Author: Lilian Callo

From physical to virtual to democratize information

From the need to create the Regional Library of Medicine to meet the demand of Latin America medical researchers and students for bibliographic services towards the establishment of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), BIREME reaffirms its commitment to contribute for the development of health of populations in the Region, by means of technical cooperation among the countries, aiming to promote and democratize production, access and use of information on health.

History of the governance

Since it was established, BIREME has relied on the support of Committees to exercise its governance, regarding scientific aspects as well as managerial and administrative ones. Such committees count on the presence of representatives from PAHO/WHO member countries, as well as on specialists in information and knowledge management. The Advisory Committee and the Scientific Committee are currently in operation, making recommendations to strengthen BIREME’s management and technical cooperation program. Read here and learn more about the dynamics of the committees along the Center’s history.

Contributing to the evolution of information

The history of BIREME is marked by four successive periods characterized by the technical and scientific information models adopted. Each new model incorporates its preceding model, thus enabling the Center to evolve while keeping its functions. The first period started in 1967 with the creation of BIREME as a Regional Library of Medicine, then goes on to the launch of the VHL, in 1998, and evolves to the present time, keeping the internet as the main platform for cooperative production and sharing of sources and flows of scientific health information.

The technological evolution

BIREME’s development is characterized by the way information technologies evolved, considering its capacity to use and enhance its functions, developing innovative products and services, and exercising its mission to democratize access, publication and use of information, knowledge, and scientific evidence in health.

Cooperation networks as working strategy

The networking strategy has been a practice maintained throughout the history of BIREME, from its start and during its 50 years of existence. Some of the highlights in this journey include the regional coordination of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), LILACS, and other complementary networks, together with national and institutional supporters. Many Directors coordinated the Center with different strategies and workstyles; however, support to strengthening networking was a common denominator for them all. This is still true in the administration of its current Director, Dr Diego Gonzalez Machín.

1967-2017: BIREME celebrates 50 years

In 2017, BIREME celebrates 50 years of existence. Over the last five decades it has been evolving in line with the international state of the art on scientific information and has contributed to continuously strengthening national and regional capacities to ensure visibility to scientific and technical information as well as evidence based decision making. BIREME’s technical cooperation has definitely contributed to the development of policies, programs, standards, methodologies, technologies, projects, products, services, events as well as scientific and technical information in health.

BIREME held the VI Session of its Advisory Committee

The sixth session of the BIREME Advisory Committee (AC), whose main function is to make recommendations to the Director of PAHO on the programmatic functions, based on the Strategic Plan of the Organization, Biennial Work Plan, and on the recommendations of the Scientific Committee, was held on February 2, 2017. The Committee is currently composed of representatives of Brazil (permanent member), Argentina, Jamaica, Peru, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. This session was also attended by the Assistant Director of PAHO and Acting Director of Knowledge Management, Bioethics and Research (KBR), Dr. Francisco Becerra, the Director of BIREME, Dr. Diego González, managers and supervisors.

BIREME inaugurates new premises

The Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME), in the year of its 50th anniversary, inaugurated its new facilities on February 1, 2017 in a ceremony led by Dr. Diego González, Director. The event was attended by the Assistant Director of PAHO/WHO, Dr. Francisco Becerra, representing the Director of the Organization, Dr. Carissa Etienne and the Representative of PAHO/WHO in Brazil, Dr. Joaquín Molina. Also former directors of the Center, institutional supporters, partners, guests and collaborators were present.

LILACS – the index of Latin American and Caribbean scientific output

LILACS – Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences is the index of the scientific and technical literature in health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C), regionally coordinated by the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME), which for 31 years has contributed to increasing the visibility, access and quality of information in the Region. Currently, it indexes articles from 923 journals, books, theses and non-conventional documents published in the LA&C countries, with a strong emphasis on Public Health.

PAHO/WHO Cuba and BIREME present at the Finlay and Medisur III Scientific Journals Festival

Revista Finlay, published by the Centro de Información de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos, Cuba, completed 30 years in 2017, and in order to celebrate this event and the 15th Anniversary of the journal Medisur, a Scientific Conference was organized at the university campus. The Director of BIREME, Dr. Diego González, attended the event, in addition to visiting the PAHO/WHO Office in Cuba and the Centro Nacional de Información en Ciencias Médicas (INFOMED), a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Knowledge Management and the Virtual Health Library, as well as other national institutions, identifying possible projects and joint initiatives, and cooperating to promote the visibility of scientific and technical information produced in the country.