Author: Lilian Callo

Strengthening information and knowledge management in Paraguay – one of the key PAHO/WHO countries

BIREME has been developing several actions to strengthen information and knowledge management in the Region’s key countries and, thus, contributing to reduce the existing gap between knowledge and practice, and inequities in the access, use and production of scientific and technical knowledge in health. To this end, workers from PAHO/WHO Office in Paraguay – one of the key countries – visited BIREME to prepare a work plan aiming to develop capacities in information and knowledge management in that country.

LILACS joins the Open Access Movement

Published in 2002, the Budapest Open Access Initiative Declaration is an effort to promote open access and free availability of scientific journals on the web, with no financial, legal or technical barriers, provided that the author is duly recognized and cited. BIREME, in line with its mission to democratize access to information, knowledge, and evidence in health, has been working with its collaboration Network and editors of scientific journals indexed in LILACS to join the Open Access Movement.

The Public Health School of University of São Paulo celebrates its centennial

The Public Health School of São Paulo was established in 1918, when the Hygiene Laboratory was created through an agreement signed between the State Government of São Paulo and the Rockefeller Foundation. As of 1969, under the name of Public Health School of University of São Paulo, it started to play a relevant role in disease prevention and epidemic control in the country. To celebrate the centennial of this renowned institution, an International Scientific Seminar was held on February 20-23, in which BIREME has also participated.

Cooperative work with Infomed to update Cuba VHL

The Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas (Infomed) and BIREME join efforts to update and relaunch the National Virtual Health Library (VHL) of Cuba. The new VHL Cuba introduces a new approach directed to its target audience – users specialized in Health Sciences. Its new structure brings a method to organize contents according to Infomed priority, intentionality, and function, and customizes and releases contents to different user groups.

BIREME participate at the PAHO/WHO Brazil Expanded Programmatic Coordination Group

The PAHO/WHO Programmatic Coordination Group includes representatives of the programmatic and technical areas of PAHO Brazil. Its primary objective is to promote the exchange of administrative, technical, and strategic information, fostering integration between the areas and joint programs for the development of technical cooperation actions. BIREME, as a Specialized PAHO/WHO Center, works with its network of cooperating institutions in close coordination with PAHO/WHO Representations in each country, and was present in the GPA meeting held in PAHOBrazil in Brasília, in January 2018.

The focus of BIREME 2018-2019 Biennial Work Plan

BIREME’s Biennial Work Plan (BWP) is guided by Programs and Budgets aligned to PAHO Strategic Plan, which, in turn, is linked to the WHO General Work Program, the 2030 Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas, Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030), and the Health Agenda for the Americas. Moreover, the BWP considers the priorities of the Cooperation Strategies of the Countries of the Region and the recommendations of the Center’s Advisory Committee and Scientific Committee. BIREME’s 2018-19 BWP was approved by the Organization’s Executive Management and Director, and will guide the development of the Center’s projects, products and services during this biennium.

Bireme sets presence in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2017

The presence of BIREME in the AL&C Region in 2017 was strengthened through technical cooperation actions with the PAHO/WHO Country Offices, as well as attendance at national and regional events, virtual meetings and technical meetings at PAHO/WHO Country Offices. These actions underline the repositioning of BIREME as a PAHO/WHO specialized center in scientific and technical information as a priority of the current leadership and with a view to strengthening its contribution to the information and knowledge management systems of the AL & C countries and through cooperation with other countries in the world.

Continuing education on access to information and scientific communication in health

On the framework of BIREME’s technical cooperation information products and services applied to management, access and use of information and evidence in health are developed, as well as to capacity building in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Throughout 2017 the Center led and took part in numerous capacity building activities for researchers, graduate students, managers and health professionals, both as face-to-face and distance learning. The capacity building activities focused mainly on access and use of health information, as well as scientific communication.

Advancing on the democratization of access to health information and evidence in LA&C

The Information Services offered by BIREME in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) aim to promote the democratization of equitable access to scientific and technical health information and to meet the information needs of health professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean through the efficient use of VHL information sources, development and updating of research resources, training activities and operation of other services. It is important to know the performance indicators of the access to information service, obtained from the access records to the Regional Portal of the VHL and the research service, to constantly improve information products and services according to the users’ needs and preferences.

Members of PAHO/WHO Executive Management visited BIREME in 2017

In the year in which it celebrated its 50th Anniversary, BIREME, as a PAHO/WHO Specialized Center, coordinated and held events that mobilized the celebrations together with supporters and institutional partners, former directors, collaborators and users from all the countries of the Region of America Latin America and the Caribbean. These events, as well as other internal meetings, were attended by the members of PAHO/WHO Executive Management at BIREME throughout the year.