In 2017, the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME) celebrates its 50th anniversary and will continue to make joint efforts to officially formalize its institutionality as a Specialized Center of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in Brazil. BIREME works in cooperation with all countries in the Region with the support of its institutional partners and information users.
In the beginning of February 2017, the Center will inaugurate its new facilities, after operating for almost 50 years at a university campus. Soon after, it will hold the 6th Meeting of the BIREME Advisory Committee, which evaluates its programmatic functions, and is composed by representatives of PAHO/WHO member countries appointed by the Directing Council of the Organization as delegates, currently, from Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, Peru, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Francisco Becerra, PAHO/WHO Assistant Director and the Interim Director of the office of Knowledge Management, Bioethics and Research (KBR) has already confirmed attending the meeting.
Aiming to strengthen the management and technical cooperation of BIREME, as well as its new institutionality, Dr Diego Gonzalez Machín, Director, highlighted 2016 BIREME Results in both internal and external fora (access article published in the 3rd edition of the BIREME Bulletin), and the Center strategies for 2017. Special attention will be drawn to:
- Expanding the actions of BIREME in the countries in and outside the Region, in coordination with PAHO and WHO headquarters;
- Strengthening the technical cooperation in scientific information on health in PAHO/WHO priority countries in the Region, i.e., Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Guyana, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Suriname;
- Strengthening the alliances between BIREME and the institutions in Brazil and other countries in the Region, through PAHO/WHO country offices and the regional programs at the Organization headquarters in Washington DC, USA;
- Improving the decision-making processes in healthcare systems, using scientific evidence to meet the demands of health managers and healthcare professionals;
- Expanding the networks of products, services and events related to scientific information, targeted at the users of scientific information in health;
- Reinforcing the capacity of BIREME and the network of the Virtual Health Library (VHL) in network learning processes and technologies;
- Expanding the participation of BIREME in online and in-person capacity-building activities related to accessing scientific and technical information, as well as regarding to scientific communication;<0}
- Strengthening the external institutional communication channels of BIREME, such as its institutional website and the social media (Facebook and Twitter, among others); and
- Continuously developing and strengthening the human, intellectual and social capital of BIREME.
BIREME will soon announce the activities to celebrate its 50th anniversary, with the participation of several players who support the continuous development of the Center. They have already been invited for the opening ceremony of the new facilities, and for the 6th Meeting of the BIREME Advisory Committee (AC), in the beginning of February 2017.