Are you interested in Social Determinants of Health? Are you looking for international collaborators to explore new dimensions of social determinants of health research? Then the virtual University of Iowa (UI) and University of Johannesburg (UJ) Social Determinants of Health Speed Networking event is the answer for you! Speed Networking is designed to help you quickly meet new collaborators and brainstorm novel ideas leading to potential new avenues for your research and funding portfolio.
Background
With increased global trade, travel, migration, and climate variability, local health concerns are now global health concerns with significant impacts. Due to this complexity and scale, engaging global health issues requires multidisciplinarity, whether it’s looking at communicable or noncommunicable diseases, injury prevention, maternal and child health, food (in)security, or social dynamics. Recognizing the need for bringing together disparate disciplines to advance multidisciplinary approaches, the World Health Organization (WHO) created a science division in 2019 to strengthen their approach towards global health issues. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO science division director, noted in an April 2019 Nature article titled, “How to Shape Research to Advance Global Health” that a multidisciplinary approach including trial methodologists, virologists, statisticians, and public health experts led to a breakthrough in the West African Ebola epidemic – “an efficacious vaccine amid a terrible outbreak.” As this example illustrates, working responsibly in global health benefits from attentiveness to multidisciplinary perspectives in order to develop new, effective, and ethical approaches to alleviate these global health problems.
"The social determinants of health are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life."
Logistics
You are invited to participate in the virtual speed networking event to meet others interested in Social Determinants of Health on Thursday, November 2, 2023 from 8:30–10:30 am (Iowa) / 3:30–5:30 pm (South Africa). The session's agenda follows:
- 8:30–8:45 am / 3:30–3:45 pm: Introduction/Orientation
- 8:45–10:30 am / 3:45–5:30 pm: Speed Networking
Goals
The virtual University of Iowa and University of Johannesburg Social Determinants of Health Speed Networking event aims to achieve the following:
- Brainstorm potential multidisciplinary research collaborations around social determinants of health-related topics
- Create potential research partnerships
- Identify potential funding sources for Social Determinants of Health research
Target Audience
Faculty from all disciplines interested in social determinants of health, broadly defined.
Potential Funding Sources
Click below to view potential funding sources from Pivot (must be connected to UI network):
Registration
Registration has closed for this speed networking event. Please email the Research Development Office with questions (vpr-rdo@uiowa.edu).
Please Note: Due to the highly structured nature of speed networking, registration will be capped at 15 (University of Iowa researchers) and 15 (University of Johannesburg researchers).
Registration survey questions include (click here for an example):
- Demographic Information
- What is your interest in global health research?
- What expertise are you looking for in a collaborator?
- What expertise can you offer a research partner?
- Upload a head shot and two-page CV or biosketch
Sponsored by:
University of Iowa (Research Development Office and Iowa Global Health Network) and University of Johannesburg (Faculty of Humanities)
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Research Development Office in advance at 319-335-0303 or vpr-rdo@uiowa.edu