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HE2RO

As public health concerns become increasingly complex, epidemiologic approaches to addressing priority health questions need to evolve and adapt. In this session, our research team will showcase diverse methodologies that have been applied to routinely collected observational data, from health economic costing and infectious disease modelling to behavioural economics and machine learning. Discover how these approaches are shaping public health interventions and policy decisions in South Africa.

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration

This session examines global and regional variations in physiological risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) using population-based data. It explores trends, regional differences, and combinations of risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia, shedding light on their complex correlations and implications for disease etiology.

UK Biobank

The UK Biobank symposium highlights its vast dataset’s role in scientific breakthroughs. It emphasizes global accessibility for studying disease determinants, risk prediction, and early detection. Presenters showcase genomic, lifestyle, and environmental data’s significance and recent enhancements. Speakers include UK Biobank experts, industry partners, and researchers.

World Cancer Research Fund and NutriCare Study

The symposium, co-organized by the World Cancer Research Fund and NutriCare Study, will focus on integrating nutrition into health care, the design of “Food is Medicine” interventions, and its impact on health outcomes. The NutriCare study, supported by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, addresses the critical issue of poor nutrition in cancer patients.

Preventing, predicting, preparing for, and responding to epidemics and pandemics

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will be a reflection of the roles and responsibilities of epidemiologists during the course of the pandemic, as well as lessons learnt will be important for management of future pandemics.

Meet the editors

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will involve engagement of Editors of epidemiology journals on how they promote inclusive publishing on their platforms and how far have they gone to include the rest of the world in their publications.

Old risk factors in the new era: tobacco, alcohol and physical activity

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will delve into the evolving landscape of traditional risk factors amid contemporary health challenges. The aim is to explore how the dynamics of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical activity have transformed in the modern era, considering technological, societal, and cultural shifts.

Shafalika Goenka
(Public Health Foundation of India, India)

Katherine Keyes
(Columbia University, USA)

Lekan Ayo Yusuf
(University of Pretoria, SA)

Is it risky for epidemiologists to be advocates?

Session type: Debate
In the current climate, epidemiologists risk becoming non-neutral actors hampering their ability to do science as well as making them considered to be less reliable to the public.

Kalpana Balakrishnan
(Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, India)

Neal Pearce
(London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK)

The role of epidemiology in building responses to violence

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Violence has been given insufficient attention and priority in the arena of public health policy, partnerships and interventions. Session will explore what role can and will epidemiology play in improving responses to violence?

Zinzi Bailey
(University of Minnesota, USA)

Rodrigo Guerrero-Velasco
(Violence Research Center of Universidad del Valle, Columbia)

Rachel Jewkes
(South African Medical Research Council, SA)

Ethics and epidemiology: conflicts of interest in research and service

Session type: Panel discussion
This session aims to dissect the complexities surrounding conflicts of interest in both research and public health practice, emphasising the critical need for transparency, integrity, and ethical decision-making.

Racial and ethnic classifications in epidemiology: global perspectives

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will explore the continued predominance of certain types of studies which influence global practice despite the lack of racial, ethnic and geographic diversity is a major weakness in epidemiology.

Critical reflections on epidemiology and its future

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will explore where is epidemiology headed, particularly given what field has been through in recent times? Is the field still fit for purpose? With all the new emerging threats, important to establish whether field is ready.

Teaching epidemiology: global perspectives

Session type: Panel discussion
Understanding how epidemiology is taught in different parts of the world is essential. Session will unpack why is epidemiology taught differently? Is it historical? Implications of these differences?

Na He
(Fudan University, China)

Katherine Keyes
(Columbia University, USA)

Noah Kiwanuka
(Makerere University, Uganda)

Miquel Porta
(Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Spain)

Pharmacoepidemiology: new insights and continuing challenges

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
This session aims to explore recent advancements in studying the utilization and effects of medications on populations, addressing methodological innovations, and novel data sources.

Are traditional cohorts outdated?

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will explore the landscape of traditional cohort studies, touching on their continued relevance in the contemporary research landscape. What are the limitations of traditional cohorts, challenges in data collection, evolving research questions, and potential advancements in study designs.

Karen Canfell
(The Daffodil Centre, Cancer Council NSW/University of Sydney, Australia)

Mauricio Lima Barreto
(Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health, Brazil)

Naja Hulvej Rod
(University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Yuan Lin
(Nanjing Medical University, China)

Have DAGs fulfilled their promise?

Session type: Debate
Critical reflection on why despite their importance in the Methods community, DAGs are not widely included in publications. Session will provide perspective on their utility in future research

Peter Tennant
(University of Leeds, UK)

Margarita Moreno-Betancur
(University of Melbourne, Australia)

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