IOM Topic: Global Health

Understanding the Global Public Health Implications of Substandard, Falsified, and Counterfeit Medical Products

5/25/2012

The Food and Drug Administration requested that the IOM to convene a consensus committee to gather information and deliberate on the improved approaches to mitigating the global problem of substandard, falsified, and counterfeit pharmaceuticals and products used in their manufacture.

The Science and Applications of Microbial Genomics

5/24/2012

Over the past several decades, new scientific tools and approaches for detecting microbial species have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the microbial flora and fauna and their dynamic interactions with the environments in which they reside. On June 12th and 13th 2012, the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats will host a public workshop, to explore new scientific tools and methods for detecting and characterizing culturable and unculturable microbial species. This workshop may also explore the origins, nature, and spread of historical and contemporaneous infectious disease outbreaks in human, plant, and wildlife host systems.

The Social Biology of Microbial Communities

5/21/2012

Microorganisms lead intensely ‘social’ lives, forming communities and engaging in behaviors that involve complex systems of cooperation and communication. This workshop will explore factors contributing to microbial community formation and function, and potential applications for improving health.

Report Release

5/17/2012

Report Release

The Contagion of Violence - A Workshop

5/7/2012

The IOM Forum on Global Violence Prevention will convene a 2-day workshop to explore the contagion of violence and how it can be prevented and eventually ended. The public workshop will be organized and conducted by an ad hoc committee to examine 1) the contagious nature of violence, 2) the relationship between the contagion of violence and epidemics of violence, and 3) how contagions of violence can be prevented or ended.

The Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health

5/7/2012

The Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health is awarded annually to individuals, groups, or organizations in order to recognize outstanding achievement in improving mental health services, research, or public policy.

Preventing Violence Against Women and Children - Workshop Summary

4/23/2012

Across the world, violence against women and children poses a high burden on global health. Women and children are particularly susceptible to violence because they often have fewer rights or lack legal protection. Over the last decade, researchers have gathered data on the growing magnitude of this violence, but many research gaps still remain. January 27-28, 2011, the Forum on Global Violence Prevention held its first workshop to explore the prevention of violence against women and children. The workshop opened the discussion on violence-prevention strategies, as well as ways to prevent the spread of violence from one generation to the next.

Ensuring Safe Foods and Medical Products Through Stronger Regulatory Systems Abroad

4/10/2012

Whether it’s suspect scallions from Mexico or contaminated ingredients from China used in the blood thinner heparin, the FDA is intimately familiar with the daunting task of policing the safety of food and medical products faced by regulators abroad. The FDA is responsible for protecting American consumers from unsafe food, medicines, biologics, and medical products that originate from many different countries and are transported through complex supply chains. The IOM formed a committee to identify the core elements of food, medicine, medical product, and biologics regulatory systems in developing countries; to pin-point the main gaps in these systems; and to design a strategy to leverage the expertise of the FDA and other stakeholders to strengthen regulatory systems abroad.

Strengthening Core Elements of Regulatory Systems in Developing Countries

4/4/2012

At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, the IOM will identify the core elements of needed regulatory systems in developing countries. The IOM will rank these needs and recommend a strategy for the FDA to improve regulatory capacity abroad.

Report Release: Ensuring Safe Foods and Medical Products Through Stronger Regulatory Systems Abroad

4/4/2012

Public release of Ensuring Safe Foods and Medical Products Through Stronger Regulatory Systems Abroad

U.S. Agencies Should Take Steps to Boost Developing Nations' Regulatory Capacity to Ensure That Imported Foods and Drugs Are Safe

4/4/2012

Many low- and middle-income nations do not have technologically advanced regulatory systems, which limits their oversight of food and drug safety, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

IOM Report on Safety of Imported Foods, Drugs to Be Discussed at Public Briefing

4/4/2012

Members of the Institute of Medicine committee that wrote the new report Ensuring Safe Foods and Medical Products Through Stronger Regulatory Systems Abroad will discuss their report with interested stakeholders and reporters at a one-hour public briefing. The briefing will begin at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 4, in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club, 529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education

4/3/2012

In order for a patient to receive the best care, health education must reflect the changing health care environment. Taking inspiration from the RWJ/IOM’s 2010 report, The Future of Nursing, and the 2010 Lancet Commission report on interdependent health professional education for the 21st century, the IOM Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education aims to apply an ongoing, multi-national, multi-disciplinary approach to exploring promising innovations in the health education. The Forum brings together stakeholders from a variety of disciplines and sectors to engage in dialogue and discussion to illuminate contemporary issues in health professional education

Country-Level Decision Making for Control of Chronic Diseases - Workshop Summary

4/2/2012

A 2010 IOM report, Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World, found that not only is it possible to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and related chronic diseases in developing countries, but also that such a reduction will be critical to achieving global health and development goals. As part a series of follow-up activities to the 2010 report, the IOM held a workshop that aimed to identify what is needed to create tools for country-led planning of effective, efficient, and equitable provision of chronic disease control programs.

Ending Violence @ Home

3/27/2012

Following the momentum of the mPreventViolence workshop, The Avon Foundation for Women and the Institute of Medicine are challenging teams of individuals from the fields of domestic violence prevention and communications technologies to come together to raise awareness about and to help prevent domestic violence against women and children. This is a global challenge, and teams from both the US and abroad are encouraged to register.

Peace Corps Announced a New Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) Funded Through PEPFAR

3/27/2012

On March 13, 2012, the Peace Corps announced a new Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP), which will deploy physicians and nurses to serve as medical and nursing faculty members in developing countries.

Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health. Workshop Summary

3/22/2012

Worldwide, over one billion people lack access to an adequate water supply. Recognizing water availability, water quality, and sanitation as fundamental issues underlying infectious disease emergence, the IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats held a two-day public workshop.

Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education Planning Meeting

3/19/2012

This meeting is the first planning meeting for the IOM Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education.

Meeting 5: Identifying and Prioritizing New Preventive Vaccines for Development

3/15/2012

Vaccine Targets Meeting 5

Meeting 4: Identifying and Prioritizing New Preventive Vaccines for Development

3/15/2012

Vaccine Targets Meeting 4

International Food and Nutrition Forum

3/8/2012

The International Food and Nutrition Forum provides a mechanism for representatives from the U.S. government, academia and nongovernmental organizations to discuss issues related to global food and nutrition including food security, global health, micronutrient deficiencies, and related morbidity and mortality.

Institute of Medicine and Avon Foundation for Women Issue Challenge for Apps to Prevent Domestic Violence

3/8/2012

Domestic violence affects millions of people worldwide, particularly women and children. To jump-start the development of innovative ways to tackle this global problem, the Institute of Medicine and Avon Foundation for Women have launched the "Ending Violence @ Home App Challenge." Offering $25,000 in prizes, the contest challenges teams of individuals from the fields of domestic violence prevention and communications technologies to work together to raise awareness about and help prevent violence in the home. Registration for the challenge opened today to coincide with International Women's Day 2012.

"Like" the IOM on Facebook

3/6/2012

For every new "like" on the IOM's Facebook page, a donor will contribute $1 toward improving the nation's health, up to $5,000.

What You're Reading - February 2012

3/1/2012

A list of the most viewed IOM reports for the month of February, 2012.

Meeting 1: Understanding the Global Public Health Implications of Substandard, Falsified, and Counterfeit Drugs

2/29/2012

This will be the first full committee meeting of the Committee on Understanding the Global Public Health Implications of Substandard, Falsified, and Counterfeit Medical Products.

Forum on Global Violence Prevention

2/29/2012

Preventable violence is a major public health problem worldwide. The IOM's Forum on Global Violence Prevention works to reduce violence worldwide through the promotion of multidisciplinary research emphasizing the value of prevention.

mPreventViolence: Communication and Technology for Violence Prevention - A Workshop

2/28/2012

The Forum on Global Violence Prevention will hold a 2-day public workshop on 1) the use of traditional and new media to communicate evidence-based information for violence prevention and 2) new applications of social media and new communications technologies to prevent violence.

Contest Seeks Apps to Prevent Domestic Violence

2/28/2012

Preventing domestic violence demands the use of effective tools. To jump-start the development of innovative ways to tackle this global problem, the Institute of Medicine and Avon Foundation for Women will launch the "Ending Violence @ Home App Challenge" on March 8. The contest will encourage participants to create mobile- or Web-based apps that can help prevent physical assaults, verbal abuse, and other acts of domestic violence, or aid victims and those trying to help them. Prizes up to $10,000 will be awarded.

The Causes and Impacts of Neglected Tropical and Zoonotic Diseases: Opportunities for Integrated Intervention Strategies - Workshop Summary

2/2/2012

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) afflict more than 1.4 billion people, many of whom live on less than $1.25 a day. While there are effective ways to manage NTDs, policy-makers and funders have only recently begun to recognize the economic and public health importance of controlling NTDs. The IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats held a workshop September 21-22, 2010, to discuss the science of and policy surrounding NTDs.

Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases

2/2/2012

Zoonotic diseases can threaten both health and economies around the world. Unfortunately, for several reasons, disease surveillance in the United States and abroad is not very effective in alerting officials to emerging zoonotic diseases. In response to this challenge, the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council’s 2009 report Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases calls for the United States to take the lead, working with global health organizations to establish a global surveillance system that better integrates the human and animal health sectors, resulting in improved early detection and response.