The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre Annual Report highlights the Traditional Medicine Global Library, developed by BIREME, as a key resource for integrating traditional medicine into health systems. The report also features PAHO results in the Region promoting Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine, enhancing global access to evidence and research in the field.
BIREME develops the SUS Digital Platform for innovation, equitable access to information and digital transformation in Brazil’s SUS. An integrated search service, thematic editorial sections, spaces dedicated to different audiences, and integration with the Brazilian Telehealth Network, New SOF and Decision Aids are several of the resources available, as well as experiences reports and testimonials in the Vozes do SUS Digital (Voices of the Digital SUS) section.
BIREME’s participation in the VII CIAPS held in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, gave visibility to the Center’s commitment to health equity, especially the challenge of reducing maternal mortality in the context of Primary Care. The program included a keynote lecture, technical workshops and presentations of experiences in digital health and evidence-based information, providing an opportunity to expand the VHL into new thematic platforms and collaborative networks.
Super Summaries are now available on the VHL and support the fast reading of scientific and technical texts based on Artificial Intelligence. The tool summarizes the contents and it is the result of BIREME’s intensified focus on the area of Digital Frontiers, which includes the research and development of information products and services designed with the use of advanced technologies.
BIREME/PAHO/WHO is advancing the institutionalization of agile culture as a cornerstone of organizational transformation, promoting more efficient deliveries, cross-functional integration, and strengthened project management. With a focus on value, strategic prioritization, and excellence from the PMO team, the initiative expands the impact of technical cooperation for countries in the Region, as highlighted by Director João Paulo Souza.
The World No Tobacco Day, on May 31st, is an initiative of the WHO that this year has adopted the theme “Unmasking the tobacco industry: exposing companies’ tactics to make tobacco and nicotine products more attractive”. The campaign aims to reveal the strategies used by these industries to make their products more attractive, especially to young people, and to promote public policies that reduce the demand for these products.
Teams from BIREME, the Ministry of Health, PAHO Brazil and experts in the preservation of collections met in São Paulo to define the 2025-2026 work plan for the implementation of technical cooperation for the Pandemic Memorial, which will bring together documents, artistic productions, interviews, testimonies and bibliographical references on COVID-19.
Super Summaries and DeCS Finder AI were presented at the Kigali Grand Challenges AI Community Convening and the Global AI Summit on Africa in Rwanda. Developed by BIREME to boost the digital transition of VHL products and services, both stand out for operating with specialized language models and accessible infrastructure.
How can science, ancestral knowledge and digital transformation be combined for the benefit of public health? This was the proposal put forward by João Paulo Souza, director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, during the ‘Knowledge for Care’ seminar, held on April 8 and 9 in São Paulo, as part of the SESC Inspira program, which celebrates World Health Day with educational and cultural activities at its units.
The latest version of the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS), maintained by BIREME/PAHO/WHO, is now available for consultation on the DeCS portal. Updated annually for the past 39 years, the vocabulary reflects the translation of the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and includes 206 new descriptors, emphasizing artificial intelligence, public health, and inclusive terminology. Discover the updates in the 2025 edition of DeCS.