scholarly journals Mitigating the impact of conference and travel cancellations on researchers’ futures

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey Weissgerber ◽  
Yaw Bediako ◽  
Charlotte M de Winde ◽  
Hedyeh Ebrahimi ◽  
Florencia Fernández-Chiappe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Do So

The need to protect public health during the current COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated conference cancellations on an unprecedented scale. As the scientific community adapts to new working conditions, it is important to recognize that some of our actions may disproportionately affect early-career researchers and scientists from countries with limited research funding. We encourage all conference organizers, funders and institutions who are able to do so to consider how they can mitigate the unintended consequences of conference and travel cancellations and we provide seven recommendations for how this could be achieved. The proposed solutions may also offer long-term benefits for those who normally cannot attend conferences, and thus lead to a more equitable future for generations of researchers.

scholarly journals Biobanks and Public Health: A New Challenge for Public Engagement and Trust

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Caenazzo ◽  
Pamela Tozzo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Health It ◽  
Biobank Research ◽  
Heterogeneous Structures ◽  
The Impact

Summary Modem biobanks should be considered as important structural platforms for sharing samples and data, providing benefits that go beyond those of a single study. To increase the impact of biobanking on feasible strategies to protect and improve peoples’ health, it could be useful to increase awareness about biobank research potential in the scientific community, as well as to promote collaboration among different fields of expertise. The basis for involvement of biobanks in public health has already been partly built up, emphasising the synergy in organising efforts and the openness to infrastructure collaboration, to ensure reliable long-term funding and resource sharing to the benefit of all. To obtain the maximum benefits possible from biobanks, which currently constitute a set of heterogeneous structures, a strategy of coordinated governance is needed, based on harmonisation of different aspects, built on the consensus of all stakeholders involved and society in general. It is important that researchers strive to understand public attitudes in this biobanking involvement so that the relationships between public trust in biobanking, donors’ behaviours and support for public-health involvement in the health-care system can be better understood.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Working Conditions and Social Participation. A 10-Year Follow-Up of Senior Workers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9154
Author(s):  
Pia Hovbrandt ◽  
Per-Olof Östergren ◽  
Catarina Canivet ◽  
Maria Albin ◽  
Gunilla Carlsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Psychosocial Working Conditions ◽  
Public Health Survey ◽  
The Impact

Social participation is important for health, and it is well known that high strain jobs impact negatively on mental and physical health. However, knowledge about the impact of psychosocial working conditions on social participation from a long-term perspective is lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between different job types and social participation from a long-term perspective. A comprehensive public health questionnaire “The Scania Public Health Survey”, was used, and psychosocial working conditions were measured with a Swedish translation of the Job Content Questionnaire. Based on data from 1098 working respondents aged 55 at baseline and a 10-year follow-up when the respondents were not working, the analyses revealed that social participation varied by job type. Jobs with high decision latitude, as in active and relaxed jobs, seem to predict high social participation, even after cessation of employment. Besides that, the result suggests that high social participation during working life is a predictor of high social participation from a long-term perspective which promotes healthy aging. Incentives for working longer are strongly related to good working conditions. A supportive work environment with possibilities for employees to participate in decision making, i.e., high control, is vital for a sustainable working life. This may contribute to an extended working life and may also support social participation prior to retirement as well as after retirement and thus to healthy aging.

scholarly journals Virtual conferences raise standards for accessibility and interactions

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarvenaz Sarabipour
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Community ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Early Career Researchers

Scientific conferences have an important role in the exchange of ideas and knowledge within the scientific community. Conferences also provide early-career researchers with opportunities to make themselves known within their field of research. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought traditional in-person conferences to a halt for the foreseeable future, the growth of virtual conferences has highlighted many of the disadvantages associated with the in-person format and demonstrated the advantages of moving these events online. Here, based on data from in-person and virtual conferences in a range of subjects, we describe how virtual conferences are more inclusive, more affordable, less time-consuming and more accessible worldwide, especially for early-career researchers. Making conferences more open and inclusive will provide both immediate and long-term benefits to the scientific community.

scholarly journals The Impact of Enhanced Antimicrobial Stewardship Support on Antibiotic Starts in Long-Term Care Facilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s527-s527
Author(s):  
Gabriela Andujar-Vazquez ◽  
Kirthana Beaulac ◽  
Shira Doron ◽  
David R Snydman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
The Impact

Background: The Tufts Medical Center Antimicrobial Stewardship (ASP) Team has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to provide broad-based educational programs (BBEP) to long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in an effort to improve ASP and infection control practices. LTCFs have consistently expressed interest in individualized and hands-on involvement by ASP experts, yet they lack resources. The goal of this study was to determine whether “enhanced” individualized guidance provided by an ASP expert would lead to antibiotic start decreases in LTCFs participating in our pilot study. Methods: A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility and efficacy of providing enhanced ASP and infection control practices to LTCFs. In total, 10 facilities already participating in MDPH BBEP and submitting monthly antibiotic start data were enrolled, were stratified by bed size and presence of dementia unit, and were randomized 1:1 to the “enhanced” group (defined as reviewing protocols and antibiotic start cases, providing lectures and feedback to staff and answering questions) versus the “nonenhanced” group. Antibiotic start data were validated and collected prospectively from January 2018 to July 2019, and the interventions began in April 2019. Due to staff turnover and lack of engagement, intervention was not possible in 2 of the 5 LTCFs randomized to the enhanced group, which were therefore analyzed as a nonenhanced group. An incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs were calculated comparing the antibiotic start rate per 1,000 resident days between periods in the pilot groups. Results: The average bed sizes for enhanced groups versus nonenhanced groups were 121 (±71.0) versus 108 (±32.8); the average resident days per facility per month were 3,415.7 (±2,131.2) versus 2,911.4 (±964.3). Comparatively, 3 facilities in the enhanced group had dementia unit versus 4 in the nonenhanced group. In the per protocol analysis, the antibiotic start rate in the enhanced group before versus after the intervention was 11.35 versus 9.41 starts per 1,000 resident days (IRR, 0.829; 95% CI, 0.794–0.865). The antibiotic start rate in the nonenhanced group before versus after the intervention was 7.90 versus 8.23 antibiotic starts per 1,000 resident days (IRR, 1.048; 95% CI, 1.007–1.089). Physician hours required for ASP for the enhanced group totaled 8.9 (±2.2) per facility per month. Conclusions: Although the number of hours required for intervention by an expert was not onerous, maintaining engagement proved difficult and in 2 facilities could not be achieved. A statistically significant 20% decrease in the antibiotic start rate was achieved in the enhanced group after interventions, potentially reflecting the benefit of enhanced ASP support by an expert.Funding: This study was funded by the Leadership in Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship, and Public Health (LEAP) fellowship training grant award from the CDC.Disclosures: None

scholarly journals Long-term Prescription? Digital Surveillance is Here to Stay

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-118
Author(s):  
Žilvinas Švedkauskas ◽  
Ahmed Maati
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The State ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Stanford University ◽  
Digital Surveillance ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Everyday Communication

An emerging literature has shown concerns about the impact of the pandemic on the proliferation of digital surveillance. Contributing to these debates, in this paper we demonstrate how the pandemic facilitates digital surveillance in three ways: (1) By shifting everyday communication to digital means it contributes to the generation of extensive amounts of data susceptible to surveillance. (2) It motivates the development of new digital surveillance tools. (3) The pandemic serves as a perfect justification for governments to prolong digital surveillance. We provide empirical anecdotes for these three effects by examining reports by the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University. Building on our argument, we conclude that we might be on the verge of a dangerous normalization of digital surveillance. Thus, we call on scholars to consider the full effects of public health crises on politics and suggest scrutinizing sources of digital data and the complex relationships between the state, corporate actors, and the sub-contractors behind digital surveillance.

scholarly journals The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Antibiotic Prescribing Trends in Outpatient Care: A Nationwide, Quasi-Experimental Approach

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1040
Author(s):  
Tânia Magalhães Silva ◽  
Marta Estrela ◽  
Eva Rebelo Gomes ◽  
Maria Piñeiro-Lamas ◽  
Adolfo Figueiras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
National Level ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Antibiotic Prescribing ◽  
Prescribing Trends ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally and is currently having a damaging impact on nearly all countries in the world. The implementation of stringent measures to stop COVID-19 dissemination had an influence on healthcare services and associated procedures, possibly causing antibiotic consumption fluctuations. This paper aims to evaluate the immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic prescribing trends in outpatient care of the Portuguese public health sector, including in primary healthcare centers and hospitals, as well as on specific antibiotic groups known to be closely associated with increased resistance. Segmented regression analysis with interrupted time series data was used to analyze whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact in antibiotic prescribing tendencies at a national level. The outcomes from this quasi-experimental approach demonstrate that, at the beginning of the pandemic, a significant, immediate decrease in the overall antibiotic prescribing trends was noticed in the context of outpatient care in Portugal, followed by a statistically non-significant fall over the long term. The data also showed a significant reduction in the prescription of particular antibiotic classes (antibiotics from the Watch group, 3rd-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and clarithromycin) upon COVID-19 emergence. These findings revealed an important disruption in antibiotics prescribing caused by the current public health emergency.

scholarly journals Exploring experiences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young racially minoritised people in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Ann Burgess ◽  
Nancy Kanu ◽  
Tanya Matthews ◽  
Owen Mukotekwa ◽  
Amina Smith-Gul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
The Impact

Within high-income-countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people from racially minoritised backgrounds. There has been significant research interrogating the disparate impact of the virus, and recently, interest in the long-term implications of the global crisis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, less work explores the experiences of young people from racialised backgrounds as they navigate the pandemic, and the specific consequences this has for their mental health. Forty young people (age 16-25) from black, mixed and other minority backgrounds and living in London, participated in consecutive focus group discussions over a two-month period, to explore the impact of the pandemic on their lives and emotional wellbeing. Thematic analysis identified seven categories describing the impact of the pandemic, indicating: deepening of existing socioeconomic and emotional challenges; efforts to navigate racism and difference within the response; and survival strategies drawing on communal and individual resources. Young people also articulated visions for a future public health response which addressed gaps in current strategies. Findings point to the need to contextualize public health responses to the pandemic in line with the lived experiences of racialised young people. We specifically note the importance of long-term culturally and socio-politically relevant support interventions. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

First person – Anne Janssen

2021 ◽  
Vol 134 (19) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Human Disease ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Early Career ◽  
First Person ◽  
Selective Autophagy ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Anne Janssen is first author on ‘ Direct observation of aggregate-triggered selective autophagy in human cells’, published in JCS. Anne conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Lukas Kapitein's lab at Division of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands. She is now a FEBS long-term fellow in the lab of Delphine Larrieu at Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge, UK, where she is currently interested in the nuclear envelope and how problems in maintaining nuclear integrity can cause human disease.

Linking Scientific Research to Development Agenda

2018 ◽  
pp. 374-391
Author(s):  
P. K. Kenabatho ◽  
B. P. Parida ◽  
B. Matlhodi ◽  
D.B. Moalafhi
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, the scientific community has been urged to undertake research that can immediately have impact on development issues, including national policies, strategies, and people's livelihoods, among others. While this is a fair call from decision makers, it should also be realized that science by nature is about innovation, discovery and knowledge generation. In this context, there is need for a balance between long term scientific investigations and short term scientific applications. With regard to the former, researchers spend years investigating (or need data of sufficient record length) to provide sound and reliable solutions to a problem at hand while in the latter, it is possible to reach a solution with few selected analyses. In all cases, it is advisable that researchers, where possible should link their studies to topical development issues in their case studies. In this paper, we use a hydrometeorological project in the Notwane catchment, Botswana, to show the importance of linking research to development agenda for mutual benefit of researchers and policy makers. The results indicate that some key development issues are being addressed by the Project and the scope exists to improve the impact of the project.

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