TB elimination meeting and the Uppsala Health Summit

Iqaluit, Nunavut (photo credit: A. Greer, 2014)

Fall is always a busy time of year and many of the important infectious disease related meetings are held during the autumn months. Over the last several weeks I have attended a number of meetings that I felt were important to highlight on our team blog because they were so incredibly exciting to be a part of. On October 4th and 5th, I travelled to Ottawa to participate in a meeting co-hosted by the Nunavut Government and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). The purpose of the meeting was to develop a comprehensive action plan for the elimination of Tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat with specific goals and priority areas for action. It was an honour to be asked to participate and I am optimistic that with improved infrastructure and support to Northern health systems, TB elimination is a real possibility. 

The meeting was held at the Uppsala castle in Uppsala, Sweden. (photo credit: A. Greer, 2017).

October also marked the 3rd annual Uppsala Health Summit. The Uppsala Health Summit is a recurring international policy arena for dialogue on challenges for health and healthcare, and how we can overcome them. The theme changes each year which makes it a dynamic and exciting event to participate in. Personally invited decision makers, opinion formers and experts participate in active dialogue in thoroughly prepared workshops and plenum sessions. The theme of the summit this year was Tackling Infectious Disease Threats: Prevent, Detect, Respond using a One Health Approach. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some colleagues that I had not seen in many years and also to meet some new researchers working in this area. 

Final dinner in Uppsala with great company and discussion. From left to right: Fernanda Dorea (National Veterinary Institute, Sweden), Florence Haseltine (Society for Women's Health Research, USA), Crawford Revie (Atlantic Veterinary College, Canada), Stefan Widgren (National Veterinary Institute, Sweden), Kun Hu (IBM Research, USA), Amy Greer (Ontario Veterinary College, Canada) and Stefan Engblom (Uppsala University, Sweden).