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4 September 2024

Media accreditation is now open for the World Congress of Epidemiology 2024, hosted by UCT’s Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Over 1200 delegates are expected to attend the World Congress of Epidemiology (WCE2024) from September 24 until 27 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, as the International Epidemiological Association’s three-yearly public health meeting is brought to Africa for the first time.

Epidemiology, the scientific study of health conditions within defined populations, gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Cape Town (UCT) was at the forefront as South African scientists demonstrating excellence rooted in decades of work combating diseases such as HIV, TB, and malaria.

WCE2024 will highlight pioneering research from 108 countries, including 39 from Africa.

Critical global health issues on the agenda include the impact of climate change on infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness, digital epidemiology, and ethics surrounding big data. It will also focus on pharmacoepidemiology — the study of drug safety, a topic of renewed interest following challenges around vaccine hesitancy during COVID-19.

Scientific Director of WCE2024 and a distinguished researcher at UCT’s Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Dr Thokozile Malaba emphasises the significance of hosting the 23rd iteration of the meeting in Africa. “Africa carries a huge burden of disease, so to have this meeting here promotes equitable participation,” she says. “Often people don’t realise that a lot of the groundbreaking scientific discoveries are being led by Africans.”

Malaba is hopeful that WCE2024 will spark new collaborations, particularly among institutions in the Global South: “While much of the global health landscape involves North-to-South collaboration, UCT is keen to foster more South-to-North and South-to-South partnerships, showcasing African leadership in epidemiology.”

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Epidemiology and complexity: challenges and responses,” which will be explored through six plenary lectures, over 300 oral presentations, and workshops across four days.

Dr Malaba points out the following highlights on the meeting’s programme:

  1. Climate change and health. “The impact of climate change; including its role in the spread of infectious diseases, heat related illnesses, and mental health challenges. We will look at epidemiological methods to measure that, and ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change on health.”
  2. Pandemic preparedness. “Given that we’re coming out of covid, so what are the lessons learned – not just from covid, but past pandemics? So this relates to epidemiological response, vaccine rollouts, public health infrastructure challenges. Getting global perspectives: hearing from different places, how did you deal with it? These were the impacts of the choices made – publicising these lessons.”
  3. Digital epidemiology and big data. “The role of big data, AI and machine learning in transforming epidemiology and public health. It is exciting to have access to all these different data sources – how we use that data, and also the ethics around how we use that data.”
  4. Capacity building and training. “This comes down to Africa again, and other low and middle income countries. Strengthening epidemiological training programmes so that we can build our own capacity and expertise. Again, how can we can lead and not just be told what to do.”
  5. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug surveillance. “This session will bring together discussions around drug safety and real world evidence – the processes that go into drug development, what are the steps before roll-out, making sure that medicines are safe and effective.”

Dr Malaba’s journey is testament to UCT’s impact on the global stage. Born in Harare and having completed part of her schooling in Oslo, she recently earned her PhD from UCT, with a thesis focusing on maternal ART use and adverse birth outcomes. Earlier this year, she presented her research at the prestigious Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver.

Members of the media are invited to apply for accreditation to cover the conference. Please click here to RSVP.

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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