September 2021
BSMS academics chair sessions at the 12th NNN Conference
The Annual Neglected Tropical Disease NGO (NNN) Conference took place this week, with the theme of 'Enabling a paradigm shift to a country-led response to deliver the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) Road Map'. The three-day event attracted more than 1,000 participants. Prof Gail Davey and Dr Maya Semrau, from the Global Health and Infection department at BSMS, chaired a number of sessions. Gail chaired a special panel session looking into the new NTD road map's call for strategic shifts at a time when the global health and development community is having a moment of reckoning with the power dynamics, colonial legacies, and the inequities that pervade through the various intersecting sectors, including, foreign aid, academia, civil society and non-state actors, and grassroots community development. The high-level panel included speakers from WHO, World Mission and the Ministry of Health in Guyana. Maya chaired a workshop on the theme of developing essential care packages for mental health and wellbeing in NTDs, as well as facilitating one of the breakout rooms. The workshop aimed to drive participant engagement with and contribution to the development of essential care packages on mental health and wellbeing for NTDs. A report will be published after the conference and can be found on the NNN website.
Read more about the conference here >
BSMS PhD students speak at inauguration event in Sudan
On Tuesday 24 August, the NIHR Unit on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) at BSMS' partner, the Mycetoma Research Centre (MRC) based in Khartoum, Sudan, opened the doors of an innovative vocational training centre for mycetoma patients called SAAI'D in Arabic. In the presence of high-level dignitaries, such as the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Industry, the Ambassador of Japan in Khartoum, the Vice-Chancellors of the University of Khartoum, Prof Ahmed Hassan Fahal, Director of the MRC, welcomed their presence and support for MRC's vision to attend to mycetoma patients both during, and after treatment, to reduce their sufferings, disabilities and stigma. He affirmed the MRC's determination to provide pioneering medical, community development and research projects to achieve its vision, objectives and roles. BSMS PhD students based at MRC from the NIHR Unit on NTDs and the 5S Foundation spoke at the event to explain the current academic links between BSMS and MRC, including the role of social science research to support contextually appropriate interventions for patients.
Read more about the centre here >
Mental health lecture â Tuesday 19 October
Mental health was long neglected in funding, policy, practice and research. Over the last 20 years, the Global Mental Health movement has highlighted the significant burden of disease and the large treatment gap associated with mental ill-health, with the aim of improving the lives of people with mental illness worldwide. This talk will delve into some of these issues, arguing that there can be 'no health without mental health'. This talk will be delivered by Dr Maya Semrau, Research Fellow B in Implementation Research, and will be chaired by Dr Arianne Shahvisi, Senior Lecturer in Ethics. This lecture is for BSMS staff and students, and will take place from 4-5pm. If you would like to attend, please email the Inclusivity team at inclusivity@bsms.ac.uk.
World-first initiative contributes to reduction in HIV diagnosis
An award-winning world-first trust initiative, HIV testing in the communityâ, has helped see a 44% reduction in Brighton residents diagnosed with HIV since its launch in 2017. âHIV testing in the communityâ, which was established by UHSussex Sexual Health consultants in partnership with The Martin Fisher Foundation, uses a smart vending machine to dispense free HIV self-testing kits. The HIV self-tests give a result in just 15 minutes from a single drop of blood. Importantly, of those diagnosed in Brighton & Hove this year, 100% received HIV treatment within 30 days. Once on effective treatment, people living with HIV are unable to pass the infection on. These machines are in multiple venues across Brighton to make them as accessible as possible to those in high-risk groups across the city. Dr Jaime Vera, Senior Lecturer in HIV Medicine and Honorary Consultant Physician at BSMS, has been involved in the project.
Read the full story here >
BSMS team hosts online charity challenge for Sixth Form students
Global health affects everyone wherever they live, with its emphasis on overcoming health inequities. Raising awareness of global health issues among young people is particularly important in the current pandemic. It has also been a challenging year for year 12 and 13 students to gain experience and relevant activities to put on personal statements for university applications. This led to the Global Health and Infection department working with Outreach and Widening Participation team to launch an online Sixth Form Charity Challenge. The team set local year 13 students the task of identifying a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that was working effectively to tackle neglected tropical diseases. They then had to give an eight minute presentation to Dr Anne Gatuguta and Dr Sarah Marshall from Global Health and Infection to pitch for funding for the charity. As an added incentive, the prize was a ÂŁ100 donation to the winning organisation! Sarah Marshall said: "We were incredibly impressed by the hard work and the high quality of all the final presentations. It is encouraging to feel that the future of global health is in such good hands." The worthy winner was a team of prospective medical students from Varndean, who argued very effectively that the NGO Evidence Action should be funded for their Deworm the World project. Their teacher, John Luton, added: "Thank you so much for setting up this competition, it certainly made them work hard. All teams were really good I thought and they have a good addition to their Personal Statements. Even I've learnt a lot about NTDs."