The 3rd Session of the Scientific Committee of the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME) was held on December 7-8, 2017, with presentations on the current status of the Center, its products, services, and its biennial Work Plan for 2018-2019.
Francisco Becerra, PAHO Assistant Director and Interim Director of Knowledge Management, Bioethics and Research (KBR), welcomed the participants and presented the meeting objectives, setting the context of the importance of BIREME’s technical cooperation in the region. Becerra coordinated the meeting together with Diego González MachĂn, BIREME Director and ex officio Secretary of the Committee, who made a presentation about the Center, called “BIREME Today”. Managers and technical and administrative teams supported the discussions.
The meeting was also attended by six expert members of the Scientific Committee who were appointed in the 6th Advisory Committee Meeting of BIREME, in February 2017, namely:
- Efren Carlos Oropeza AbĂşndez, Scientific Communication, Mexico
- Georgiana Marie Gordon-Strachan, Scientific Research, Jamaica
- Ileana Regla Alfonso Sanchez, Information Management, Cuba
- Jaider Ochoa Gutierrez, Education and Knowledge Management, Colombia
- Mario Guillermo Tristan Lopez, Scientific Research, Costa Rica
- Roberto Carlos Pacheco, Information Technology,
Mauricio Bustamante, PAHO/WHO Consultant, with experience in Health Services management, presented a vision on BIREME’s potential and a prospect on how the Center could strengthen its alliances with decision-makers in the region, weighing the needs and benefits of health information in decision-making. From then on, the entire program was characterized by discussions that resulted in effective recommendations based on the following reflections:
- What can BIREME do that no other organization can? What is its added value? How to expand its work in the country or in south-south cooperation?
- Potential role of BIREME in PAHO/WHO Strategic Plan and its role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): how to link the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas within the scope of the SDG?
The members of the committee and the participants achieved a consensus on the recommendations and a final report will be ready by mid-January 2018, which will then be submitted to PAHO/WHO Director, Carissa F. Etienne.
About the Scientific Committee
The main role of the Committee, as provided in BIREME Statute within the context of its new organizational framework (CD49.R5), is to make recommendations to the Advisory Committee on BIREME’s programmatic functions, in accordance with international state-of-the-art of scientific information and communication, including: quality policies and criteria for the selection of contents; management of information, knowledge and scientific evidence; publishing management; information storage and retrieval infrastructure; bibliometrics; infometrics; and scientometrics.
The Statute establishes that the Committee be formed by at least five international experts, appointed by their renowned competence in scientific research, health information and knowledge management, health scientific and technical communication, and for their knowledge in the areas of research, ethics, development, operations, and funding.