International Conferences on Innovation in health surveillance (InnovSur) and on Economics and Social Sciences in Animal Health (ISSESSAH), May 2018, Montpellier

One of our CaribVET member, Dr. Pastor Alfonso attended the 2018 InnovSur/ISSESSAH Conference and shares his experience with us. ISESSAH-InnovSur 2018 was a high-level scientific conference on the contribution of economics and social sciences to animal health and on innovation in next generation of health surveillance.

Dr. Pastor Alfonso is researcher at CENSA, Cuba and Chairs the CaribVET Avian Diseases Working Group. He is also member of the Epigroup of CaribVET. 

Description the Event

Several events were jointly organized during the week of 14 May. Programme can be accessed here

2nd ISSESSAH Conference - International Society for Economics and Social Sciences in Animal Health 

  • 14-15 may 2018
  • Objective: improve animal health and welfare policies, programmes and projects through more nuanced use of concepts and tools available in economics and social science disciplines. 
  • ISESSAH addressed 4 themes: i) the role played by animal health professionals; ii) sociology applied to animal health; iii) decision-making and ecology of animal diseases - surveillance; iv) governance and human behavior.

InnovSur Forum - Innovation in health surveillance 

  • 16-18 may 2018
  • Objective: examine and discuss the gaps and needs in health surveillance for innovations in animal, human and environmental health surveillance and at the interface (integrated surveillance).
  • InnovSur focused on practical applications and needs for methods and tools to facilitate decision-making, including translational needs to ensure uptake of the research innovations by policy makers and strengthening of public private partnerships. Several brainstorming sessions were organized on 4 main themes: innovation in integrated surveillance; ii) innovation in research and surveillance policy; iii) innovation in surveillance design and big data; iv) innovation in surveillance of vectors and vector-borne diseases

Workshop of ERIAH Network: Economic Reasoning for Improved Animal Health 

  • It is a network of researchers in health and economy funded by the rench National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) aiming to promote applied animal health economics to improve intersectorial collaborations between scientists, private sector, producers’ associations and policy makers. The goal of the network is to foster a transdisciplinary research approach. 
  • Focus of this ERIAH Workshop: from economic assessment to policy making, or how to translate economic assessments outputs into practical decisions. This is particularly important in a context of political and economic uncertainties and the need to optimize use of limited resources.

Main outputs

The joint organisation of ISESSAH 2018 and InnovSur forum provided an opportunity to strengthen North-South interactions and focused economic issues related to the environmental and agricultural health. Animal health economics is a growing field of research. Together with ISESSAH, the ERIAH workshop focused on how to translate economic assessment results into practical decisions.It encouraged researchers and policy makers to better integrate socio-economic issues into health decision-making and to promote interdisciplinary approaches.

Work presented at the Conference

Short Communication

He presented a Poster and a Short Oral Presentation of work conducted by his team in Cuba on Avian influenza and wild birds on 16th May, during the Session on Research and surveillance policies. "Prioritization of wild bird species and locations for avian influenza virus surveillance in Cuba" . Authors: Pastor Alfonso, Martin Acosta, Lourdes Mugica, Ariam Jiménez, Joel Ayala, Magdiel Torres, Osvaldo Fonseca.

More about Dr. Alfonso

He coordinates in Cuba the activities of the OIE Collaborating Center for Disaster Risk Reduction in Animal Health, and belongs to the OIE/FAO Network of Experts on Animal Influenza Virus (OFFLU). He has been instrumental for the organization of the 2nd International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance (ICAHS, held in Havana in May 2014, together with the 10th CaribVET Steering Committee Meeting). 

Acknowledgements 

Dr. Alfonso was supported by CaribVET to benefit from the Scientist Travel Grant (STG) from the Conference organising committee and that was offered to scientists from developing countries to presented his work at the Conference. The authors express their gratitude to the ISESSAH-InnovSur organizers.

Part of the study presented was financially supported by the Project PNUD/GEF CUB/3973 “Archipelagos of the South of Cuba”, Birds Caribbean through the Caribbean Waterbird Counts and the Whitley Fund for Nature that provided a field vehicle. 

Organizers

ISSESSAH 

  ERIAH Workshop