Meet us at the Canadian Conference on Global Health

 
IDRC is joining members of the global health community at the Canadian Conference on Global Health, held from October 16 to 18, 2023. Themed “From Rhetoric to Action: moving policy, research, and practice,” the conference will be a hybrid event with in-person sessions at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Canada.
Event poster reads: From Rhetoric to Action: moving research, policy and practice

We will be presenting three sessions. They are described below, and we hope you will join us. 

Global South solutions leveraging artificial intelligence for improved sexual, reproductive and maternal health 

Monday, October 16, 11:30-13:00 (EDT)  

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how sexual and reproductive health services are delivered and how related rights are exercised. When AI solutions are implemented using people-centered and rights-based approaches, women, girls and societies benefit. These solutions can create efficiencies, improve equitable sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and strengthen health systems.  

However, if these solutions are not designed responsibly, they can exacerbate existing inequities and create new ones, which could weaken health outcomes and even expose women and girls to unintended consequences such as stigma, discrimination and intimate partner violence. In this session, AI research hubs in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa share experiences of supporting local researchers and innovators to develop responsible AI solutions to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

Our speakers include: 

  • Chaitali Sinha, senior program specialist, Global Health Division, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada (moderator) 

  • Cintia Cejas, coordinator, Center for Artificial Intelligence and Health for Latin America and the Caribbean, Instituto de efectividad clínica y sanitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

  • Elizabeth Oseku, project coordinator, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 

  • Mohammed Imran, executive director, PHC Global, Karachi, Pakistan 

  • Nour El Arnaout, program coordinator, Global Health Institute, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon 

Action-based research to ensure no woman is left behind in the COVID-19 recovery and in future pandemics and epidemics (Women RISE) 

Tuesday, October 17, 11:00-13:00 (EDT) 

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted and increased the longstanding and health inequities faced by vulnerable and oppressed populations, including women. Yet, in many settings where the pandemic worsened these inequities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, women’s health and well-being are key to community and population health.    

This panel session will feature a number of Women RISE research projects that are conducting gender-transformative research, through the lenses of equity, diversity, inclusion and justice, about vulnerable women. These projects will discuss the challenges faced by women based on their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and the preliminary findings that can inform policies and practices. By facilitating women’s empowerment, championing their voices, and recognizing and appreciating their work, Women RISE is contributing significantly to mending knowledge gaps and seizing novel opportunities for COVID-19 recovery to ensure that no one is left behind. 

Our speakers include:  

  • Montasser Kamal, director, Global Health Division, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada (moderator) 

  • Tanya Trevors, director, Women, Children and Adolescent Health and Rights, Global Affairs Canada, Ottawa, Canada 

  • Jennifer Gunning, associate director, Institute of Population and Public Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ottawa, Canada 

  • Natalie Hunter, senior program officer, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Ottawa, Canada 

  • Sohana Shafique, project coordinator, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh 

  • Susan Elliott, professor, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada 

  • Kathleen Rice, assistant professor, McGill University, Montreal, Canada 

  • Justus E. Ikemeri, program manager, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya 

  • Susan Babirye, research fellow, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 

  • Evaline Lang’at, program manager, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya 

Unpacking the role of policy and politics in global health 

Wednesday, October 18, 13:00-15:00 (EDT) 

This closing plenary session, featuring a variety of speakers, will examine the role of policy and politics in the arena of global health.  

Our speakers include: 

  • Julie Delahanty, president, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada (moderator) 

  • Michelle Amri, term assistant professor, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada 

  • Katherine Frohlich, scientific director, Institute of Population and Public Health, CIHR, Ottawa, Canada 

  • Tim Evans, director, School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Canada 

  • Innocent Ntaganira, Ottawa, Canada 

 

Learn more about and register for the 2023 Canadian Conference on Global Health 

 

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