Some of us are at the First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Montreux and running events discussing our recent work (see the STEPS Centre events page for full details).

Tomorrow (Wednesday), Michael Loevinsohn will be chairing a session at Montreux entitled “New directions in environment-health research: implications for health systems”. (Michael’s session’s at 4pm – see also the full day programme.)

Here’s what’s going to be discussed:

“Environmental health research has traditionally been concerned with the impact of particular aspects of the environment on particular diseases. Rapid and multi-faceted environmental change is increasing the challenge to health systems, creating new sources of ill-health – in many cases zoonotic in origin – and exacerbating existing ones, often in the same place.

Participants in this session will gain a clearer appreciation of methods and approaches that are being employed:
> to elucidate how change is creating situations of risk for multiple sources of ill-health that are experienced and perceived differently by people differently situated;
> to identify and assess developmental dynamics that may be loosening risk structures, with the potential to yield multiple benefits in terms of health and well-being and
> to forge relationships with other sectors to develop and pursue these opportunities.”

The speakers include:

Richard Coker, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine(UK/Thailand): TB and HIV in the Former Soviet Union: social transformations and the challenge of control

Ashok Dyalchand, Institute of Health Management, Pachod (India): Benefits of rural sanitation implemented through a community-led social norms approach: implications for health systems

Paul Forster, IDS (UK/Indonesia): Politics, power and economics: how debt creates avian influenza (H5N1) risk in Jakarta’s poultry supply chains

Hayley MacGregor (UK): The social dynamics of disease ecology: case studies from African contexts

First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research
STEPS Centre: Socio-ecological dynamics of disease
STEPS: Health overview