Author: Lilian Callo

Health Scholarly Communication in the Region

Scholarly communication, as science itself, evolves rapidly and it is necessary to follow and understand such changes. In this regard, the Office of the Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) through its bodies BIREME and Library and Information Networks, both from the Area of Knowledge Management, Bioethics and Research (KBR) train researchers, health professionals, decision makers and students in current topics of scientific communication and writing through face-to-face courses in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Staff development and organizational climate

The learning actions for continued development of competences for BIREME staff have been fostered by its Director, Dr Diego González Machín, since July 2016, when he took office ofthe Center. The primary goal is to have a better working environment and organizational climate, required to improve the technical cooperation and management of BIREME, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017.

Brazil Telehealth Program for Primary Health Care

Since 2007, in the early days of the Brazil Telehealth Program, BIREME/PAHO/WHO has been cooperating with the Ministry of Health to promote and facilitate the use of scientific knowledge in Primary Health Care (PHC) through Telehealth services. The program addresses relevant topics to PHC and it is designed to clear up doubts and meet the needs of other healthcare professionals, aiming to enhance the resolution capacity in similar cases or situations. It is a knowledge translation initiative, also applied to the São Paulo City Networks Telehealth Program.

The institutionality of BIREME in 2016: comments by Dr Francisco Becerra, Assistant Director at PAHO/WHO

In 2016, BIREME/PAHO/WHO has completed 49 years. The progress of its operation is also evidenced by the development of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), which is 18 years old, and its associated networks, present in 31 countries and including more than 2,000 institutions. The Center continues in the process to strengthen its institutional and managerial roles, supported by PAHO/WHO, directed to cooperation and network initiatives with its Member States and fostering – by means of its products and services – the democratization of access, publication, and use of scientific information and evidence in health.

PAHO/WHO Brazil and joint actions

PAHO/WHO Brazil has had the support of BIREME to develop technical cooperation activities focused on health priorities in the country. In the scope of BIREME´s work in managing health information and knowledge, PAHO Brazil effectively supports the Center by formalizing its institutionality in the country, which historically has had support for maintenance and development from the Ministry of Health (MoH). Moreover, BIREME enables its participation in Terms of Cooperation entered with the MoH and its Secretariats, as well as with national institutions, such as the State and Municipality Secretariats.

The alliance between information and education

The technical cooperation strategies of BIREME and the Virtual Campus of Public Health (VCPH) with Latin American and Caribbean countries, interact among themselves and complement each other to overcome new challenges and provide opportunities in information technology and communication, aim, among other objectives, to expand access to information and evidence in the education processes of healthcare professionals.

Cooperation agreement strengthens Colombia VHL

PAHO/WHO and Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud (FUCS) signed a new agreement for the consolidation and positioning of the VHL in Colombia. On the occasion, Dr. Gina Watson, PAHO/WHO Representative in Colombia, stated that the VHL is an open window to knowledge, as well as the importance of applying evidence-based knowledge to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), close the inequity gap and put an end to poverty.

SDG as a cross cutting issue of BIREME’s technical cooperation

The commitment of PAHO/WHO to support the countries of the Region to move forward and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the 2030 Agenda, using the leassons learned in the Millenium Development Goals (MDG), has driven the SDG to be a cross cutting issue in BIREME’s technical cooperation. Information related to SDG 6, such as bibliographic searches, full-text documents, evidence abstracts, and educational resources are available in the Regional VHL portal.

BIREME launches new Bulletin

BIREME launches a new communication channel to its users, institutional partners and the general public. ‘BIREME Bulletin’ is a news page in Portuguese, Spanish and English, reporting on technical cooperation actions, products and services, and testimonials. It is designed to provide visibility, access, quality, use and impact on health information.