Migration and Health
In 2022, the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) and the Joep Lange Institute (JLI) hosted the 3rd annual Joep Lange Chair and Fellows Symposium and Masterclass. Each year, the scientific organizing committee selects a relevant and engaging theme that encompasses various intersections of global health and development. In 2022, the theme was Migration and Health.
With millions of people constantly on the move around the globe, whether due to war, famine, or simply in search of a better life, migration has become everyone’s reality. Migration impacts many aspects of life, shapes world events, and prompts political debates. One element of migration that is less often discussed is its relation to health. Migration and health encompass a variety of topics from non-communicable and communicable diseases to mental and psychological health, affecting host populations, the population of origin, and future generations.
The symposium featured speakers from distinctly varied backgrounds, disciplines, and approaches, and as a collective, they provided an extensive overview of the challenges surrounding migration and health in 2022. These speakers are some of the leading thinkers on the forefront of migration and health research. The speaker lineup included Prof. Melissa Siegel, Professor of Migration Studies at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University and co-director of the Maastricht Center for Citizenship, Migration and Development, Prof. Tamar de Waal, Assistant Professor of legal theory at the Amsterdam Law School of the University of Amsterdam and Director of the Amsterdam Honours College of Law, Dr. Peter Ventevogel, Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC), and Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar, Dean of the University College of London Faculty of Population Health Sciences and Professor of infectious disease epidemiology. The Symposium was moderated by the world-renowned physician and first Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Control in the Netherlands, Dr. Roel Coutinho.
Estimated Number of Migrants in 2020 (Source: IOM, 2022)
The 2022 JLCF Masterclass
Each year, AIGHD and JLI also hold a Masterclass on the same theme as the Symposium. The purpose of the Masterclass is to give early-stage researchers the opportunity to practice presenting their work, receive constructive feedback, and network not only with peers but also with experts. The Masterclass gives researchers who are just finding their feet within academia the chance to speak with experts in global health and development. It also brings students from different disciplines together to network, learn from one another, and draw inspiration from the experts.
Young investigators (PhD students and beyond) submit abstracts that are carefully reviewed by a highly selective scientific committee. The Masterclass is taught by the Joep Lange Fellows and guest fellows selected by the scientific committee. The masterclass provides an intimate space where young investigators get to present their research and interact with experts in the field. While receiving invaluable feedback and space for questions, masterclass participants are able to make connections with peers and experts in global health and development.
Each year, the masterclass is held online to allow for more diverse participation among people living outside of the Netherlands in order to build capacity globally. This year’s eight abstract winners had the opportunity to discuss their research on the topic Migration and Health with peers and experts leading the masterclass, Charles Agyemang, Anna Vassall, Catherine Kyobutungi and Melissa Parker.
The multidisciplinary character of the topics and Masters’ backgrounds made for striking discussions. Anna Vassall provided a health economic perspective whereas Charles Agyemang looked at the issues from a migration health perspective. Catherine Kyobutungi shared her expertise through an epidemiological lens and Melissa Parker provided some medical anthropology arguments. It highlighted, once again, the broad reach of global health where issues must be addressed from multiple angles and disciplines. The newly established connections in addition to the critical feedback is an important step in the professional development of these abstract winning researchers.
The 2022 Masterclass on Zoom
Sixteen years ago, the first INTEREST conference was held in Kampala, Uganda. In 2022, the INTEREST conference returned home. This 16th conference, hybrid in nature, comes after two years of virtual meetings. Since its inception, the overarching objective of INTREST remains the same, involving young people/researchers in finding solutions and managing the pandemic on the continent.
Participants came from varying professional backgrounds reflecting those in service delivery and academia/research policy makers. Both government and non-governmental organisations were present as well. Approximately 420 abstracts were showcased for session presentation or as part of the poster viewing gallery. This created an opportunity for the targeted audience to learn from the wealth of diverse insights and solutions shared for the world at large and Africa in particular.
The INTEREST Conference is the premier scientific conference on HIV in Africa and a recognized fixture in the HIV conference calendar. Its full name is the The conference is hosted in a different country in Africa each year.
Young researchers and world-renowned HIV experts share original research and state-of-the-art reviews on a wide range of HIV and related topics. The conference offers lectures, abstract-driven oral and poster presentations, debates, and meet-the-expert sessions. Early morning mentoring sessions see mid-career and senior investigators providing research career guidance to young researchers. Grantspersonship sessions focus on how best to position research grant proposals for success. Themed poster discussions, a session on paediatric HIV, and two sessions on HIV prevention advocacy complete the early morning schedule.
The 16th INTEREST Conference
The INTEREST Conference is co-organized by the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development and Virology Education. The four co-chairs for the 2022 INTEREST Conference are supported by the International Organising Committee. The 16th INTEREST conference was chaired by Professor Kwasi Torpey (University of Ghana, Scientific Chair), Professor Elly Katabira (Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Uganda Conference Co-Chair), Dr Sabrina Bakeera-Kitaka, (Makerere University College of Health Sciences / Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda Local Co-Chair), and Dr Andrew Kambugu Infectious Diseases Institute, Uganda Local Co-Chair).
The 16th annual INTEREST Conference in numbers
The conference hosted 583 participants...
...75% of which were first time attendees...
...and over 50 countries represented at the conference.
During the workshop, 106 scientists, clinicians, NGO delegates, civil society representatives, and policymakers discussed the latest developments in the field of HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis, with a focus on structural determinants, health systems, refugee programs, and the public health impact of the war in Ukraine.
With priority placed on building capacity and strengthening research and clinical networks across the region, participants came from 27 different countries, including nine Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries: Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan. There were 15 early-career investigator oral abstract presenters and 17 poster presenters.
EECA INTERACT 2022 took place in close collaboration with the International AIDS Society (IAS) through the organisation of a joint session on the last afternoon of EECA INTERACT 2022. The workshop was sponsored by GILEAD, the NIH, Aidsfonds, ANRS, MSD and EU4MD.