific Development and Leadership Programme. Read More � �News Bulletin, December 2007, Vol 7 Our news bulletins give you updates on network activities, but also on interesting activities from member sites. Read More � �RAKAI DSS: A pacesetter in HIV research and a Center of Excellence Started in 1988 as the Rakai Project, the RAKAI Project has twenty years down the line been fully transformed to the RAKAI Health Sciences Program with support from NIH and John Hopkins University. Read More � �IGANGA/MAYUGE DSS: Taking the lead in trying new technologies for DSS data Collection Young as it may be (Established in 2004), Iganga/Mayuge DSS is taking the lead in the testing of PDAs for longitudinal Data collection. Read More � �Developing a Prototype for Data Sharing; Building capacity in Data management across India, Thailand and Papua New Guinea This project which involves Vadu, Kanchanaburi and Wosera DSS aims to harmonize data through protocols that facilitate data sharing and cross-site analysis. Read More� �More calls and announcementss IAccess INDEPTH Web Mail	FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR April 2008 Dr. Osman Sankoh Dear INDEPTH family, At the end of April, my big challenge would have been how to �pick and choose� from all that was happening here at INDEPTH and write about what I thought would be of interest to you. Fortunately, my colleagues whispered in my ear that they had already sent you our latest news bulletin which contains the following news items: INDEPTH goes online with AGM Registration and Abstract Submission INDEPTH Prize for Extraordinary Research in Population and Health INDEPTH Fellows Programme ART-Rollout Workshop Demographic and Epidemiological Transitions Our Data Managers Meet! Workshop on Cost of Illness Fertility Monograph in High Gear! 2^nd Edition of Mortality Monograph Minimum datasets Visitors to INDEPTH INDEPTH at the University of Southampton, UK INDEPTH at Measure DHS at Macro International in Maryland, USA INDEPTH at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, Washington, USA INDEPTH Adult Health and Aging Working Group meets in Umea, Sweden INDEPTH Education Interest Group meets in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso I shall wait a while if you want to review those topics again. I�m waiting� Done? OK. So that I don�t bore you with the same information, I have decided to focus only on the Annual General and Scientific Meeting. If you didn�t already know that our 8^th AGM would be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 22-26 September 2008, and that it would coincide with INDEPTH�s 10^th anniversary, then I would have had cause to worry, and would have asked my team at the Secretariat why we had failed so miserably. The good news is that online registration for the AGM is still open at http://www.indepth-network.org/events/8agm/8agm_1stcall.htm. In fact the deadline for the submission of abstracts has been extended to 30 May. The other exciting news is that everyone who wants to attend this 10^th anniversary of INDEPTH may register online. In fact, this is what we expect.Read More�

	INDEPTH is currently funded by
Sida/SAREC \| Rockefeller Foundation \| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation \| Wellcome Trust \| Hewlett Foundation \| NIH/WHO \| DFiD